Reboli Center kicks off September with whimsical new exhibit
We could all use a little humor right now and the Reboli Center for Art and History’s playful new exhibit Wild and Wonderful by artist Vicki Sawyer may be the perfect inspiration. The show opens Sept. 3 and runs through Nov. 1.
Vicki Sawyer is a nationally recognized fine art painter whose whimsical animal and bird portraits have been a sensation. After a three year interval since her last exhibit at the Reboli Center, the artist is back with twenty five new paintings created especially for this unique exhibit.
Sawyer now lives in Franklin, TN but before her move, she was a resident of Stony Brook for fifteen years. During the time she resided on Long Island, she worked with Eva Glaser and Helen Del Guercio doing faux finishes and then began painting commissioned murals. She is one of the artists who attended an outdoor class taught by Joe Reboli. In that workshop, Sawyer says that she learned about being aware of the darkest darks and lightest lights. She applies that knowledge to her paintings today.
Sawyer’s current paintings spring from a walk a few years ago, when it occurred to her that if birds could build nests, they could make hats. For the last 11 years that walk has been her inspiration for her highly successful and collectible bird and animal portraits. She has been quoted as saying that her works are seriously painted, but whimsical. These portraits combine her love of nature and her goal of evoking feelings of peace, joy, and often humor.
Sawyer has painted more than 2,500 paintings of birds and other animals wearing natural hats! Her images have been so popular that they grace numerous products carried in the Reboli Center Design Shop. Vicki Sawyer’s connections to our community, to her many friends here, to Joe Reboli as well as her remarkable portraits make for a fascinating and entertaining exhibit.
The gallery will host a free Zoom Third Friday event with a conversation between Sawyer and Reboli Center President Lois Reboli on Sept. 18. Those who wish to be a part of the Zoom call and who are not presently a part of the email list of the Reboli Center, should contact the gallery by calling 631-751-7707 or by emailing the Center at [email protected] to receive a link to the event.
In conjunction with Wild and Wonderful, an additional exhibit in the History Gallery will highlight the many educational activities and conservation efforts of the Four Harbors Audubon Society.
The Reboli Center for Art and History, located at 64 Main Street in Stony Brook, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of artist Joseph Reboli and to foster a meaningful understanding and appreciation for culture and the traditional arts through exhibitions and educational programs.
Operating hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.ReboliCenter.org.
