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 Peekskill, NY - One of the most spectacular and accessible waterfronts on the Hudson River is getting an exciting new feature: a presence in the city's arts community.
Artist Mark Preuss has spent the last three years painting in Berlin. He has now relocated to Peekskill, NY and is having his first showing since his return to the US. The event will take place in one of the city's most historic structures, The Standard House at 50 Hudson Avenue.
A reception will celebrate the show's opening on Saturday, June 7, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at The Standard House. Mark Preuss is also taking part in the Peekskill Arts Council Open Studios event, which will take place June 7-8, from noon-5:00 pm on both days.
Titled “In the Present Moment,” the show will feature 15 large works painted in Berlin and some very recent work done in Peekskill.
Mark Preuss' goal is to provide a moment of recognition and release similar to the experience that comes from encountering something extraordinarily beautiful or sublime such as a breath taking view or falling in love at first sight. “I want to put people in the moment when their internal dialog stops and they are lost in the present,” he says.
In today's frenetic society, pausing for even a second can seem an impossible task. Mark Preuss' images unfold in layers of color. With the power of color, abstraction and expressionism, the paintings emit energy at first glance and then, through the reflective power of the human image, a story unfolds and viewers experience art theater.
The paintings virtually demand contemplation and concentration. “We are all moving at ten thousand miles an hour through space. But time stands still in the present moment. You can feel it when you look a stranger in the eye or view a painting for the first time. The sudden stop of your internal clock,” Preuss says.
Many of the works are “peoplescapes”--studies of groups or individuals—many of them women—at rest and in motion. He uses color and image, dramatic and subtle to create works that are at once highly contemporary and extremely accessible.
“In the Present Moment” is being organized and staged by Cari Deutsch, a photographer and manager who will be having her own exhibit in The Standard House starting in July.
Born in Berlin of American military parents. Raised in Upstate New York, Mark Preuss has had a diverse and varied career. He has worked as an art director and set designer for feature films, live theater and national television programs. He has designed Interior spaces , art furniture, and studied physics at the City University of NY and Polytecnic University.
For 15 years Mark Preuss has been showing paintings in New York, Florida and Berlin in mostly non-gallery spaces like The Standard House. He has received positive mentions in The New York Art Press and awards of excellence from Manhattan Arts International magazine.
Preuss was drawn to Peekskill by the city's stunning scenic locale, its long history, and the culture of the Hudson Valley where he feels most at home. He is not only showing in the city; he now resides in what is almost certainly the first and, to date, only art loft on the Riverfront.
Efforts to create an arts community in Peekskill began about 15 years ago. Currently the city has one of the most respected and vital arts communities on the Hudson River, with around 200 artists calling the city their home. Peekskill also has one of the most attractive and accessible waterfronts on the Hudson River, with Riverfront Green Park providing more than nine acres of recreational and restful space.
Located adjacent to the railroad crossing next to the park, The Standard House is one of the most historic and meticulously restored buildings in the city.
About a dozen galleries and other facilities and more than three dozen artists will be participating in this year’s Open Studios event. Information is available at the Jan Peek Gazebo on the corner of Park and Division Streets.
Directions:
Via Rail: The Standard House is surrounded by parking and visible from the Peekskill Metro North Hudson Line Peekskill stop. At 50 Hudson Avenue, the Standard House is within walking distance of a park and the banks of the Hudson River. An ice cream parole, coffee shop, Italian restaurant , out door café are also all virtually across the street.
Driving from the South: Saw Mill Parkway or 287 to the Taconic Parkway. Get off at the exit for 9A/100. Follow 9A/100 through Briarcliff and Ossining, where it becomes a four-lane divided highway. Continue on it to Peekskill, and take the Hudson Avenue exit. Make a left at the exit. The Standard House is one block down.
Driving from the North: Get to Route 9 South. Take the Hudson Avenue exit. Make a right at the exit. The Standard House is one block down.
For more information, go to www.markpreuss.info. For information on Open Studios, go to http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/node/105.
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