The 2023 North East Watercolor Society Members’ Show: 50th Year!

The North East Watercolor Society (NEWS) 2023 Members’ Show is on display in Orange Hall Gallery at SUNY Orange from January 24 to March 17. This entirely in-person show exemplifies the highest standard of technical and creative quality in the water medium.

From its inception as an art organization in 1973, the aim of NEWS was “The Promotion and Preservation of Watercolor Painting.” And this year, 2023, marks a golden milestone: the 50th anniversary.

The longest living member and still very active artist of the group is Ann Higgins of Grahamsville. Three of her works are on display. “My only claim to fame is that I’m probably the only person left who was a student at John Pike’s watercolor classes in Woodstock. There

I met the group of Orange County artists who decided to call their group the Orange County Watercolor Society, and later decided that was too limiting a name. I didn’t live in Orange County, so I was happy about that,” Ann said.

In all, forty-six members’ works are on exhibit which includes still lifes, portraits, genre paintings, and land and seascapes, in styles from photo-realistic to semi-abstracts with loose to detailed variations.

Celebrating the 50th year of NEWS in Orange County is fitting as the group was originally formed as the Orange County Watercolor Society by Elise Hornbeck of Grahamsville.

It’s time to celebrate! Come and view the paintings and enjoy the 50th anniversary reception on February 26 from 1:00pm-4:15pm Pianist Geoff Hamburg starts off the afternoon event at 1:00pm by playing “upbeat tunes with a party theme” interspersed with classical and contemporary pieces - many composed by him.

At 2:30pm awarding-winning member and awards juror, Maryann Burton of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ begins her hour and a quarter art demonstration entitled, The Value of Value. In addition, a separate solo show of her works is on display on the Fringe wall within Orange Hall Gallery. Awards and party follow from 3:45pm-4:15pm

This year’s show chair is wellknown watercolorist Janet Campbell of Bloomingburg, who also serves as second vice-president. The reception and demonstration and exhibits are free and open to the public.

Free parking is available adjacent to Orange Hall at the corner of Wawayanda and Grandview Avenues, (GPS: 24 Grandview Ave.) on the Middletown campus of SUNY Orange.

For information, call 845-341-4891.

Faith Ringgold: Stories on Quilts at the Alice Desmond Center, Newburgh

Faith Ringgold is a contemporary American artist and writer who is perhaps best known for her narrative quilts.

Raised in a family environment that encouraged her own creativity, Ringgold’s childhood home in the 1930’s was surrounded by a thriving arts scene where figures such as Duke Ellington and Langston Hughes lived just around the corner. In 1963, and inspired by artist Jacob

Lawrence and writer James Baldwin, Ringgold painted her first political collection: the American People Series, which portrays the American lifestyle in relation to the Civil Rights Movement, illustrating racial interactions from a female point of view. She made her first quilt, Echoes of Harlem, in 1980.

Laura Nicholls will present Faith Ringgold, looking at the various aspects of Ringgold’s artistic life, but especially with her quilts - as - in her own words: “I began writing stories on my quilts as an alternative. That way, when my quilts were hung up to look at, or photographed for a book, people could still read my stories.”

Nicholls’ talk is on February 8 at 12:30pm at the Town of Newburgh Recreation Department’s Alice Desmond Center for Community Enrichment, 6 Albany Post Road, Newburgh. To register: 845-565-1326.

On view at Leo’s Restaurant, Cornwall through March 21: Calligraphy by David Baldwin

Eagle Watching by Bus / On Your Own

The Upper Delaware River region is one of the largest wintering habitats for eagles in the northeast U.S. because of abundant clean water and large, undisturbed stands of trees. Protected lands in Pike, Wayne, Sullivan and Delaware Counties provide a safe haven for these migratory birds, as well as breeding eagles that live here year-round. The Delaware Highlands Conservancy works in partnership with landowners and communities to protect the natural heritage and quality of life of the Upper Delaware River region.

Join the Conservancy on a guided eagle-viewing bus tour. Learn from an expert guide and take a scenic drive on a heated bus throughout the Upper Delaware River region to look for and learn about bald eagles and their habitat.

Seats on trips are limited and advance reservations are required, so reserve your space for the 2023 winter trips on January 28, February 4, 18 & 25. The trips commence at the Conservancy’s Winter Field Office at the Zane Grey Museum in Lackawaxen, and run from

11:00am-3:00pm. Snow dates are the Sundays following.

Kids under 12 free. Get tickets at www. delawarehighlands.org or call 570-226-3164 / 845583-1010.

Refunds are not provided in the event of canceled reservations or no-shows. The Conservancy has partnered with the National Park Service and the NYS Department of Conservation to maintain wellmarked Eagle Observation Areas open to the public. These viewing blinds are also staffed by volunteers on weekends through the winter season, and visitors can look through binoculars and spotting scopes to see bald eagles in the wild. Pick up information about the bald eagle in the Upper Delaware River region, get maps and directions to eagle viewing locations, watch a short film, and view interpretive exhibits. The Visitor Center is staffed on Saturdays and Sundays in January and February, and open to visitors from 10:00am-3:00pm. Visit www.delawarehighlands.org/eagles to learn about eagle viewing on your own.

Special Effects Presentation, Milford

Film historian John DiLeo will be moderating a Spotlight on Filmmaking with special effect supervisor Fred Buchholz (pictured) who will present how he created the special effects for the movie Julie & Julia, starring Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

Buchholz was also part of the Electro/ Mechanical team in the New York Muppet Workshop. He was most often called upon for technical and special

Music for Humanity’s 148th

Frank Critelli has played in streets and subways, clubs and coffeehouses, barrooms and classrooms, colleges, festivals, theaters, and (most recently) in his kitchen. He co-hosts The Local Bands Show on 99.1fm WPLR-New Haven, and The Beer Show on CygnusRadio.

“I think that music is a way of knowing our world,” says Frank. “I like to know where and what I inhabit, I look to creative expression to share my wanderings and curiosities. I look to music to ask questions about the human condition. Mostly, I play guitar and write about the things around me. About the trees, the people, the compassion, our time apart. I am writing as my contribution to sharing the earth with all of you.”

Smooth and charming - with a little sass - Americana-folk-pop artist Randie O’Neil puts her whole self into her writing and performances, using honest and witty lyrics about heartache and strength, paired with catchy melodies.

Neil Okeson is a Brooklyn based singer-songwriter and composer for whom music is a central part of life.

Writing music that reflects both his urban homestead and his upstate New York studio, Neil’s songs live in a real world - one that is full of wonder, love, and even some human sadness.

Neil has sung with Canticum Novum, the New York Choral Society, the Collegiate Chorale; and in Carnegie Hall with Peter Schickele. The birth of his daughter in the 90’s crystalized his focus on music as a necessary human experience; as a means to tell important stories and work out our feelings and beliefs. Today, Neil’s time is spent composing both music for film and video as well as writing and performing what he terms ‘contemporary protest music’.

Frank, Randie and Neil will bring their music to the 148th free Music for Humanity concert at Noble Coffee Roasters, 3020 Route 207, Campbell Hall, on February 18 at 7:30pm effects, effects rigging of the characters as well as pyrotechnic & smoke effects. He is an Emmy winner for his work on The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.

The event is at the Milford Theatre, 114 E. Catharine Street, on February 25 at 4:00pm. Tickets include a meet & greet, and one complimentary drink. DiLeo will host the Q&A after the presentation.

For information, call 570-296-2600.

Frontiers: The Music of Journey

Journey is a rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973 by former members of Santana, the Steve Miller Band, and Frumious Bandersnatch.

Their sales have resulted in 25 gold and platinum albums, in addition to the 15-time platinum RIAA Diamond Certified Greatest Hits album (1988).They have had nineteen top-40 singles in the U.S., and a number-six hit on the UK Singles Chart for Don’t Stop Believin’

Originally a progressive rock band, Journey was described by AllMusic as having cemented a reputation as “one of

America’s most beloved (and sometimes hated) commercial rock/pop bands”, when they redefined their sound by embracing pop arrangements on their fourth album.

Frontiers is the world’s number one tribute to Journey. These five talented and renowned NYC area musicians recreate the music of Journey to perfection, note for note - every nuance, every iconic riff, all the feels. They’ll be at Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center, 231 Creamery Pond Road, Chester, on February 10 at 8:00pm.

For tickets: www.sugarloafpacny.com

Gloria Bonelli:

Among many other things, Peter was a terrifically skilled and gifted photographer. His images are beautiful, his spirit was even more so. As a Goshen Art League colleague, he was generous to a fault. Whenever I hang a camera around my neck or install an art exhibit, I will remember Peter in gratitude for the joy and privilege of having known him and having shared these interests so happily together.

Andi Sustrin:

Thank you for giving us a moment to reflect on knowing such a gentleman and talented photographer as Peter.

I instantly liked talking to Peter when I met him through the Goshen Art League. His soft spoken and kind manner calmed me, and then I saw his photography!!!

What an eye this man had. I ended up purchasing a print of his work to gift my dear friend Paloma for her birthday. We had been set up for the Goshen Art Walk across from Peter and I noticed Paloma eyeing his fantastic work. The piece she most adored, which I secretly procured for her, was a photo of a glass sphere that