It was perfect weather for First Friday Gallery Night in Ithaca last week. The daytime rain had given up, and temperatures were mild. My friend Linda and I wandered from one gallery to the next, enjoying the work of many young artists we hadn't seen before.
Greg Tomezsko's striking oils had enough abstraction in them to excite me. You'll find realistic portraits and impressionistic nature scenes in his portfolio as well. His work was at the Community Center of Music and Arts, where he is currently a teacher.
Michael Sampson was exhibiting abstract paintings with thick lush layers of paint at Contemporary Trends. The photos on his website don't do justice to his visually engaging originals.
Allison Shull was showing a number of colorful, abstract expressionist paintings at Contemporary Trends. Her work was also available there in digital archival prints.
Ithaca's co-op gallery, The State of the Art Gallery, had an exciting two-person show. Rachel Gorman and Scout Dunbar were exhibiting works on paper that complemented each other well. You can find more of Scout Dunbar's work at the Ink Shop in Ithaca.
Rachel Gorman is a recent graduate of Alfred Unviersity's School of Art and Design. She exhibited exquisite abstract works of folded paper.
Helena Cooper, an artist I've written about before, was showing some of her fabulously energetic and colorful pieces at Contemporary Trends. She also has work at Agava Restaurant and has exhibited widely in upstate New York as well as Brazil.
