JOY (a group exhibition)

Art haus SYR is proud to present JOY (a group exhibition) featuring all NY art by Helen Bishop-Santelli, Michelle Keib, Barbara Krause, James Leach, Smile it’s Healthy, CJ Hodge lll, Tyrone Johnson-Neuland, Andrea Deschambeault-Porter and Mary Stanley. This show is on view at 120 Walton St #downtownsyracuse Tuesday- Friday 12-pm -8pm / Saturday 12pm-6pm through January 4th 2025. A meet the artists reception will be held November 22nd 6pm-8:30pm, all are welcome to attend. 

About the Artists:

Andrea Deschambeault-Porter

Born in 1961 and raised in the Catskills Mountain region of NY, received myB.F.A. from SUNY Purchase and M.F.A. from Syracuse University. I also studied in Venice Italy in 1984 through a graduate program at NYU.

My work moves between abstraction and representation of still life, landscape, and the figure, involving some combination of conscious and unconscious thought.

My interest in painting lies in “how far in the picture” we are concerning something.The problem of knowledge as it involves the relation of self and other creates both an intimacy and an objectivity with the world. I am interested in the signification that goes on in this exchange and the questions raised concerning the relation between creating and discovering.

Helen Bishop-Santelli

I grew up on a farm in Lyons, NY the youngest of 5 girls. I married my high school sweetheart while attending Pratt Institute achieving a BFA in sculpture. I then returned for my MFA from RIT after having a son and daughter. I have a long history of mostly regional exhibits, competitions and gallery representations. I recently changed my focus from traditional work to address deep concerns for the preservation of our world politically and environmentally! The body of work exhibited is a type of passive activism to the unsettled times we are currently in. I do not have the answers or solutions to the causes that have become my subjects of choice, but I have created a didactic invitation for pause, reflection and possible change. Trying to comprehend the seemly inhuman actions of war, racism and cruelty has made me look to history for imagery awaken awareness. Some of the works are very personal but also address universal life events that I hope strike a common thread of commonality with my audience.

Barbara Krause

Barbara Krause here.  I’m a self-taught artist residing in the Village of Liverpool.  I began focusing on art 10 years ago. I got into acrylics because I’m too impatient for oils. I’m into creating Whimsical Paintings that bring out a smile that's happy, glad, sad, surprised, enchanted or confused.  To me it all works. 

Life is Good.  Drink the Wine.  Smile – It’s Art.

CJ Hodge lll

Hello my name is C J Hodge III, I was born in New Jersey and lived in different parts of the country and the United Kingdom. I was raised by an artist and a medical doctor and followed the path of an artist. I started showing in galleries when I was a student at Syracuse University. Growing up my mentor was Ludwig Stein. I also studied under Gary Trento and Jerome Witkin. I received my BFA from SU in 1987 and an MS in Art Education in 1997.

 My artistic journey has taken many paths, I have experimented with several styles and allowed my art to control me rather than trying to control it. I have always loved patterns and enjoy finding them in nature, because of that my art has included but has not been limited to paintings that use patterns as a central theme. I also enjoy including hidden images into my pieces, utilizing logos and everyday objects that often go unnoticed, inviting viewers to explore the deeper meanings within my art. I also enjoy using colors that will hopefully bring joy and happiness to people that see them. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy making it.

James Leach

Hi, my name is James Leach, and I am a lifelong central New York resident currently living within Syracuse.

 After beginning my artistic journey in adolescence, I attended SUNY Oswego to study Studio Art and Business Administration, where I began a love affair with oil paints. I was and am drawn to the enormous flexibility of the media and the centuries of knowledge and development behind it. Being able to work as quickly or as slowly and as delicately or brutishly as I please while seamlessly blending progress with tradition is a very special experience.

 Attempting to stand on the shoulders of James McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent, and Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen, my focus has been portraiture and the figure, combining human elements with abstraction and surrealism. I am currently creating work that explores gender dysphoria and the day-to-day experiences of being a transgender person.

Michelle Keib

I have always been an upbeat, enthusiastic, and sunny person.  You can feel that in my paintings.  The central theme is that each painting makes you smile and feel better about your day.  Life is meant to be enjoyed and my art is created to help you do that.  I have often been told her art reminds people of David’ Hockney’s style and boldness.  

 I grew up, and raised my family in Tully, NY, now living in Liverpool, NY. After high school, I attended Secretarial School at the Powelson Institute in downtown Syracuse. I continue to write in shorthand and type like a house-a-fire! Shorthand stopped being taught a year later. I often incorporate uplifting shorthand messages into my paintings.  After starting my family, I started college, one class per semester, when I turned 30 and graduated when I was 45 with a degree in Marketing from Empire State College. Two of my kids graduated before I did!

 When my kids went to high school, I found the time to return to painting more regularly. That was many years ago now. I attended a week workshop with Colorist Camille Prezwodek andworked with local Illustrator, Jerry Russell.  My images reflect alove of bold colors, whimsical charm, and playful humor.  Mypaintings are in private collections from Maine to Florida.  

 I spent many years in the commercial furniture and interior design industries, and you can feel that impact. I instinctivelyknow what images will bring a space to life, creating animpactful wall presence.

Smile it’s Healthy 

Hi my name is Smile it’s Healthy and I am a first generation Bosnian artist originally from Syracuse New York but currently reside in Liverpool New York. I began focusing on art seriously during the start of the Pandemic in 2020 as a way to express myself, the world felt so dark and grim that I wanted to introduce it to brightness. I use primarily acrylic paint markers but if needed I branch out into a ton of other tools as well, such as brushes, spray cans, paint sticks etc etc. I got into making my kind of art from a time where I was deeply depressed, and I found that making bright and fun art worked better than any medicine that I could’ve been prescribed. Even if I cover the occasional dark or serious subject matter I still relay it in an easy and digestible way where I still find a way to weave in my bright colors. I find most of my inspiration comes from Music that I enjoy or from memories or just certain emotions I’d like to portray. I like to create an Enjoyable Experience, and I hope your Experience will be Enjoyable.

Tyrone Johnson-Neuland

Tyrone Johnson-Neuland, born in Norwich, NY, is a 30-year resident of Oswego, NY, and an artist who carries the torch of Expressionism. He holds a BFA from Syracuse University and an MA from SUNY Oswego. His canvases serve as battlegrounds where chaos and introspection clash, resulting in mesmerizing outcomes. In his artist statement, Johnson-Neuland emphasizes his dedication to the expressive tradition, using color and gesture to convey emotional intensity and existential complexity. His paintings, whether abstract or representational, offer pathways for exploring the profound depths of the soul and the world around him. Each stroke on the canvas embodies a fusion of personal encounters and societal observations, prompting viewers to reflect on their own experiences.

Mary Stanley

I am a ceramicist and sculptor.
My artistic work reflects my life project, understanding the formation of identity in democracies and as conscious animals emergent from nature.  My first career was as a social scientist; teaching, writing, and researching liberal democracy as a context for shaping human beings.  I received fellowships, research support, and grants from Syracuse University, the US Department of Education, and foundations while at Syracuse University to explore the nature and meaning of citizenship and cultural identity. My dissertation on the evolving conceptualization of democratic citizenship won the Syracuse University Doctoral Prize in 1988.  Since 2006 I have been an arts activist and after 2010, an artist, receiving local foundation and NYSCA grants for arts programming. I was the co-host and co-producer of the award-winning Women’s Voices Radio broadcast by Syracuse University’s NPR station. 
 

I trained as a sculptor and ceramicist at Syracuse University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts.  Professor Margie Hughto was my principal mentor. I began exhibiting my sculptural work in 2015. I have exhibited locally, regionally, and nationally. My multi-figure sculptural installations examine identity, often through the lens of miscegenation, “race mixing.” I employ chimeras, mixed species creatures, curious and beautiful or abominations, to engage the viewer. My installations and sculptures reflect the cultures and places I have explored during global travel. I live and work in Syracuse, NY. My work suggests that human identity is best explored by considering the relationship of humans to the natural world and by engaging diverse cultural understandings of human nature.