Crista Pisano is headlining a new summer show that will open at the Front Street Gallery in Patterson, NY, on Saturday, June 26. The opening reception will be from 5-8pm, with food and drink, including crepes by Bart.

Pisano grew up painting in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, creating, as she puts it, “small windows of large views.”  Starting at the Ridgewood Art Institute as a teenager, and continuing her training with BFA and Masters degrees, Pisano has been exhibiting and winning awards at a high level for many years.

“I was fortunate to have teachers who got me to paint outdoors at a very early age,” say Pisano, who now lives in Nyack. “Studying a landscape, being in nature and a part of it myself, has remained the focus of my work up to the present day.”  The new landscapes at  Front Street Gallery show a consistent vision and development of craft unusual in a young artist.

 Pisano works en plein air, in the great outdoors, but at a small scale.  Small works (the smallest are only 3 by 7 inches) are more inimate and personal, requiring that you step closer and immerse yourself in the detail.  They don’t pretend to represent nature in scale, and therefore capture more of its depth and mood.  Souvenirs in the best and most literal sense--they return us to another place and time.

“The unpredictability of light phenomenon during each outing is the most exciting part of painting,” Crista says.  “Changes in nature force me to make decisions about the mood and composition of every one of my works.  That’s what keeps me returning to the outdoors.”

Among her biggest influences are the paintings of George Inness and Martin Johnson Heade, and her biggest inspiration, the views and wetlands of New England and the Hudson Valley.
 
The new work by Front Street’s in-house artists for the summer show continues this theme.  Linda Puiatti’s new paintings include canoe-level views of the Great Swamp: “I was struck by the blue reflections of the mountains in the water, and both the abstract qualities and form in those reflections,” she says.  Gene Cadore has been painting local scenes as well, and can also be found demonstrating his skills at Front Street during gallery hours.  Mary Souter’s new portraits, still lifes and landscapes draw on kinetic movement, pattern, and leaving open spaces. Photographer Jeremy Wolff will be showing a series titled “This Spring” featuring surreal closeups of emerging buds and blossoms, focusing on the sudden color and detail of this fast-moving season.

Founded an an artists cooperative and community resource in April, 2010, the Front Street Gallery is directly across from the Patterson Metro North train station, and next door to Magnolia’s Restaurant.  Group shows and juried competitions of regional artists are being planned for the fall, and art classes for children and adults are ongoing. Interested students should contact the gallery. Gallery hours: Thursday 11-3, Friday 12-3, Saturday and Sunday 10-2. And by appointment.  For more information, log on to www.frontstreetgallery.org.

Front Street Gallery presents new landscapes by Crista Pisano, from June 26-August 8.  Opening reception is Saturday, June 26, from 5-8pm.  Refreshments will be served, including crepes by Bart, and the public is welcome.  Front Street Gallery, 21 Front St, Patterson, NY, 12563.  (845) 490 4542.   For more info, see www.frontstreetgallery.org , or contact info@frontstreetgallery.org .