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A yearlong, multisite program joining business with art, Accessible Art has been made possible, in part, by Fairfield County's Community Foundation.
This autumn medley will highlight the works of visual artists Steve Bean (Danbury), Ted DeToy (New Fairfield), Spencer Eldridge (Ridgefield), Vicki Foy (Newtown), Chris Kiely (Danbury), James Mazza (Danbury), Suzanne Nicoll (Danbury) and Barbara Simonson (Darien).
Hours at the venues vary, so guests should call ahead. For more information about Accessible Art, call 203-798 0760 or visit www.artswesternct.org. (All exhibitions are subject to change.)
About the artists:
- Steve Bean, Hodge Insurance Agency, 283 Main St., Danbury, 203-792-2323.
Bean possesses the soul of a wanderer. When stationary for too long, he begins to feel the call of the open road, according to a release from the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut.
He grew up spending most of his time either outside playing in nature or inside drawing.
Now he seeks inspiration by exploring national parks from Acadia to Denali and captures them with his unique style, a combination of the expressive quality of impasto painting with the fluidity of the sumi brush stroke, the release said.
- Ted DeToy, Filosa/Hancock Hall, 31 Staples St., Danbury, 203-794-9466.
DeToy’s paintings in acrylic on canvas offer sharp and colorful encounters with familiar imagery related to pop culture, race and gender, American politics and daily life, according to the release.
Rendered in expressive primary colors with contemporary neocubist flair, he takes an innovative approach to painting, drawing from books, magazine, movies and the Internet as he allows both the most intimate and universal aspects of modern existence to influence his art, the release said.
- Vicki Foy, CityCenter Danbury, 268 Main St., 203-792-1711.
Foy began working with ceramics in 1998, dabbling in many kinds of arts and crafts before falling in love with pottery.
She recently expanded her work with experimentation in glazing techniques and new styles.
- Spencer Eldridge, Bethel Public Library, 189 Greenwood Ave., 203-794-8756.
Elridge's show is the product of a voyage for the past 15 years from abstraction toward representational works and back again.
He said, "After arriving at my most representational and structured work, which employ the use of chiaroscuro (painting from the shadows towards the light) and grids, I felt I had accomplished all I could with representational work for the time being. Now I find myself going ever farther toward pure color, line and shape."
- Chris Kiely, YMCA's ESCAPE to the Arts, 293 Main St., Danbury, 203-794-1413.
A photographer dedicated to exploring and documenting the beauty in vacant buildings, Kiely's inspiration is the solitude, tranquility, nostalgia and sometimes eeriness of forgotten places, the release said.
- James Mazza, Danbury City Hall, 155 Deer Hill Ave., 203-797-4511.
With more than 37 years of experience, Mazza brings to life landscapes, still life and a variety of subjects from his daily life, according to the release.
In 1977, he began an apprenticeship under Edward DeVoe, during which time he traveled to West Point and painted with the cadets.
During this time, Mazza also studied at The Arts League in New York City, where he learned the style of Rembrandt, utilizing the Old Masters method to fine-tune and create his own style, the release said.
He later studied at San Mateo College in California and the Wooster School in Danbury.
- Suzanne Nicoll, Visual Impact, 12 Finance Drive, Danbury, 203-790-9650.
Trained as an illustrator, Nicoll's love of pattern led her to textile design and surface pattern. After many years working in the wallpaper and fabric industry, she began to develop and design collections for the home goods industry that have her unique stamp on them.
It is Nicoll's love of nature and the garden that keeps her designs and colors fresh and classic, the release said.
- Barbara Simonson, Danbury Public Library, 170 Main St., 203- 797-4505.
Simonson captures the beauty of the human form, highly influenced by a love of dance, according to the release.
Studying this classical art form from an early age and working with the late Robert Joffrey provided her with insight and passion, the release said.
She began painting after several decades as an international attorney at the School of Visual Arts, Cooper Union, the New York Academy, as well as the Silvermine School of Art, and has exhibited extensively throughout the U.S.
Fairfield County's Community Foundation promotes philanthropy as a means to create change in Fairfield County, focusing on innovative and collaborative solutions to critical issues impacting the community.
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