Tuesday, November 15, 2016

The Night of the Milford Art

Photography by Paparazzi Paul.


As the dark of night descended upon a November day, I arrived in the town of Milford, PA on Saturday November 12th for their monthly Art After Dark Event. I've always enjoyed visiting this artsy mecca and the joy of my previous visitations was soundly echoed during this occasion. I had the opportunity of exploring the work presented in three galleries throughout the evening.



The late Autumnal chill that was in the air accompanied me as I moved from one gallery to another. The Golden Fish Gallery www.goldenfishgallery.com was my first destination and what a great pleasure it was to be greeted by John Longendorfer who opened the establishment with his son, Edwin, in 1997. It was after a time we engaged in some heartwarming conversation did the yearning to meander around the venue in order to experience the aesthetic wonders it held move me.



I was peering into the depths of three and two dimensional renderings when the sound of hammering caught my attention. It emanated from a room in which art work was being place upon its walls. I then discovered that an Artists' Reception was being prepared to showcase the work of young artists who live within and the surrounding areas of Milford. The beauty and diversity of the work had an underlining energy to it that derived from the abundance of the artists' youthful abilities to summon it.



From the vibrant colors circling the imagination of the viewer in several abstracts to the shadows found in a number of black and white photographic pieces which brought the profound sense of realism through the multi-layered realms of light and dark to the viewer, the exhibit held a fascination to all who visited the gallery which remained with each fortunate individual for quite some time afterwards. It was good to discover these pieces and to chat with some of the artist who created them. It was after spending some time at The Golden Fish Gallery did I venture across the street to begin visiting more galleries that offered their aesthetic gifts to the community.



An Artist's Reception The Stone Bear Tattoo Gallery www.facebook.com/MGATattoo was held for a Solo Exhibition that featured the work of Jesse Clemente www.facebook.com/jesse.clemente.3. The shapes, colors, and emotion placed within the composition of the abstract pieces attuned the viewer to the mind blending elements that are communally conveyed. A rawness can be felt from each canvas touched by Mr. Clemente's creativity that weaves in and out of the overly sophisticated senses allowing the primal naturalisms of life to emerge from the psyche.



Although the two dimensional work Mr. Clemente presented at the Stone Bear Tattoo Gallery was outstanding, he is better known, at least by me, for the sculpted pieces which include on titled, “Keith Bearing” that he created for the recently held Black Bear Film Festival. The Jesse Clemente Exhibition is on display at The Stone Bear Tattoo Gallery (formerly known as "Moon Gravel Arts") which is owned by Jim Palmer who is the main Tattoo Artist and serves as the President of Operations. He is joined by El Denman who serves as the Vice President of Operations and maintains the establishment's presense on Social Media and Tattoo Artist Jen Lee.



It was after some time at the Stone Bear did I travel down the street to enter The ARTery Gallery www.arterygallerymilford.com to partake of the work the venue had on display. The artists featured for their monthly exhibit were Bill Rabsey www.billrabsey.com and Liza J. Smith - Simpson www.paintingsbyliza.com. Mr. Rabsey's sculpted pieces were created from found objects which expanded the imagination of the viewer through their shapes and unique qualities. Ms. Smith - Simpson's deftly created paintings touched upon a number of aesthetic disciplines and mediums ranging from soothing depictions of landscapes to abstract designs that challenged the perceptions of the viewer and thereby opening the subconscious to the flight paths of their imaginations. The work of both artists complimented each other's endeavors while simultaneously creating an aesthetic schism between their individual approaches.



The ARTery Gallery has a number of constructed barriers throughout the venue upon which the work they display are hung. Walking through these corridors, the visitor comes upon each grouping with a wonderful sense of discovery. A plethora of pieces shared the gallery with Mr. Rabsey and Ms. Smith - Simpson. They included the extraordinary works of Alvin Rosser, Madeline Tully, Dawn J. Benko dawnbenko.com, John Capanna www.creativeexpressionsinwood.org, Harriet Cotterill, Ron Demuth www.rondemuth.com, Randall FitzGerald www.randallfitzgerald.com, Rosealind Hodgkins www.rozhodgkins.com, Kate Horan, Carol Mainardi www.bythecpress.com, June Ponte medievallight@gmail.com, and the gallery's curator, Marie Liu www.mliuart.com. Their work not only enhanced that of the featured artists, but the content and quality of the conversations that were inspired by Mr. Rabsey's and Ms. Smith - Simpson's endeavors were profoundly affected as well.



It was after some time did I leave the gallery and the town of Milford to journey back home. My visits to this little but vibrant community of artists never fail to bring an inspired joy to my being. The art, as always, was wonderful to explore and the congeniality of those I met re touched my being. The exhibitions on presented at The Golden Fish Gallery, The Stone Bear Tattoo Gallery, and The Artery Gallery are scheduled to be on display until December 5th. The Art After Dark Event takes place the Second Saturday of each month. The next event is scheduled for Saturday December 10th beginning at 6pm. The featured artists for the month of December are yet to be announced. In the meantime, you'll find more photographs taken during my November meanderings in The Night of the Milford Art Gallery at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155461425878761.1073742035.91146283760&type=3.

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