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‘Portraits and Landscapes in Oils’ by Dan Fusco Now on View

July 7, 2018 By Jay Schuck

Now on view in the Claire Davidson Siegel Gallery is Portraits and Landscapes in Oils, a solo exhibit featuring the artwork of Dan Fusco. Fusco, a fine artist from Long Island, prefers to use the slow-drying oil-based medium for his paintings, which allows him to gradually build up the layers of his canvases. This method lends the artist a higher degree of realism that cannot be achieved through acrylic and tempera based paints.

About the Artwork

The exhibition features a variety of portraits and landscapes created by the artist over the years. One such portrait, Self Portrait in Yellow, depicts the artist in a green shirt and baseball cap in front of a pale yellow background. The portrait renders a great deal of life-like details that the artist is able to capture in oil paint. His gray-white hair and creases in his skin reveal his older age. The artist turns his face 3-quarters towards the viewer with his eyes cast off into the distance. There is a great deal of luminosity in the composition as seen by the cast shadows of his baseball cap. He appears lost in thought, leaving the viewer to wonder what is on his mind.

Dan Fusco, Self Portrait in Yellow

One landscape on display is titled Sailing. Here, the artist depicts a barren, Western-like, desert setting – complete with jagged, stony mountains, and puffy cumulus clouds. Fusco captures the subtle effects of light as seen in the pinkish-blue hues that define the underbellies of the passing clouds. Dark shadows in the foreground suggest that a cloud is passing over the viewer. Upon seeing the work, the picturesque scene memorizes the viewer, transporting his or her to far off places, away from the library.

About Dan Fusco

Dan Fusco is a fine artist from Long Island, NY. He studied at Suffolk County Community College and the Art League of Long Island. He has exhibited his work at the Hutchings Gallery, Petite Gallery, and the Phoenix Gallery. Articles on the artist have been published in Artist2Artist Social Network, and Inspiration and Originality Underlined.

Portraits and Landscapes in Oils, featuring the artwork of Dan Fusco, is on view at the Patchogue-Medford Library now through July 31 in the Claire Davidson Siegel Gallery.

Dan Fusco, Sailing

PatchChords: Happy Birthday USA

July 2, 2018 By Gary Lutz

Our nation has a rich history of classical, folk and popular music that can, despite our nation’s relative youth, hold its own with other nations of greater antiquity. Starting with the earliest Native American musical traditions, and continuing with music brought by European settlers and African-Americans, the diverse peoples who have settled the United States have contributed their native land’s music to the vast potpourri that is American musical traditions and styles. Considering this diversity, it is, by definition, difficult to succinctly characterize the music of our nation, although it could be said that some elements of it are syncopation, asymmetrical rhythms, and long, irregular melodies, which are said to reflect the wide open geography of the American landscape and the sense of personal freedom characteristic of American life.

In the 20th century, there were many composers on what, at that time, was considered the forefront of the American classical musical avant-garde. Beginning with Charles Griffes and George Gershwin, to name only two, the line continued, probably most famously with Aaron Copland. Copland’s compositions, sometimes deceptively simple, are filled with references to American folk culture, though remaining European in technique and form, and combine old-fashioned tunefulness with symphonic sophistication.

Other notable composers include Roger Sessions, whose works ranged from neoclassical to atonal and serial; Walter Piston, whose counted among his students Leonard Berstein, Leroy Anderson and Elliot Carter; Roy Harris, composer of over 170 works; and Virgil Thomson, whose works, in the words of one commentator, blend detachment and humanity.

And no discussion in this area would be complete without mention of Charles Ives, whose experimental works feature, among other avant-garde elements, polytonality and polyrhythm. Only after his death in 1954 was he greatly appreciated and regarded as an American original, although he did have some early champions in his lifetime, including Elliot Carter and Aaron Copland.

By the way, we’ve also had our share of musical Presidents.

And, in the 21st century, American music of all types, classical, folk and popular, continues to grow and thrive.

Defeat The Summer Slide!

June 20, 2018 By Mary Kreuscher

The Patchogue-Medford Library is your source for preventing the summer slide from happening. Did you know that teachers spend an average of 4 to 6 weeks re-teaching material that students have lost due to the summer slide? Reading 4 to 5 books during … [Continue reading]

June 20 Board Meeting cancelled and rescheduled

June 20, 2018 By Danielle Paisley

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Board meeting scheduled for June 20 has been cancelled and rescheduled for Tuesday, June 26 at 5:30 pm. Sorry for any inconvenience. … [Continue reading]

PatchChords: Graduation Day

June 16, 2018 By Gary Lutz

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) And we present this prestigious degree to... Johannes Brahms, one of the most famous composers of the Romantic period, had a great body of famous and successful work, and it was only a matter of time before academia took … [Continue reading]

“Touching by Razieh Jafari” Now on View in Claire Davidson Siegel Gallery

June 6, 2018 By Jay Schuck

On view in the Claire Davidson Siegel Gallery is Touching, a solo exhibit featuring the artwork of Razieh Jafari. In her work, Razieh blends traditional Iranian painting with contemporary Western art concepts. These works capture the uncertainties of … [Continue reading]

Patchogue Village Hall 125th Anniversary Photo

May 29, 2018 By Philip Luppy

The Village of Patchogue will be celebrating its 125th anniversary this year with a number of exciting events. The first is a commemorative community photo to be taken at the historic “Four Corners.” All residents of the Village of Patchogue are … [Continue reading]

Seascapes and Landscapes by Paul Padovano on view in Claire Davidson Siegel Gallery

May 8, 2018 By Jay Schuck

Now on view in the lower level Claire Davidson Siegel Gallery is Seascapes & Landscapes, a solo exhibit featuring paintings by Paul Padovano. The works on display were created in oils, acrylics, and watercolors. He creates picturesque … [Continue reading]

“THIS IS US!” Children’s Art Exihibit Now on Display

April 18, 2018 By Jay Schuck

Now on view on the main floor of the Patchogue-Medford Library is a children’s art exhibit titled This Is Us! The inaugural exhibition, made possible with the support of the Patchogue-Medford Friends of the Library, features drawings from children … [Continue reading]

Reading Recommendations from the Depths – Pretty Picture Books

April 12, 2018 By Bruce Silverstein

Here’s our latest dispatch from the basement of the library. We have heard rumors that snow has recently fallen. This can’t be true can it? Obviously at this time of year the calendar says it’s Spring, so temperatures must be balmy and the spring … [Continue reading]