Saturday opening of abstract art at Kershner Gallery at Fairfield Public Library

Bruce S. Kershner Gallery at Fairfield Public Library
1080 Old Post Rd., Fairfield, (203) 256-3155
Linear Energy: Derek Leka & Mary Jo McGonagle
Jan. 31—Mar. 21, 2010.
Opening reception: Sat., Feb. 6, 5—7 p.m.

Press release

The Bruce S. Kershner Gallery in the Fairfield Public Library will be showing Linear Energy, the abstract paintings of Mary Jo McGonagle and Derek Leka, from Jan. 31 to March 21 during library hours. A reception will be held on Sat., Feb. 6 from 5—7 p.m. with a talk by the artists at 6.

Derek Leka 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. (I previously wrote about Leka on Connecticut Art Scene here.)

Currently, Leka 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 is currently a candidate in the M.F.A. 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.

McGonagle 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.

She 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."