The Reboli Center’s mission to collect, preserve and exhibit artwork, along with documents and artifacts of significance to late Setauket artist Joseph Reboli, took a major step this week when it launched its inaugural art school.

The Reboli Atelier opened with its first class on Dec. 18, in which residents of the Three Village community and beyond were invited to celebrate the beginning of what could become a new art community across the North Shore. Residents were invited to the Reboli Atelier at 2 Flowerfield in St. James. Eastbound Freight Bluegrass provided live music and those in attendance enjoyed artisanal cheese and craft beers supplied by Brew Cheese of Stony Brook.

Organizers for the art classes said a solid base of students was already on board before the classes kicked off.

The Reboli Atelier has been established to train artists to draw and paint in the vein of classical art. The classes examine the history and identity of Long Island art as being inextricably linked with the history of representational painting. The classes are crafted to pay tribute to artistic roots that reach back to William Sidney Mount and William Merritt Chase in the 1800s, Joseph Reboli in the 20th century and other notable Long Island artists in the current century.

The Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook, will be open for extended hours during the holiday vacation. It will be open Dec. 26 and 27 (regular hours), Dec. 29 to 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Jan. 2 and 3 (regular hours). The museum will be closed on Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1. Only the Visitors Center will be open from Jan. 4 to 31 and admission is free. The museum will then close from Feb. 1 through Feb. 25 for the installation of new exhibits and reopen on Feb. 26.

Visitors may view this year’s installment of Sculpture@LIM through the new year featuring four works by Connecticut sculptor Drew Klotz. Growing up in an artist setting, Drew naturally gravitated toward kinetic sculpture.

A graduate from Cooper Union in NYC his career has led him to create various different approaches to kinetics, from TV props to flying machines to his indoor inventions to outdoor wind-activated sculptures. As Klotz puts it, “My continuing exploration of kinetics, form and color are the backbone of my work. Many things influence me, flight, nature and natural phenomena. Using the wind as a power source to put my creations in motion to pull the viewer in and experience the fun.”

The following exhibits will open in February:

Mort Künstler:  The Art of Adventure
February 26 through May 30, 2016
Known for his meticulously researched paintings of the American Civil War and other significant historical subjects, Mort Künstler of Oyster Bay is also a prolific illustrator whose romance, adventure and sporting illustrations have engaged and entertained readers and admirers for six decades. Mort Künstler: The Art of Adventure features nearly 100 original artworks and ephemera spanning the breadth of his prolific career, created for such popular 20th-century publications as True, Argosy, Men’s Story, Sports Afield, Outdoor Life, American Weekly and The Saturday Evening Post, as well as movie posters, book jackets and advertisements reflecting American popular culture and the diverse artistic genres that comprise his exceptional creative journey.

The Brush Is My Pen: Art That Tells Stories
February 26 through July 30, 2016
The Brush Is My Pen explores American art in the narrative tradition, from the 1820s through today. From the classically influenced historical and genre paintings of 19th-century artists to powerful contemporary narrative work, artists have long created richly evocative stories. In this exhibition’s 18 paintings, prints and photographs, chosen primarily from the Long Island Museum’s permanent collection, artists have explored every aspect of the human condition, just as writers of literary and stage productions. The exhibition explores narrative art through four separate themes — work, satire, drama and hope — and includes a range of work from artists of every era.
William Sidney Mount’s “Loss and Gain,” 1847, a satirical work in support of the American temperance movement, is a typically striking example of the artist’s multilayered storytelling. Edward Lamson Henry’s “Home Again,” 1908, a nostalgically tinged work expressing longing for an America that was rapidly fading, tells the tale of a family reunion.
And Margery Caggiano’s “Michael as Don Manuel Osorio de Zuñiga,” 1978, is both an expression of love for the artist’s Spiderman-T-shirt-wearing grandson and a sly reference to the famous Francisco de Goya painting of a similar title. Whether exploring an aspect of history or simply appealing to the viewer’s sense of humor, all of these works prove the old adage that a “picture is worth a thousand words.”

Colors of Long Island
February 26 through May 1, 2016
This annual student art exhibition affords an opportunity for students in grades K through 12 to show their artwork in a museum setting.  Hundreds of proud parents and teachers flock to the museum every year to admire the work of these talented Long Island students, many of whom go on to study art in college. Colors of Long Island is sponsored by Astoria Bank.

For more information, call 631-751-0066 or visit www.longislandmuseum.org.

Directions to the small waterfront cottage pressed up against Conscience Bay in East Setauket included the phrase “follow the dirt road that’s covered by leaves.” Down a narrow, wooded path and around a hard left that is the last option prior to tires hitting water, you’ll find a small one-bedroom cottage with a deck overlooking the water. Out of his front window, the artist sees a sight suitable for framing each and every day. Inspiration is not hard to find in a setting like this.

Roger Kramer is a 74-year-old artist who lives alone in that one-bedroom cottage. He is separated and his two children, Matthew and Emily, are grown. He has two grandchildren, with a third on the way; his son and daughter live in New York City and California, respectively. Kramer has a psychology practice that he attends to a few times a week. Occasionally, he is accompanied by his son’s dog Jagger, an exceedingly friendly 95-pound ten-year-old golden retriever who needs sporadic breaks from city life. Together Kramer and Jagger spend much of their free time exploring the woods that engulf the cottage and flank the bay, searching for some of that inspiration that lies around every corner in Kramer’s world.

Kramer is a kind man with a warm, welcoming disposition. He stands about five feet, ten inches tall and has long gray hair. He was born in Brooklyn. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and then went on to a psychology master’s program at Hofstra University. At 27 years old he got married and took off on a “whirlwind tour” of Europe on a motorcycle (which he had shipped overseas) with his new wife. When they returned, the couple settled in Boulder, Colorado. Stops in California and Woodstock, New York, lead him back to Long Island in 1971, where he earned a Ph.D. at Stony Brook University. After that, Kramer took a job as a psychologist in Vermont, which he did for about seven years. Eventually he made his way back to Long Island, this time to the shores of Conscience Bay.

Kramer’s combination of artistic talent and passion for environmental preservation and appreciation serve as a perfect blend for his current life.

“I do ‘found’ wood work,” Kramer said. “I like taking a piece of wood that’s just dirty and foul and [you] can hardly see what it is but it turns out to be 200-year-old black walnut that grew around here.”

Specifically, Kramer turns the wood that he finds on the land surrounding his home into stunningly lifelike sculptures of birds (fowl wood), most of which he’s spotted not far from the places that he finds the wood. Kramer contests that they’re not meant to be too lifelike but rather interpretations of how he sees the shore birds that grace his fit-for-framing view. However, a few minutes in his presence make it obvious who his harshest critic is.

After that hard left turn is made and Kramer’s cottage and deck are finally, mercifully in sight through some forest that a Long Islander would classify as “fairly thick,” though that would probably be mocked by someone from another part of the country. For Long Island though, this is as remote as it gets. Along the right side of the “driveway,” which is paved similarly to that path leading to the house, with dirt and leaves, there’s a covered BMW motorcycle and a cherry red Saab crossover. Either one is suitable for a day of exploration.

Kramer accumulates wood in his travels, usually without a specific idea in mind of how he plans to use it. His favorite tool to shape the wood into wings or heads or feathers is a small handheld grinder. “I’m excited when I first see something, even if I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do with it and then the excitement comes when I’m in the process and something is emerging. It comes alive. It talks to me.”

After one meeting, it might be crass to identify Kramer as eccentric. Creativity oozes from him. “Right now I liken myself to some kind of wildlife artist,” Kramer said with a chuckle. It wasn’t clear if Kramer meant simply that the subject of his art is usually wildlife or if he as an artist is now part of what is classified as wildlife. Either way, the description suits him.

His living room is furnished with chairs and tables that he crafted out of wood, just like his birds. On his refrigerator hangs an Andy Warhol quote: “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”

When walking up the three or four stairs that lead to Kramer’s deck, the majestic and nearly to scale size birds finally come into view, and this is about the same time that just over the deck’s railing and some foliage that the bay comes into view. By the time one’s foot hits the top step, what follows is breathtaking.

In the early afternoon the sun was just peeking around the corner of Kramer’s house, giving the water a little shimmer that served as a perfect backdrop to view the birds. They are assembled into the corner when not being staged by the railing for jaw-dropping, beautiful photo opportunities. On this day, the blue heron has the main stage. This particular sculpture is crafted in such a way that despite being made of wood, flight looks to be imminent. There’s also a bald eagle, a snowy owl, and among about a dozen others, my personal favorite, an osprey.

Kramer sends picture messages to his kids for honest and constructive criticism. “I’ll send pictures to both kids and they’ll say either ‘oh, good,’ or ‘hmm maybe keep your day job.’” Kramer’s intention is to start getting more recognition for his work.

More words could be used to describe Kramer and his magnificent work, but they don’t do him or his beautiful birds any justice. Not many people have seen his work yet. A neighbor borrowed his bald eagle for a few weeks, just because he couldn’t keep his eyes off of it. I am not an art critic, nor do I have an artistic bone in my body, but  I can say with confidence that Kramer’s birds will be seen  and appreciated by far more than a few dozen eyes in the very near future.

To contact Roger Kramer and learn more about his projects, email him at [email protected].