An Afternoon Filled with Abstractions

A great number of art lovers converged upon The PoconoArts Cultural Center in Stroudsburg, PA on Saturday February 6^th as the venue held an Artists' Reception for their Abstraction Exhibition in the Center's ARTSPACE Gallery. A myriad of approaches to the genre were revealed as those who visited the gallery peered into the obscurely defined images and intentionally unfinished lines and shadows deftly manifested through the participating artists' talents. These aesthetic renderings allowed each viewer to explore the work on a subconscious level and complete the experience of what was not readily shown in their own minds.

The large number of people who were present inspired a great deal of conversation about the art. Almost without exception everyone commented upon the quality of the work and how the entire exhibit exemplifies the essential attributes of the genre. A number of artists who participated in the show shared that creating abstract art wasn't either their forte or it was an approach they seldom utilized. These artists, however, expressed a great deal of appreciation for the exhibit as it challenged them to go beyond their artistic norms so they could explore new avenues of expression.

The exhibition is a juried one and Deborah Slahta served as its Judge with awards given out to those whose work were considered to be even more exceptional than those created by their peers. The recipients of the awards were Jason Scott Williamson who received the Third Place Award for his piece titled, “Gateway,” Vincent Buchinsky who received the Second Place Award for his piece titled, “Blood Moon I,” and Will Rothfuss who received the First Place Award for his piece titled, “Miami.” There were a number of artists who were considered worthy to receive Honorable Mention. They were Tricia Lowrey Lippert for her work titled, “Chinatown,” R. Gordon Perry for his work titled, “Crystal Gardens,” and Laurinda Faye Rubin for her work titled, “Waves of Color.” Although Ms. Slahta could not attend the reception, her reflections of the winning pieces where shared through written assessments which were read by the gallery's curator, Claire Marcus, as their prizes were bestowed upon them.

Deborah Slahta graduated from Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics in 1977. However, while still enrolled in college, she fell in love with the intimately intense and physical involving art of clay shaping when she took an elective in a studio ceramics class to fulfill one of the liberal arts requirements of the school. During the next 30 plus years since graduating, Ms. Slahta has continuously produced finely crafted raku and stoneware pottery as well as teaching the ceramic arts at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, PA where she was accepted as a resident juried artist. You can learn more about Deborah Slahta and her work by exploring her Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/Deborah-Slahta-Studio-260324430662914 or her Website at www.debslahta.com.

In addition to the Abstraction exhibit presented in The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center’s Artspace Gallery, a collection of works created by Dee Huxster was shown throughout the Center's Studio Gallery. Ms. Huxster has been a well appreciated part of the Pocono Arts Council and other area community endeavors for a number of years. However, she left the area recently to take up residence in the southern regions of the United States. Ms. Huxster's departure is currently being marked by a special ongoing display of her varied pieces which are for sale at half their regular prices. The work can be explored and purchased during the center’s business hours. In the meantime, you'll find more images taken during the Artists' Reception in the An Afternoon Filled with Abstractions Gallery at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154557941123761.1073741940.91146283760&type=3.

The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center is part of The PoconoArts Council which is an organization designed to build the communities in which it serves artistically and culturally by providing leadership, service, and education. It does so by offering avenues for artists to display their work through the center and other galleries, educational opportunities for those who would like to explore and/or enhance their creative natures, and encouragement to those who seek to express and/or support the arts. The Abstraction Exhibition continues to be on display until February 27^th. Visiting the center and exploring the exhibit could not recommend more as the work is truly something wonderful to experience.

Their next exhibition scheduled to take place at The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center is their 23^rd Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition to be on display in their ARTSPACE Gallery. The Artists' Reception is scheduled for Friday March 11^th beginning at 5pm although it could be held on Saturday March 12^th beginning at 1pm. Regardless of the Reception's date and time, the work will continue to be shown until approximately March 30^th. The exhibit is open to area secondary school students who are encouraged and welcomed to participate. The Drop Off Date is March 1^st and 2^nd. You’ll be able to learn more about The PoconoArts Community Cultural Center and all it has to offer the creative community by exploring The PoconoArts Council Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/poconoartscouncil or their Website at www.poconoarts.org.

Photography by Paparazzi Paul.