Derek Leka

Derek has a Masters degree in Fine Art. He has exhibited in many juried group shows, including Silvermine Art of the Northeast in New Canaan, Creative Arts Workshop and Green Gallery in New Haven, Prince Street and Bowery galleries in New York. He recently won the Andrew Carnegie award in Painting at the National Academy Museum and won first prize for a violin design for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra anniversary event.

Currently, Derek is an Adjunct Lecturer at Purchase College teaching Color and Drawing, and is also at the University of Bridgeport teaching Color. He also works for Liquitex Paint doing informational and product demos for Painting departments of universities in the New England territory.

Derek uses acrylics on canvas to create bright colors with clean sharp edges. He says his images involve “squares, rectangles, stripes, gradations, overlaps, deep and shallow spaces, hard and soft contrasts, traditional and non-traditional harmonies, heat, electricity, movement, growth, service, and dependency. The paintings explore Architecture, Nature, Music, Iconography, and Mythology. They have a slow methodical movement, and a logical progression.”

Mary Jo McGonagle

Mary Jo is currently a candidate in the Master of Fine Arts program at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has a BFA from School of Visual Arts in New York City in Graphic Design and has worked as Curriculum Coordinator and as a faculty member at Fairfield University in the Computer Graphic Design Program.

Mary Jo continues to be active in graphic design and advertising. Her past clients have included: Conde Nast Corporate, Reader’s Digest, Travel Holiday, Warner Brothers, GQ, House & Garden, Seventeen, Vogue, Glamour, Mirabella, United Media and Holland Advertising. Her awards and recognitions include Art Direction, Advertising Age, Connecticut Post, Communication Arts and Light of Day Awards. Mary Jo resides in Fairfield with her husband and four children.

Mary Jo is at home with painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography and technology. She says, “Through a combination of monotype and painting, I have created a series of bold, large, graphic organic expressions, which explore the shape of lines, color arrangements, movement, and their relationship to each other to create a layered textured effect. They reflect the interactions, pressures, controlled chaos, randomness and conversations that are present in our everyday fate-filled lives. The paintings are a visual abstraction of the energies that fill our lives.” Her goal as an artist is “to make compelling images, which are interesting to look at, regardless of the meaning.”

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Upcoming shows

March 28, 2010 to May 16, 2010	Beauty Marks Artists: Judy Henderson, Paul Kaiser, Jak Kovatch, Edith B. Morrison, Karen Sorenson Reception: April 3, 2010
May 23, 2010 to July 11, 2010	Woodcuts Artist: Don Axelroad Reception: May 29, 2010
July 18, 2010 to September 5, 2010	Artists: Barbara Mathis, Robert Condon and Jenna Anderson Reception: July 24, 2010
September 12, 2010 to October 31, 2010	Spanish-American Artists Reception: September 18, 2010
November 7, 2010 to January 2, 2011	Book Illustrations Artists: Michael Alpert and Robert Korn Reception: November 13, 2010

 

Gallery hours: Monday through Thursday.....9-9, Friday.....9-6, Saturday...9-5, Sunday...1-5 (Sept to June)

1080 Old Post Road, Fairfield, Ct 06824