Cortlandt Manor, NY - If your soul is longing for a simpler time when swimming in the local pond and drying off under the sun were the ultimate summer entertainment, then you must visit “Local History and Color,” the latest exhibit at Hudson Valley Hospital Center’s Art for Health Gallery.

 

“Local History and Color” celebrates the works of five local artists with very different styles, but one thing in common: the enthusiasm they bring to their work through the use of color. On exhibit from May 4 –September 3, are the works of local artists Robert and Andrew Barthelmes; Cheryl Vlachos, Phyllis Smith and Carol Carpentieri.

 

The exhibit is currently on display in the lobby and in Hospital’s main corridors. An opening reception will be held on Friday, June 1 from 4-6 p.m. in the lobby. The exhibit will also be a featured stop on a tour of local art galleries as part of Peekskill Open Studios June 2-3. The weekend long celebration of art features visual and performing arts by more than 100 artists in their studios, performance spaces and 15 special exhibitions in galleries and other venues throughout Peekskill, NY.

“We are very excited to be part of the Peekskill Open Studios tour this year,’’ said Suzanne Ashley, curator of the Hospital’s Art for Health program, which consists of 13 fine art galleries throughout the hospital. “Robert Barthelmes’ Finktown with its historic look at Peekskill is particularly relevant. We are very fortunate to have all these talented artists on exhibit.’’

Robert Barthelmes “Finktown” is a series of watercolors that tells the story of Peekskill’s neighborhoods during the artist’s childhood in the 1940s and 1950s. “Finktown” is a snapshot in time of an area around lower Main Street and is named for John Fink, the man largely responsible for the development of the area. The series celebrates the simple working class neighborhoods that flourished throughout the northeast during that time.

“In reality it was an ordinary place, but by illuminating these scenes of life there, Finktown is brought back, and it becomes, however fleetingly, a rich extraordinary place,’’ said Barthelmes, who is now retired after a 31-year career as creative director with Conde Nast Publications.

The work of Andrew Barthelmes, Robert’s son, is also on display, and while it too celebrates street life, it does so in a more modern and urban style. The younger Barthelmes received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 1996 and been in several group and solo shows in the New York area.

Cheryl Vlachos is an accomplished American Oil and Watercolor painter. Vlachos’ landscapes have a surreal quality and she is considered one of the new school of Hudson River Painters. A Cortlandt Manor resident, Vlachos work has been exhibited in many galleries in New York City, SoHo and throughout Westchester, Connecticut and Rhode Island. She as been a professional art director and graphic designer and is an art teacher for adults and children.

Phyllis Smith, a painter and photographer, describes her intricate paintings as “complex, deliberate and precise microcosms found close to the earth.”  Smith’s work is rooted in nature and she uses her skill as a painter to delve deeper into subjects she often initially discovers through her photography. A native New Yorker, she returned to complete her fine arts degree in 1998 after a career as an advertising production manager. Her work has been exhibited throughout New York, Westchester and Connecticut.

Carol Carpentieri describes herself as “self taught” saying her age has allowed her to shed inhibitions and express herself joyfully through art. Her whimsical work explores her world through a variety of medium from oil and acrylics, watercolors to sculpture. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Carpentieri lives in South Salem where she enjoys gardening. Her work has been exhibited at the Katonah Museum.

The “Art for Health” program seeks to display the works of both emerging and established artists. It is unique because of its scale and the quality of the artwork that it brings to a hospital setting. “Art for Health” now has more than 350 pieces of fine art on display.  Many of the works are by artists who have exhibited in museums and galleries internationally. Most of the artworks are donated. In 2010, “Art for Health” received a community service award from ArtsWestchester.

For more information on the “Art for Health” or to make a donation, contact the Foundation of Hudson Valley Hospital Center at 914-734-3526.