City Hall: Artist Antonio de Jesus
Artist Antonio de Jesus will exhibit his city images of Hoboken at the City Hall exhibit, which is one of the largest spots on the tour, with 24 artists. According to Geri Fallo, she was impressed with the work of de Jesus and thought it was fitting for his city portraits to be exhibited in City Hall. De Jesus began painting at the age of 13 in the Dominican Republic, where he was born. Early on, de Jesus' talent was apparent. He won full scholarships for all his schools including: Altos de Chavon Design School, Dominican Republic and Parsons School of Design in New York.
De Jesus came to Hoboken three years ago after finishing his education at Parsons. He has had several solo shows, which is unusual for such a young artist. De Jesus, who is in his twenties, paints with oil on large canvases. To get ideas, he walks around the city to find the perfect building or view to capture. Often, he takes a photograph for reference.
"I wanted to have a painting of something historical," said de Jesus. "I want [the paintings] to be something people would see." His realistic paintings look like they could be digitally enhanced photographs because of the intricate details. De Jesus really changes the images to make you see his vision. "I just use the photograph as a reference to look at the composition," said de Jesus. "I try to exaggerate the colors and try to make it more interesting."
His paintings are infused with light, showing ideal images of Hoboken in extraordinary color. His painting called "Hoboken PATH Station" has a golden glow throughout, as the yellow from the cab cars is echoed on the buildings. In another painting, the cars all have a silvery glow. Looking at his paintings is like looking at a memory of a perfect day or perfect place. It is a city as it should be, without dirt, garbage, or neglect. His work is a bit reminiscent of Edward Hopper's paintings, or of a day about to begin.
De Jesus began painting landscapes because he thought the church in his hometown was an interesting building. "When you are traveling, you take a picture of a building or something because you are interested in it," said de Jesus. "I always walk around the area I am living and the place that I am working." After the tour, de Jesus will continue to work, including a commissioned painting he got from a solo exhibit. "I always paint by default," said de Jesus. "No matter what kind of job I get I will always paint."
Artist: Friedrich Haas
Local artist Friedrich Haas will display his work at DeBaun Auditorium at Fifth and Hudson, and at his own studio at 208 Hudson St. Haas was born and raised in Hoboken, even attending college at Stevens Institute of Technology. As his first show was at Stevens, he feels glad to be going back. For his first exhibit, he spent months getting ready. One piece called "Key 13," which is the death card in tarot, took particularly long to finish, as each skull took over an hour.
"I still have artwork from my first show," said Haas. "It feels really nice to be able to put something back there again." Haas works in many different mediums, including: pencil, pen & ink, acrylic, and oil. According to Haas, he doesn't have a preference. He likes them all.
"Frankly they are all difficult," said Haas. "I never really feel like I've mastered them until they are done." Haas has worked as an illustrator, including a pen and ink for the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, for which he drew a tea cup and cookies. The depth in the picture is amazing, particularly because it is all in black and white and done with pen, which can't be shaded like paint or pencil.
One of the paintings he will display at DeBaun, called "Quetzlcoatl D'oro," shows a golden dragon. The painting (pictured on the cover) was done in acrylic and looks almost like a photograph with the mountains in the background and the red and black markings on the dragon's skin. "Due to my scientific background, I try to base my work on realism," said Haas.
Recently he has begun a series on his own cats that started with a poem: "Sabrina Sleeps, Shadow Leaps, Sebastian Cares, Sabbath Stares, Salem Scares, Saki!" The piece called, "Sabbath Stares" shows a black cat lounging in the window. The cat is perfectly shadowed in the light, and his black fur contrasts with the pink and lilac walls. The cat's light green eyes seem to glow against his gleaming black fur. When Haas is finished, there will be six cat portraits to go with the poem.
Haas has been doing the studio tours for the past 10 years and has been a member of a local group called Hob'Art for the last year. For him, the real trick is finding the time for art when he's not spending time on his family, full-time job, and part-time work as a fencing instructor. "For any medium, I have a long list of projects to do," said Haas. "The ideas keep coming, but the pressures of life get in the way. It's a matter of being able to do it all."
Symposia Bookstore: Artist Lissanne Lake
Lissanne Lake has had works displayed in galleries across the nation and has won several awards for her work including an award for best of show. Although this is her first studio tour in Hoboken, she has been working as a professional freelancer for almost 20 years.
Most of the paintings displayed at Symposia Bookstore, 510 Washington St., are a series of Westerns done in acrylic that originated from commissioned work on the genre. According to Lake, telling stories through paint has always been her way. And since Western history has transformed to myth, it's easy to paint stories about it. Her Western series is dynamic and brilliantly alive with color.
One painting, "Stolen Thunder," pictures a cowboy being chased by Indians. With the cloud of dust around the hooves and the position of the horse, it looks like you are looking at a moving horse. "Long Walk Home" shows a rider-less horse with his head close to the ground, capturing the animal's fatigue. It makes one wonder what happened to the rider. Lake has designed almost a hundred book covers in the science fiction genre and many drawings for fantasy games and several magazines including Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine. Her vast experience has paid off, as now most artwork only takes her a day to a week to complete. Her series will be on display at Symposia Bookstore through the end of October.
For more information about the tour, please look for the pull-out guide in The Hoboken Reporter, or visit City Hall for a map of the tour. Or call (201) 420-2207.
Special Events
Saturday
* 6 to 9 p.m. Opening night reception at DeBaun Auditorium, Fifth and Hudson streets. "Comfort, Hope, Family & Friends" exhibit by Raymond Smith displayed. Smith is one of the artists involved in the group exhibit at DeBaun. * 9 to 11 p.m. Opening night exhibit at The Frozen Monkey Café, 526 Washington St., by Erin Feinburg. Feinburg will display her photography work. Sunday
* 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Continental breakfast at DeBaun Auditorium, Fifth and Hudson streets. * 12 p.m. stress relief sessions at Zen Touch, 702 Clinton St. Complementary mini Ohashiatsu sessions given all day to relieve stress. * 12 p.m. Jazz performance by pianist Joe Ruddick at Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., Monroe Gallery E200. * 12 to 1:30 p.m. Live acoustic performance at Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., by Dave Oberacker. Oberacker is a local singer/songwriter who performs with his band, Seeking Homer, and performs solo. At the Monroe Gallery, E200. * 12 to 3 p.m. Live music by Subliminal Suggestion at Symposia Bookstore, 510 Washington St. * 12 to 5 p.m. Printing demonstration by printer/painter Elena Laza, Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., Studio E401a. * 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Digital projection demonstration by Benedict Fernandez at 1252 Garden St. Demonstrations will be given every 45 minutes. * 1 to 4 p.m. Animation screening by multimedia artist Jia Lim, Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., Studio E501b. * 1 to 6 p.m. African Drumming by Ibou N'Doye at 235 Garden St. * 2 p.m. Watercolor painting demonstration by John De Soto at Symposia Bookstore, 510 Washington St. * 2 to 4 p.m. Live folk, rock, and blues by guitarist Steve Jones at Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., Monroe Gallery E200. * 2 to 6 p.m. Classical music performances by Studio di Musica, Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., Studio C210. * 2 to 4 p.m. Jazz performance by The Hudson Duo at Neuman Leather Building, 300 Observer Highway, fifth floor. * 2 to 3 p.m. Painting demonstration by Raymond Smith at DeBaun Auditorium, Fifth and Hudson streets. * 3 p.m. Film showcase at The Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St., by students from New Jersey City University. "Self Portraits" features memoirs, narratives, and experimental shorts produced and directed by the schools alumni and students. * 3 to 6 p.m. Beading demonstration by Bernadette Micchelli at City Hall, 94 Washington St. Micchelli will demonstrate simple beading techniques for those interested in making their own jewelry. * 3 to 6 p.m. Jazz performance by Barbara Beeman and Bill Bannon, Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., Studio E506 * 3 to 6 p.m. Musical performance by The Hoboken School of Music, Monroe Center for the Arts, 720 Monroe St., Studio E200. There will be improvisational activities for parents and children. * 3:30 Live music performance by Liz Tormes at 109 Fourth St. * 4:15 p.m. Modern dance performance by Lisa Auerbach at Galatea Lingerie, 1224 Washington St. * 4:30 p.m. Live music by Bill Popp at Symposia Bookstore, 510 Washington St. * 5 p.m. Solo performance by soprano Andrea Edith Moore at Galatea Lingerie, 1224 Washington St. * 6 p.m. Artist reception at Symposia Bookstore, 510 Washington St.
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