The Klein Mezzanine Gallery
Artists in the present exhibit
Benjamin Casiano
Artist and Curator
Native New Yorker, Benjamin Casiano is an accomplished creative director, designer & painter. He received his BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Painting was always his first love. Inspired and influenced by the great masters worldwide, But it's the women also played a crucial role in his life, which is why he pays tribute to them with his paintings.
Casiano’s work fuses expressionism and pop-cubism. Although he uses geometric and abstract shapes in his artwork, a prominent focal point is the one-eye figurative. “Most of my one-eye figurative are a reflection of my alter ego and a self-portrait of my subconscious,” says Casiano. “Im blind in one eye, but the irony is I was painting figures with a single eye years before losing my vision.”
Casiano always had a love for strings and classical music. “Music and art go hand in hand. I never learned to play but I at least paint my favorite musical instruments with the ladies,” he says. For Casiano, painting has proven to be a positive emotional outlet. His works have been exhibited in galleries in the U.S. and as far away as China. Recognized with numerous honors & awards. Casiano is currently exhibiting in New York City, Philadelphia & Paris. Numerous pieces are owned by corporations and private collectors.
His goal is to simply add something not seen in modern-day culture. Something different, something beautiful, one painting at a time. One exhibition at a time.
Jin Yu
Jin Yu, born in 1979 in Heilongjiang Province, China, graduated from Shenzhen University and currently works and lives in Shenzhen and Beijing. Member of Italy FLY ART Association and Shenzhen Artists Association. Jinyu attaches great importance to the expression of personality and spiritual outlook, paying attention to human emotions, emotions, traditions and the present, as well as the integration and evolution of different cultures. The images are shaped using classical aesthetics combined with the transformative interest of self emotions. In a wild and luxurious way, lines and colors are used to create a dreamy and emotional scene, forming its own unique artistic style.
His creations are mainly based on oil paintings, and his works have received widespread attention. They have been exhibited in art museums, centers, and galleries around the world and have been collected by major art institutions and collectors.
Dr. Gulrukh Bala
Dr. Gulrukh Bala is an internationally recognized transformational expert, exceptional meditation Master, an amazing life coach and
speaker, a much-appreciated artist, a well-loved therapist, author, counsellor and soul coach.
Dr. Gulrukh Bala is an immense source of motivation! She is patient, loving, funny, and has an extraordinary ability to make one feel they can achieve anything they set their heart
on.
John Anthony Bright
Iryna Chaboryk
Born in Ukraine, Iryna Chaboryk was raised with a family history in fine art. With art as a constant background (her mother and grandfather were artists), she became interested in fashion and landscape design. In 1998 she graduated from Kalush State College of Art and Culture, majoring in Folk and Decorative Art. In 2004 she earned a degree in Art and Landscape Design from the State University of Senior Personnel of Culture and Art in Kiev.
Upon immigrating to the United States in 2007, Chaboryk had taken a keen interest in the role of a fine artist, fusing her previous learnings to give a unique vision and breath to a canvas. Chaboryk is now a multi-disciplinary artist currently working with multitudes of media: paintings, sculptured light installations, and digital media. Her artwork is featured in many galleries and group shows in the US and Europe and she has received numerous awards and publications.
Her broad knowledge and infinite range of artistry give her the ability to stretch her art beyond the bounds of a singular canvas. Iryna’s work is extremely expressive and highly symbolic, focusing on interpersonal psychology and a woman’s attempt to find individuality.
Bianca Valencia Criscuolo
Bianca Valencia Criscuolo, raised in the small country town of Easton CT, moved to NY for school and spent her early 20s living in Brooklyn NY attending PARSONS School of Design as an Illustration major with a scholarship from The Beijing Contemporary Arts Foundation for excellence and additional studies in Mandarin Chinese and East Asian art. Her understanding of the artworld broadened and professionalized through her time as Curator with the Contemporary Art Modern Project Galleries. Working events like Volta, Hamptons Art Fair and Art Basel New York, Bianca Valencia accrued an understanding for the business of art from the gallery perspective.
With newfound artworld language she developed a passion for cultivating fellow artists and she went on to have her first solo show at 25, co-lead her local artist guild, and is an integral member of ‘Call to Gather’ a Manhattan based artist guild cultivating artists and creating bespoke sessions for the public. She has had the privilege of working on projects with artists/designers such as Makoto Fujimura, Clara Fialho, Guang-Yu Zhang, and Esther Mun.
Christopher Cumberbatch
Jane Fleischner
Herm Freeman
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Herm Freeman earned a degree from Queens College (City University of New York) in 1969 and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Indiana University in 1971. He studied painting with several major American artists, including Fairfield Porter, George McNeil, James Brooks, James McGarrell, and Richard Serra.
The artist draws his landscape inspiration from the motifs of Soutine, Cezanne and Courbet. He is represented by Phil Demise's 'a' gallery in NYC, and exhibits his paintings primarily in NYC and the Northeast. Recently, he was awarded ‘Best in Show’ at the prestigious Silvermine 51st Art of the Northeast USA Annual Exhibition.
Herm Freeman shows and sells his work primarily in the New York/New England area, but has also shown and sold work in Europe and the planet of New Orleans.
In addition to his emotionally charged landscape painting, Herm Freeman has pursued his musical muse throughout the years; he played guitar, keyboards and vocals in the infamously obscure N.DoDoBand during the late 70's and early 80's. These days, Herm plays music with lifelong friend and collaborator Phil Demise Smith.
Herm Freeman has been teaching art in Connecticut since 1973.
Maria C. Friscia
Maria C. Friscia attributes her love of art to her wonderful memories growing up in a small mountain village in Italy admiring the picturesque countryside. She immigrated to the U.S. at the age of twelve with her parents and brother and lived in New York City. Her inspiration for art was sparked after observing a family friend’s works of art. Despite taking painting classes in college, she worked in the finance industry in NYC and in Greenwich in the 1980s. After moving to Greenwich and with children now occupying her daytime hours, she returned to her studies in art, taking evening courses at Lehman College in NY. She completed her second B.A. degree in art and subsequently graduated with an M.F.A. in 1997.
Her medium has been mostly acrylic but she has discovered painting with oil as well. Although landscapes have been her primary interest, she has explored different subjects and multi-media including experimenting with digital art. She has painted extensively over the last year developing her technique and exploring new themes. She continues to be selected to show with various Art Associations and has won various awards in different categories.
Donna L. Hargrove
Fairfield County Connecticut Artist
Primary media used: Graphite, acrylic and watercolor.
Katia Jirankova Levanti
Katia Jirankova Levanti has been permanently in travel between two continents since 2007, living between the Atlantic coast in Connecticut and in Prague. Under the title "Subconsciounalism" (channeling the subconscious journey) she has exhibited in Prague, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Florida, Massachusetts, Denver, CO., New York, Nashville, TN., and is represented in many private collections throughout America and Europe. Her book of paintings is part of the library of the Carl Jung Institute in New York.
"I came up with the title "Subconsciounalism" when I tried to describe the process of my intuitive painting, which in a certain state of meditation brings you to the spheres of universal memory and touches moments and dimensions in the existence of the universe, and its various beings. During my studies of philosophies, mythologies, comparative religions, cosmology, and quantum physics I am discovering in my paintings fragments of this living mosaic."
Christopher Jones
Christopher Jones is based in Norwalk, CT. Starting in 1973, Jones developed a career as a painter in New York. In 1988, he put his career as a painter aside in order to raise a family. He is now painting full time, picking up just where he left off. His work is available for purchase.
Education: MFA, Washington University 1972, Bachelor of Architecture 1970, Washington University. Member of the Silvermine Guild of Artist, the Artist collective of Westport and the Ridgefield Guild of Artists
Jill Morton
Jill Morton is an abstract expressionist artist. She grew up in Australia and left there in her twenties to pursue travel and art. Jill studied clay in Europe and textiles in Asia. Later she ended up pursuing an art education in the U.S. In New York City she obtained a B.F.A. in painting from the School of Visual Arts and two Master’s Degrees, one in art and one in art education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
She resides in Connecticut where she previously taught children’s art for 23 years in public school. Jill maintains a studio in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She has exhibited in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Her works reside in private collections across the U.S.
Nicole Salva
Nicole Salva, a passionate and lifelong artist, is set to grace the exclusive arts show with her profound talent and distrinctive work. Born and raised in Connecticut, Nicole brings the essence of her love for the ocean and her passion for creating art into each piece she crafts. Her fascination with the sea and its many mysteries can be seen in her mastery of the traditional Japanese printmaking process known as Gyotaku.
As the mastermind behind the well-known Reeled Ink, based out of Oxford, CT, Nicole's work echoes her profound respect for nature's immense beauty and her dedication to her craft.
Nicole's acdemic achievements include a Master's Degree in Fine Arts from Western Connecticut State University and a Bachelor's Degree in Illustration from Paire College of Art. These accomplishments have only enhanced her natural talent and have further established her standing in the art community.
Over the years, Nicole's unique approach to art has led to civic commissions and multiple exhibits that have earned her numerous awards. Yet, she remains as dedicated as ever to nurturing the next generation of artists. Currently, Nicole teaches Art & Color Theory, sharing her wealth of knowledge and boundless enthusiasm for art with her students.
Nicole's admiration for the sea and the art she creates is the beating heart of Reeled Ink. The fusion of her passion and craftsmanship manifests itself in the beautiful and inspiring pieces of art. It is her journey, her interpretation of nature's wonders, that breathes life into the canvas, inviting everyone to share in the majesty of the ocean as seen through her eyes.
Angel Y. A. Smith
Janice Sweetwater
I attended the Chicago Art Institute, studying painting and sculpture. It was at The Institute where I was inspired to paint in oils and acrylics. Being primarily a landscape artist I frequently explore New England looking for Mother Nature's best work to transpose and interpret, sketching and photographing on location and then returning to my studio to put brush to canvas.
I recognized my passion for art early in high school and with encouragement from my art teachers and artistic family, I began to transform my surroundings into landscapes of Color as Light.
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