During the quarantine of 2020-21, this site (then Palette ArtsSpace) did free monthly online solo exhibitions.
"Most of the photos featured here were taken during the Coronavirus pandemic. The emotions felt have been numerous and intense. I was drawn to scenes that captured the challenges, grief, support, and hope I have felt throughout this past year. Photography has become a source of personal mindfulness in addition to expression." - Courtney Puciata
Courtney Puciata is an artist and art therapist working in New Jersey and New York. Courtney has always been an active artist, and her work has been shown in galleries in the tri-state area. Her mixed media pieces encouraged her to return to one of her first inspirations of photography. Courtney enjoys painting and photographing landscapes and portraits, along with the occasional coffee cup. Courtney believes in the power of the creative process to explore both our inner selves and our external worlds.
Courtney received her BA from Boston University and her MPS from the School of Visual Arts.
Courtney Puciata is an artist and art therapist working in New Jersey and New York. Courtney has always been an active artist, and her work has been shown in galleries in the tri-state area. Her mixed media pieces encouraged her to return to one of her first inspirations of photography. Courtney enjoys painting and photographing landscapes and portraits, along with the occasional coffee cup. Courtney believes in the power of the creative process to explore both our inner selves and our external worlds.
Courtney received her BA from Boston University and her MPS from the School of Visual Arts.
Robin Borzotta is a native of Louisville Ky and has lived throughout the US. Although her occupations lie in health and healing as a registered nurse and certified yoga therapist, her longtime avocation and passion lies in photography. In 1987, while studying art history, Robin took her first black and white photography course. However, it wasn’t until a 1993 trip to China, armed with a Canon 35mm camera and with two dozen rolls of black and white film that her photographic journey began in earnest.
Almost three decades later, from 35 mm to Large Format, traditional black and white darkrooms and now a digital format, the equipment has changed and evolved. However, it is not the equipment that creates the image. It is the tool that allows the photographer, the individual whose passion and desire to capture what they see and to share that with others that creates the image.
“For me, my photography is my way and means of capturing the light and the magic of the moment. Wherever I may be, I love watching the everchanging light and its effects on my surroundings. How long shadows can create patterns and design in mud along a riverbed, or how the reflected light of the sun turns sandstone with its streaks and crevices into a warm abstract painting. I love watching how dramatically a landscape can change, depending on whether you are viewing it at sunrise or sunset. A pool of still water becomes a mirror reflecting earth and sky and the morning dew on a spider’s web turns it into a neural matrix. Sometimes I capture these images and share them, sometimes they simply remain images in my mind’s eye. But my pursuit continues, along with hope that once the shutter opens and the exposure is made that magic will happen. An image the reflects the moment.”
"World Traveler / Shelter at Home" painting series
I contracted the Covid virus this spring-- after a few feverish nights I had an idea for a new painting series-- World Traveler / Shelter at Home. Vernacular photos are the inspiration for my paintings. A friend gave me 27 boxes of vintage travel slides found in an Asbury Park thrift store. I felt this was the perfect time to immerse myself --painting images of far flung adventures as I shelter at home. On transparent mylar, I employ reverse painting thus creating an illusion of pictorial depth. The transparency of the painting surface relates to the photographic process of the source material-- creating both a dissolving quality and visual uncertainty ultimately referencing memory. World Traveler / Shelter at home painting series is both an homage to the exhaustive slide collection and adventures of one individual; but also, a somber reflection of our collective loss of freedom during the pandemic.
Website: www.dianajensen.com Instagram: #jensenmania
BIO
Currently based in NYC, Diana Jensen makes paintings and installations that reference found vernacular photographs from the 1960s to the present day. Her art making focus is in documenting both the emotional connection and cultural impact of photo collecting.
Jensen's recent solo exhibition, "A Decade in Dumbo: 4 Installations" was featured at Chashama Space @One Brooklyn Bridge Park. Her paintings have been exhibited widely including such venues as: The Visual Art's Center of New Jersey; SafeTGallery, Brooklyn; White Columns, NYC; Bucheon Gallery, San Francisco; Artemisia Gallery, Chicago; The Newark Museum, and The Islip Art Museum.
I contracted the Covid virus this spring-- after a few feverish nights I had an idea for a new painting series-- World Traveler / Shelter at Home. Vernacular photos are the inspiration for my paintings. A friend gave me 27 boxes of vintage travel slides found in an Asbury Park thrift store. I felt this was the perfect time to immerse myself --painting images of far flung adventures as I shelter at home. On transparent mylar, I employ reverse painting thus creating an illusion of pictorial depth. The transparency of the painting surface relates to the photographic process of the source material-- creating both a dissolving quality and visual uncertainty ultimately referencing memory. World Traveler / Shelter at home painting series is both an homage to the exhaustive slide collection and adventures of one individual; but also, a somber reflection of our collective loss of freedom during the pandemic.
Website: www.dianajensen.com Instagram: #jensenmania
BIO
Currently based in NYC, Diana Jensen makes paintings and installations that reference found vernacular photographs from the 1960s to the present day. Her art making focus is in documenting both the emotional connection and cultural impact of photo collecting.
Jensen's recent solo exhibition, "A Decade in Dumbo: 4 Installations" was featured at Chashama Space @One Brooklyn Bridge Park. Her paintings have been exhibited widely including such venues as: The Visual Art's Center of New Jersey; SafeTGallery, Brooklyn; White Columns, NYC; Bucheon Gallery, San Francisco; Artemisia Gallery, Chicago; The Newark Museum, and The Islip Art Museum.
Robert Piersanti has shown his work from Manhattan to Jersey City and Miami to Milan. His commercial work can be seen in magazines such as the New Yorker as well as on CD packaging, logos and book jackets. A New Jersey native, Robert draws his content and inspiration from youthful engagement with pop culture. His work will take you back in time and stir up all the counterculture magic. His current project is on view is on view on the Asbury Park boardwalk, part of the Wooden Walls Project.
Steve Rude’s career began in 1981 with his and co-creator Mike Baron’s groundbreaking “Nexus” comic series. This space saga catapulted Rude into the field of comics, where he became highly sought after by major publishers. During his first few years in the industry, Rude’s efforts led to numerous awards, such as the 1984 Russ Manning Newcomer Award, the Kirby Award for best artist in 1986, and numerous Eisner’s for artistic achievement. For over two decades, Rude has drawn hundreds of comic’s greatest iconic heroes, and has galvanized the art world as a comic magazine artist and illustrator.
Steve considers himself an art student. The desire to better his craft with each new project shows an expressive and caring approach. He holds deep appreciation for the illustrators who have come before. By studying the works of such masters as Andrew Loomis, John Gannam, Harry Anderson, Jack Kirby, and Russ Manning, Rude continues to perfect his talent. The result is an artist with the discipline and training of the grand illustrators from the 1930s to 1950s. Rude applies this knowledge to his true passion of modern comic books. Currently, Rude’s focus is on bringing back the comic strip online and in paper form with his award winning comic book, Nexus.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Steve considers himself an art student. The desire to better his craft with each new project shows an expressive and caring approach. He holds deep appreciation for the illustrators who have come before. By studying the works of such masters as Andrew Loomis, John Gannam, Harry Anderson, Jack Kirby, and Russ Manning, Rude continues to perfect his talent. The result is an artist with the discipline and training of the grand illustrators from the 1930s to 1950s. Rude applies this knowledge to his true passion of modern comic books. Currently, Rude’s focus is on bringing back the comic strip online and in paper form with his award winning comic book, Nexus.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Leslie Connito is a New York artist who works in various media, investigating concepts of time, memory, disintegration, permanence and impermanence. Her oil paintings and mixed media work reflect everyday life and often include snippets of culture, politics, history, music, art history, and the like, which are painted into the images in layers. She uses symbols as a kind of narrative in the oil paintings, mixed media work, and encaustics.
Leslie is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of art, and studied at RIT, Parsons in Paris, and Hunter College. She has published three children’s books and a book of poetry. She has curated several art shows and won several awards.
Leslie is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of art, and studied at RIT, Parsons in Paris, and Hunter College. She has published three children’s books and a book of poetry. She has curated several art shows and won several awards.
Artist Statement for Kevin Hinkle:
My primary focus as a photographer/digital artist is my fusion work (images that are composed of two or more digital photographs layered into one). I was introduced to the layering technique as a graphic design tool. However, I began to play with layering as a means of combining images from disparate contexts to communicate messages that would have been difficult for me to convey through photography alone. I like “fusioning” because it retains a spirit of play and experimentation and continues to surprise me with its unexpected results.
My application of this process covers a broad range of themes and subjects, but a significant percentage of my work over the last ten years has focused on what I call “Disrupted Landscapes.” Like many people, I’m powerfully drawn to landscapes—from meadows to mountains and seascapes to deserts. At the same time, I question the way we, as a species, both revere and ruin the land.
I explore the tension in this relationship by, in some cases, juxtaposing human-made objects (bridges, buildings, small objects, text) with pristine natural settings. In other images, the disruption is not readily identifiable, but the environment in these works appears to be disturbed by a force—a violent movement, loud noises, perhaps, or a destructive energy. In this particular series, the images move from relatively minor human incursions (a white room in the middle of a meadow) to more apocalyptic scenes of environmental destruction.
The manipulation of these disparate digital photographs invokes the way human incursions spawned by consumerism, overpopulation, greed, and even nostalgia threaten the natural world which we claim to revere.
My primary focus as a photographer/digital artist is my fusion work (images that are composed of two or more digital photographs layered into one). I was introduced to the layering technique as a graphic design tool. However, I began to play with layering as a means of combining images from disparate contexts to communicate messages that would have been difficult for me to convey through photography alone. I like “fusioning” because it retains a spirit of play and experimentation and continues to surprise me with its unexpected results.
My application of this process covers a broad range of themes and subjects, but a significant percentage of my work over the last ten years has focused on what I call “Disrupted Landscapes.” Like many people, I’m powerfully drawn to landscapes—from meadows to mountains and seascapes to deserts. At the same time, I question the way we, as a species, both revere and ruin the land.
I explore the tension in this relationship by, in some cases, juxtaposing human-made objects (bridges, buildings, small objects, text) with pristine natural settings. In other images, the disruption is not readily identifiable, but the environment in these works appears to be disturbed by a force—a violent movement, loud noises, perhaps, or a destructive energy. In this particular series, the images move from relatively minor human incursions (a white room in the middle of a meadow) to more apocalyptic scenes of environmental destruction.
The manipulation of these disparate digital photographs invokes the way human incursions spawned by consumerism, overpopulation, greed, and even nostalgia threaten the natural world which we claim to revere.
Robert Mars: Two quotes that influenced this body of work.
• “Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." Pablo Picasso
• "The revolt of fascism and realism is freedom, which is articulated in the free form style of the Abstract Expressionist."
This new body of work strikes a balance between chaos and control. Employing concepts rooted in abstract expressionism, I begin with multicolored paint layers of loose and dynamic brushstrokes on vintage newspaper. Choosing to sometimes highlight and sometimes obliterate this record of events acts as rebellion to structure and order. The vintage newspaper is a bridge to the events of the past; anchoring the work in history. The dialogue between the layers of color; the events glimpsed through the paint; sets the palette for the final composition.
To apply order to the chaos I precisely cut the painted newspaper into predetermined patterns. Based on traditional quilt patterns from American history, the mix of handcraft and the meditation of time contained in that often overlooked folk art, these tessellations echo the backgrounds utilized in my representational body of work. As I rebuild the composition I keep structure, composition, and color in mind. The process of discovery and sense of resolution is the result of reconstructing these compositions.
• “Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." Pablo Picasso
• "The revolt of fascism and realism is freedom, which is articulated in the free form style of the Abstract Expressionist."
This new body of work strikes a balance between chaos and control. Employing concepts rooted in abstract expressionism, I begin with multicolored paint layers of loose and dynamic brushstrokes on vintage newspaper. Choosing to sometimes highlight and sometimes obliterate this record of events acts as rebellion to structure and order. The vintage newspaper is a bridge to the events of the past; anchoring the work in history. The dialogue between the layers of color; the events glimpsed through the paint; sets the palette for the final composition.
To apply order to the chaos I precisely cut the painted newspaper into predetermined patterns. Based on traditional quilt patterns from American history, the mix of handcraft and the meditation of time contained in that often overlooked folk art, these tessellations echo the backgrounds utilized in my representational body of work. As I rebuild the composition I keep structure, composition, and color in mind. The process of discovery and sense of resolution is the result of reconstructing these compositions.
"In an extensive career that spans decades and a range of master craftsman’s techniques, my paintings reflect my deep connections to the world.
What perhaps starts as an innocent foray into landscape painting becomes an intense experiment in blurring the lines of tradition with a mixed media interpretation of a sprawling urban landscape. Whether painting portraits, landscapes, or still lifes my work is a visual ethnography of decay and resilience.
Striking a balance between the vision of reality and the perception of the viewer is a critical challenge for artists. I try to master the necessary discipline to create without being tethered to conventional definitions of aesthetics. I invite the viewer to become an active participant in the artwork and engage in open discourse: what am I looking at? How does it make me feel? And how do my thoughts and feelings influence my definition of beauty and art?
This has enabled me to consistently stay connected to my practice and be inspired to create. Though artists are often perceived as speaking with their hands or minds, my skill set and techniques provide a firm basis in informing my work through research and experience. My work is uncompromising and the striking visuals and capability to paint diverse subjects, empowers viewers to think differently and embrace beauty through unexpected channels."
What perhaps starts as an innocent foray into landscape painting becomes an intense experiment in blurring the lines of tradition with a mixed media interpretation of a sprawling urban landscape. Whether painting portraits, landscapes, or still lifes my work is a visual ethnography of decay and resilience.
Striking a balance between the vision of reality and the perception of the viewer is a critical challenge for artists. I try to master the necessary discipline to create without being tethered to conventional definitions of aesthetics. I invite the viewer to become an active participant in the artwork and engage in open discourse: what am I looking at? How does it make me feel? And how do my thoughts and feelings influence my definition of beauty and art?
This has enabled me to consistently stay connected to my practice and be inspired to create. Though artists are often perceived as speaking with their hands or minds, my skill set and techniques provide a firm basis in informing my work through research and experience. My work is uncompromising and the striking visuals and capability to paint diverse subjects, empowers viewers to think differently and embrace beauty through unexpected channels."
Kortez is a graduate of the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts (NSFIA). He fell in love with art at an early age and credits his parents as early influences in his life and art. His mother exposed him to the works of artists like Picasso, Warhol and Dali. While his father, a biologist, shared abstract sketches of single-celled organisms from biology books where Kortez saw art in those images. Kortez often uses reclaimed materials and objects and mixes them with a deep sense of emotion, bold and bright colors to create art. Collages, one of his favorite art mediums, tell of social injustices such as racism, poverty, war, and police brutality. Using news clippings and photographs to tell a story, he then adds brush strokes of color to complete the work.
His other works include paintings that reflect the faces and people that have lined the fabric of his life. Over the last year abstractions have been on his menu. The paintings are a combination of bright representations of his love and his relationship with his new wife, Bridgett Artise who is a sustainable fashion designer. The paintings also combine images derived from the artist's old drawings from college and his own Father's abstract sketches Kortez used to see as a kid. The influence of both his wife and his Father make these abstract paintings truly unique and the artist is still exploring the creative possibilities with this new style.
Since meeting his wife the two opened up a Sustainable Fashion Boutique called House of B.A.V.. The store's focus is upcycle and vintage fashion and they also exhibit Kortez' art and the fashion he and his wife collaborate on. The store is a creative endeavor the couple cherish and its a community hub even in the midst of an International pandemic. More information about Kortez can be found at www.esotericurbanism.com. Find out more about the store and shop 24/7 by going to www.houseofbav.com.
Lynda D'Amico's fascination with pigeons goes back to her Urban Pigeon Project to these pieces in "For The Love of Pigeons." She paints birds from Palermo to Florence to NYC on wood and canvas.
Note from Joe: My father, Anthony "Tony" Borzotta, was a homing pigeon flyer, racer, and founder/prez of the Wayne Pigeon Flyers Club, so I feel a special connection to these pieces by Lynda. It's a complex and time-consuming hobby, sometimes called "the poor man's horse racing". These are what pigeon flyers called "city birds". Cheers, Dad, this one's for you!
Note from Joe: My father, Anthony "Tony" Borzotta, was a homing pigeon flyer, racer, and founder/prez of the Wayne Pigeon Flyers Club, so I feel a special connection to these pieces by Lynda. It's a complex and time-consuming hobby, sometimes called "the poor man's horse racing". These are what pigeon flyers called "city birds". Cheers, Dad, this one's for you!
R.I.P. SAMO and Other Stories, The Semiotics of Basquiat
In 2002, I found an abandoned wooden bed post and brought it back to my studio to gesso and paint. I was thinking about Jean Michel Basquiat bringing trashed windows, doors etc to his apartment to use as painting surfaces. I used a famous image of JMB from Michael Halsband as my reference. I drew it free hand and was amazed at how easily and quickly the rendering happened. I would wind up throwing the bedpost away but saving the image which I had made into a silkscreen. What follows is a series of works inspired by that image. These pieces also reference two other heroes of mine, Andy Warhol ( silkscreens, death and celebrity ) and Renee Magritte ( ceci n’est pas une pipe, the freeplay of signifiers ). This series means a lot to me on many levels. Artist as hero, martyr and commodity. Art, sacrifice, commerce and immortality.
Thank You, Joseph Borzotta/ Palette Artist Space, for this online exhibition opportunity.
Chris Lee
In 2002, I found an abandoned wooden bed post and brought it back to my studio to gesso and paint. I was thinking about Jean Michel Basquiat bringing trashed windows, doors etc to his apartment to use as painting surfaces. I used a famous image of JMB from Michael Halsband as my reference. I drew it free hand and was amazed at how easily and quickly the rendering happened. I would wind up throwing the bedpost away but saving the image which I had made into a silkscreen. What follows is a series of works inspired by that image. These pieces also reference two other heroes of mine, Andy Warhol ( silkscreens, death and celebrity ) and Renee Magritte ( ceci n’est pas une pipe, the freeplay of signifiers ). This series means a lot to me on many levels. Artist as hero, martyr and commodity. Art, sacrifice, commerce and immortality.
Thank You, Joseph Borzotta/ Palette Artist Space, for this online exhibition opportunity.
Chris Lee
“I am primarily a self-taught artist working in oils. After spending 15 happy years as an elementary art teacher, I decided it was time for me to be the artist. I resigned my teaching position, converted my daughter’s bedroom into a studio and here I am four+ years later. Living the dream. I paint mostly still life’s of everyday objects trying to capture their beauty through the interplay of strong light and deep shadows.”
POLLY FAXON, SELECTED PAINTINGS, 2005-2009
Posthumous Online Retrospective and Memorial Exhibition
Polly Faxon (Mary Elizabeth Faxon), 1951 - 2010
Polly Faxon was self-taught as a painter and illustrator, beginning serious study at an early age in Boston. From 1965 to 1974, Polly had private lessons in painting and drawing with various fine artists and private tutors. Polly moved to New York City when she was eighteen years old, and immediately began taking drawing and painting courses at the Art Students League of New York, which included anatomy drawing and painting, figurative drawing and painting, and creative drawing and painting.
Over time, Polly began to develop a uniquely personal aesthetic, which evolved out of a strong desire to continuously experiment, to question, to draw and paint, to explore and imagine, and especially to challenge herself. Her desire to explore the surfaces of worlds led her to create work that resonated poetically, and would in turn lead her to express complex spiritual interpretations of the world around her; she filtered these into abstract expressionist trompe l’oeils – portraits and landscapes – with subjects that she felt mattered and moved her. There is great passion, dimension, and emotion in Polly’s work, where color, texture, and line are used with expressive precision to strike at the essence of her subject matter, and at the heart of the viewer.
Polly often said that this was how she needed to live. She wrote, “I can live, relive and even alter my life’s experience through the process of painting, and I want the viewer of my work to pick through these fragments and connect the dots of this process with their own emotional reaction to it. I’m always striving for a deeper dialogue with both myself and with the viewer, of unspoken feelings; hopefully a transformative conversation that would last and be remembered – like finding an old diary in the attic, deteriorated by time, but made even more curious by the abstractions of time, by its rainbows of ink stains, and smeared memories.”
Marc D’avegan Rubin
From 5/22/20: Thank you so much Joe, I am very grateful that you contacted me to consider a solo show for Polly and her work, and provided the opportunity to exhibit Polly's work at Palette Online ArtSpace for a three week memorial exhibit. I know that Polly, who always admired you, your work, and your art advocacy so much, would have been incredibly honored and elated, as I am, as everyone who appreciates and enjoys her work hopefully is too. It was a beautiful show, and I'm really glad we can visit anytime to see the memorial show in an accessible folder at the site. My very best regards, Joe, I'm looking forward to all the upcoming shows you will be featuring at www.palettegallery.net.
Posthumous Online Retrospective and Memorial Exhibition
Polly Faxon (Mary Elizabeth Faxon), 1951 - 2010
Polly Faxon was self-taught as a painter and illustrator, beginning serious study at an early age in Boston. From 1965 to 1974, Polly had private lessons in painting and drawing with various fine artists and private tutors. Polly moved to New York City when she was eighteen years old, and immediately began taking drawing and painting courses at the Art Students League of New York, which included anatomy drawing and painting, figurative drawing and painting, and creative drawing and painting.
Over time, Polly began to develop a uniquely personal aesthetic, which evolved out of a strong desire to continuously experiment, to question, to draw and paint, to explore and imagine, and especially to challenge herself. Her desire to explore the surfaces of worlds led her to create work that resonated poetically, and would in turn lead her to express complex spiritual interpretations of the world around her; she filtered these into abstract expressionist trompe l’oeils – portraits and landscapes – with subjects that she felt mattered and moved her. There is great passion, dimension, and emotion in Polly’s work, where color, texture, and line are used with expressive precision to strike at the essence of her subject matter, and at the heart of the viewer.
Polly often said that this was how she needed to live. She wrote, “I can live, relive and even alter my life’s experience through the process of painting, and I want the viewer of my work to pick through these fragments and connect the dots of this process with their own emotional reaction to it. I’m always striving for a deeper dialogue with both myself and with the viewer, of unspoken feelings; hopefully a transformative conversation that would last and be remembered – like finding an old diary in the attic, deteriorated by time, but made even more curious by the abstractions of time, by its rainbows of ink stains, and smeared memories.”
Marc D’avegan Rubin
From 5/22/20: Thank you so much Joe, I am very grateful that you contacted me to consider a solo show for Polly and her work, and provided the opportunity to exhibit Polly's work at Palette Online ArtSpace for a three week memorial exhibit. I know that Polly, who always admired you, your work, and your art advocacy so much, would have been incredibly honored and elated, as I am, as everyone who appreciates and enjoys her work hopefully is too. It was a beautiful show, and I'm really glad we can visit anytime to see the memorial show in an accessible folder at the site. My very best regards, Joe, I'm looking forward to all the upcoming shows you will be featuring at www.palettegallery.net.
Tim Daly has lived and painted in Hoboken so long he remembers when it was cheap. He has always painted landscapes and always in a convincing realist manner. His first and long time subject and auto teacher was industrial New Jersey and the Jersey Meadowlands, the big sky country around Hudson County. Endless war, technological and climate change and evidence in the sky of massive ongoing events has commanded his attention to the spectacular and portentous sights provided, for better or worse.
Click on images for size, price, etc. Original works and prints.
Click on images for size, price, etc. Original works and prints.
With diverse influences that include cubism, surrealism and the Mexican muralists, Lou's paintings are a series of pictorial spaces borne of personal experience as filtered through dreams and illusions. The images of anonymous figures in common settings depict ritual happening combined with feelings of sexual tension that are woven with a quiet elegant motion.
Each canvas is a merging of fact and fantasy that opens a window to animated yet mysterious places. Many of the objects and figures are structured, ordered and linear yet they create elements that have references to the mystical and spiritual, using multiple perspective and intense color. Lou has developed an assortment of visual symbols in an effort to pare cultural traditions and rituals to their essence and intensify the relationships between his subjects. His tools may be color, line and composition but the imagery is formed through the visceral process of thought.
Each canvas is a merging of fact and fantasy that opens a window to animated yet mysterious places. Many of the objects and figures are structured, ordered and linear yet they create elements that have references to the mystical and spiritual, using multiple perspective and intense color. Lou has developed an assortment of visual symbols in an effort to pare cultural traditions and rituals to their essence and intensify the relationships between his subjects. His tools may be color, line and composition but the imagery is formed through the visceral process of thought.
