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Reboli Center for Art and History

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A selection of Bebe Federman Designs at Gallery North's Holiday Gift Bazaar in a previous year. Photo courtesy of Gallery North
Carré Griggs of Carré Bouquets at the Three Village Historical Society's Winter Holiday Market. Photo by Kimberly Phyfe
Julia Vogelle of Julia Vogelle Fine Arts at the Three Village Historical Society's Winter Holiday Market. Photo by Kimberly Phyfe
Mark & Lyndell Cassin of The Big Cheese at the Three Village Historical Society's Winter Holiday Market. Photo by Kimberly Phyfe

By Tara Mae

The holidays are a time to celebrate community, both big and small. Local holiday markets abound with opportunities for festive fun and merry memories in the making. 

Whether singular excursions or weeks-long endeavors, these holiday affairs are designed to foster a jovial mood. More than just shopping sites, they enable attendees to forge new traditions as they support local craftspeople and discover one-of-a-kind items. 

Upcoming celebrations include the Holiday Market Wonderland at the Reboli Center in Stony Brook, Winter Holiday Market at Setauket Neighborhood House, and Holiday Gift Bazaar at Gallery North in Setauket, Station Yards Ronkonkoma’s Holiday Market and Holiday Markets of the Huntington Holiday Spectacular.

Set up in a large heated tent behind the Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook and organized by Tracey Balaker of Freebird Events, the third annual Holiday Night Market Wonderland will be held on Saturday, November 30, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Reboli’s gallery and gift shop, which normally close at 5 p.m., will stay open for the duration of the occasion.

“I am excited to bring this event to the Reboli Center, right in the heart of magical Stony Brook Village; it is such a great location. I was trying to create a Bryant Park village, Christmas market feel — everyone comes dressed and adorns their spaces with lights,” said Balaker. 

Approximately 55 vendors — both inside and outside the tent — will offer items such as baked goods, handmade crafts, unique gifts, and clothing. A food stand will provide sweet treats, including cider and hot chocolate, for visitors to  enjoy as they are serenaded by carolers, the Celestial Singers. Frosty the Snowman, the Gingerbread Man, and other holiday characters will make cameo appearances, and a pony from Peaches Pony Parties will be decked out as a reindeer and pose for photo opportunities. 

“Everyone who has come to it the past few years says it feels like a Hallmark Christmas movie,” said Balaker. 

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From a film scene to a historic setting, Three Village Historical Society’s (TVHS) fourth annual Winter Holiday Market will take place at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main St., Setauket on Sunday, December 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Displaying an array of evergreen accent pieces, edible artistry, and artisanal craftsmanship, 32 vendors will be situated throughout the building and on the porch. 

“We have stunning greenery displays and floral arrangements, New York cheese, balsamic glazes, local honey, decorated cookies, delicious baked goods, spices and seasonings and soups, farm fresh preserves, and a brand new distillery with a Culper Spy theme,” said TVHS Community Engagement Manager Kimberly Phyfe. 

Other participants will be offering their artisanal products: jewelry, soaps, candles, pottery, knitwear, clothing, personalized drinkware, and artwork. TVHS will likewise have a pop-up gift shop with trinkets, books, and other selections from its inventory. 

“We are so looking forward to giving our guests a place to shop small & support local,” Phyfe said. 

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Located at 90 North Country Road in Setauket, Gallery’s North’s fourth annual Holiday Gift Bazaar is another celebration of communal appreciation as well as artistic expression. On Saturday, December 14, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., it will highlight the work of 12 artists displaying their jewelry, ceramics, wood craft, fiber art, candles, and printmaking. 

“The Gallery North Holiday Gift Bazaar is a special indoor holiday gift market that provides an alternative to online and department store shopping. Artists will display their work on tables in both the Gallery and the Studio,” Gallery North Director of Development Erin Smith said. 

Patrons will also be able to choose works from the gallery’s current exhibition, Deck the Halls, and choose from an array of handmade, local goods in its gift shop. Level Up Kitchen will be onsite, selling food and drinks. 

“The Bazaar is an excellent opportunity to support local artists and businesses,” Smith said. 

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The newly opened Station Yards at 3 Hawkins Avenue in Ronkonkoma and the Holiday Markets of the Huntington Holiday Spectacular will give audiences multiple chances to embrace the joyful camaraderie of the season. 

On Saturdays, November 30 to December 21, from noon to 4 p.m., Station Yards will premiere its first Holiday Market around the Village Green. Shop from a curated selection of local vendors and artisans, offering unique gifts, handmade goods, and seasonal treats—perfect for holiday gifting.

Available every Friday and Sunday in December, from noon to 5 p.m., except Friday, December 6, when it turns into a night market from 5 to 9 p.m., the Holiday Markets along Wall Street in Huntington will be multi-sensory spectacles presenting a collection of shopping and social conveniences. 

At the heart of these five holiday markets is the enticement of strengthening existing  human connections and forging new ones while promoting common interests. 

“When your holiday gifts come from small business owners and local vendors, the money stays within the neighborhood. It’s more than purchasing the perfect present, it’s building up our own community,” Phyfe said. 

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David Ebner
A chair by David Ebner
Scallion Coat Rack by David Ebner
A table by David Ebner.

The Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook has announced that noted Long Island-based furniture designer and craftsman David N. Ebner will be the Center’s November Artisan of the Month.

Ebner is known as one of the foremost makers of American contemporary furniture. Since the early 1970s, he has focused on a wide range of remarkable and innovative furniture design, working in wood, bronze and bamboo.

“I approach my art intuitively as well as intellectually, drawing on inspiration wherever I find it. I’ve explored a variety of directions and themes over the years, but each piece is treated as an art object with concern for mymaterial and honesty to its inherent qualities. For me, one’s creative ability is demonstrated in the diversity of the pieces and what one learns from change,” he explains.

A graduate of the prestigious School for American Craftsmen at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT),  Ebner was fortunate to have the opportunity to study under the esteemed artist, Wendell Castle, who was known as the father of the American Studio Furniture and was the head of the wood working department at RIT. There he discovered that there could be “an artistic approach” to woodworking.

Upon graduating from RIT, he studied at the London School of Furniture Design.

After two years in the armed forces, which is where Ebner met the late Joseph Reboli for whom the Center is named, he founded a studio on the south shore of Long Island in 1973. There he pursued a career as a full-time studio craftsman. Mr. Ebner and Joe Reboli continued their friendship as they both lived on Long Island and participated in Arts and Crafts fairs to sell their work. In fact, when Ebner first created his scallion coat rack it was Joe Reboli who painted it. See photo of Scallion Coat Rack.

Having spent the last thirty years as a furniture craftsman, David Ebner is considered by curators and collectors as an integral part of the “studio craft” furniture movement. He feels that he is creating the “antiques of tomorrow.”

Pivotal to his career was Ebner’s inclusion in Exploration II/The New Furniture at the American Crafts Museum. Some of his pieces have found a home at the National Collection of Fine Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.; American Craft Museum, New York, NY; High Museum, Atlanta, Georgia; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; Yale University Gallery;

The Art Institute of Chicago; FORBES Magazine Collection, NYC. Ebner’s work is also in the homes of Marilyn and the late James Simons, Isabella Rossellini, Glenn Close and others.

In conjunction with this exhibit, David N. Ebner will be the guest speaker at the Reboli Center’s Third Friday on November 15 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The talk is free and reservations are not necessary. Refreshments will be served.

Although several pieces of David Ebner’s furniture have been available at the Reboli Center since its opening, this is the first time that Mr. Ebner is the featured artisan. Lois Reboli, the founder of the Center said, “Having known David for a long time I am thrilled that he will be our featured artisan – his work is just magnificent.”

The Reboli Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please call 631-751-7707 or visit www.rebolicenter.org

 

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Participants will be painting this image.

The Reboli Center for Art & History, 604 Main St., Stony Brook hosts an Autumn Paint Party on Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Join instructor Linda Davison Mathues in completing a painting in the style of Joseph Reboli. The subject matter for the evening will be Autumn Colors. The cost to attend is $45, all materials are included and no experience is necessary. Frames for your finished canvas will be available for purchase and refreshments and snacks will be served. Registration required by calling 631-751-7707. 

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Artist Stuart Friedman paints at Frank Melville Memorial Park during a previous Wet Paint Festival. Photo courtesy of Gallery North
Two-day plein air painting event combines art, history and nature

By Rita J. Egan

Gallery North’s 20th annual Wet Paint Festival will take place in what was once considered a Setauket hub.

Held on June 1 and 2, the plein air painting event, featuring more than 40 artists, will be held on the grounds of the Tyler Homestead. Located at 97 Main Street, the mid-1700s home sits across the street from the Setauket Post Office and Frank Melville Memorial Park. Right in the homestead’s backyard is the Patriots Rock Historical Site, where the Battle of Setauket was fought.

For the 2024 event, Gallery North has partnered with Three Village Community Trust (TVCT), which owns the Tyler home. Erin Smith, Gallery North’s director of development, said they were pleased that the land trust was willing to make the Tyler Homestead available for the event.

The property will serve as the center point, where artists can explore around and near the property to decide the subject of their paintings. Choices include the house and property, Frank Melville Memorial Park, Patriots Rock, the Setauket Green, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, nearby churches and the three Factory Worker Houses located less than a mile down the road.

“You bring your easel, and whatever vignette or view that moves you, you paint,” Smith said. “It’s nice because the whole idea of plein air painting is that it captures the light really well, and it gets you outside. You can really capture the historic beauty of the area in a unique way.”

Smith added that, during past festivals, some artists have chosen to paint objects such as an ice cream truck or bench. As for the Tyler Homestead and the area, it was chosen for “its historical significance and natural beauty.”

“It’s a highly visible central location for the community,” she explained.

Herb Mones, TVCT president, agreed that the Tyler house is the perfect location.

“It not only has the expansive yard, but it’s on Main Street, and it’s so close to so many other historical sites, parks and venues that the artists could spread out, and yet the Tyler house is the central focus,” he said.

In addition to various activities set up in the Tyler Homestead’s back and side yards, Mones said TVCT will provide tours of the Patriots Rock site and discuss the role early Setauket residents and British occupiers played during the American Revolution.

Artist Angela Stratton, who has participated in past Wet Paint Festivals, said she always looks forward to being outside and choosing what to paint.

“When you go out to paint, and you’re looking around, it’s kind of what hits you in your heart,” Stratton said. “One day, to some, a certain spot can look beautiful. The next day you can go and that doesn’t intrigue you.”

The artist added that she welcomes spectators’ questions and appreciates children being exposed to art at the festival. How quickly an artist completes a painting, she said, depends on the person and the canvas size. She said many base how long they spend on a painting on how the sunlight hits a subject during a certain time of day or some will stay despite the light passing.

For Three Village Historical Society Historian Beverly C. Tyler, the homestead is more than a landmark; it’s the home he grew up in. The historian said for a time the property had flowers all over, from front to back, that his stepfather, Lou Davis, cared for. Tyler described the flowers as “absolutely gorgeous.”

“Having the Wet Paint Festival there is sort of a continuation of his efforts to use the property,” Tyler said.

The historian fondly remembers playing on the grounds.

“Everything was very interesting around there, and I would sometimes sit on the front porch and just watch the cars go by and count the number of Chevys and Fords and other types of cars that were going by, and I could see everybody that came into the post office.”

Tyler added the area appeared in several postcards, and the Neighborhood House next to his family home was once a summer boarding house his grandfather ran in the late 1800s and the early 1900s.

In addition to viewing artists at work, attendees can participate in wildlife and plant life lectures or go on a guided tour of plein air paintings with regional artists Doug Reina and Christine D’Addario. WUSB 90.1 FM/107.3 FM will present live musical performances each day. Visitors will also be able to purchase food from LevelUp Kitchen and enjoy a delicious picnic in an idyllic setting.

Later in the month, from June 25 to July 7, art lovers can enjoy an exhibition at the Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook featuring the participating artists’ paintings. An opening reception will be held on June 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Schedule of Events

Saturday, June 1

11 a.m. History Walk with members of the Three Village Community Trust

Noon to 2 p.m. Music by Tom Killourhy

12:30 p.m. Meet local wildlife from Sweetbriar Nature Center

2 p.m. Take part in a plein air art tour with artist Christine D’Addario

Sunday, June 2

11 a.m. History Tour with Margo Arceri of Tri-Spy Tours

11:30 a.m. Nature Walk with the Four Harbors Audubon Society

Noon to 2 p.m. Music by Kane Daily

1:30 p.m. Plein air Art Tour with artist Doug Reina

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Generously sponsored by the Village Art Collective and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning., the Wet Paint Festival will be held on the grounds of the Tyler Homestead, 97 Main St., Setauket from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2. The event is free of charge for spectators. A rain date is scheduled for June 15 and 16. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit gallerynorth.org/pages/wet-paint-festival.

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Chocology’s Linda Johnson shares insights on savoring chocolate akin to tasting wine. Chocology’s Linda Johnson shares insights on savoring chocolate akin to tasting wine. Photo by Rob Pellegrino

By Mallie Jane Kim

Do you scarf chocolate or savor it? According to chocolatier Linda Johnson, tasting chocolate is akin to tasting wine: Take small bites and let the flavor develop in your mouth. 

“That started for me 10 years ago when I would see people just pack chocolate into their mouth and swallow it and say, ‘Oh, that was good,’” Johnson told the 30 attendees at a Three Village Historical Society tea hosted by the Reboli Center for Art and History in Stony Brook on March 11. “I was like, ‘Wait a minute, it took me two days to make that.’”

Linda Johnson, owner of Chocology in Stony Brook. Photo courtesy Three Village Historical Society

In the sunlit art-lined Reboli Center, Johnson, who owns Chocology in Stony Brook, shared that her appreciation of chocolate springs from her knowledge of cacao’s rich history, from its position as a sacred tree and a currency among the Mayan and Aztec people through its evolution as a sweetened treat in Europe and to the “bean to bar” movement toward quality ingredients and good, child-labor-free processing today. She punctuated her presentation with delicious tastes of various high-quality chocolates from around the world.

Tea with a Spot of History has traditionally been held in the historical society’s cozy circa 1805 homestead on North Country Road in East Setauket, but according to TVHS community engagement manager Kimberly Phyfe, taking the event on the road allows for more attendees and solidifies partnerships among aligned organizations around the Three Village area. 

“Going on the road is a win-win-win,” Phyfe said. “It’s a win for us as the historical society, for our community partners and also for our presenters.”

Phyfe pointed out that several attendees were hearing about Johnson’s shop for the first time, and also that many people were browsing and making purchases from the Reboli Center gift shop. 

“Everybody wins, and that’s what we’re about,” Phyfe said. “We look at the whole community as our living museum.”

The Reboli Center hosted the Tea with a Spot of History on March 11. Photo courtesy Three Village Historical Society

For its next on-the-road installment, Tea with a Spot of History will visit The Long Island Museum on April 5 to celebrate the history of quilting with the Smithtown Stitchers, and Phyfe said she is in talks with other area venues to secure two other teas to round out the spring.

The tea events, in contrast with the more formal lecture series THVS holds at The Setauket Neighborhood House, are a chance for people to sit elbow to elbow, learn a bit of history interactively — and with some tasty treats. Phyfe said the teas used to draw mainly retirees, but have started to also attract others looking for “bite-sized infotainment” during a weekday, from stay-at-home parents to remote workers to those who are able to take a long lunch.

One attendee, Bianca Dresch of Stony Brook, volunteers for TVHS with her husband Dan, but can’t usually attend weekday activities due to work. Both found this event irresistible. “I try to attend whenever something grabs our attention — I saw this combination with the chocolate and Reboli, and I thought, ‘Oh, we’ve got to do this,’” she said. 

Teagoer Bonnie Dunbar of East Setauket does usually attend the teas and found the new venue refreshing: “It’s a nice way to get to know what’s around the neighborhood.”

Dunbar said the event piqued her interest in the history of chocolate, and she would have preferred to focus even more on that history. As for the tasters? Those left her satisfied. 

“I like the idea of putting the chocolate on your tongue and letting it melt, instead of gobbling it down like I usually do when I eat chocolate,” she said.

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An item from the Pursuits Jewelry Collection

For the month of October, the Reboli Center for Art and History in Stony Brook Village is showcasing the beautiful work of jewelry designer Vanassa Chan, founder of Pursuits.

A love of design, architecture and fashion is reflected in Vanassa Chan’s Pursuits jewelry designs. It is understandable since she earned her bachelor’s degree in Interior Design in the United Kingdom, and worked for many years as a designer in Canada. Her background in interior architecture has clearly influenced her jewelry lines and can be seen in the way they are created.

An item from the Pursuits Jewelry Collection

Every season’s collection begins with hand drawn designs with brass maquettes, and undergoes many stages of testing to produce a finished item that is bold and striking. “Our pieces are meticulously formed, and finished with care, in small batches in our Toronto studio,” said Chan.

Each collection has a name – the F.S. Collection is the largest with both necklaces and earrings. True to the designer’s intent, these pieces carry Chan’s signature sleekness and are created with versatility in mind. “Each design is our unique take on geometry and is finished with our signature matte plating,” added Chan.

The bold Orb shapes define the O Collection, which are minimal in design, but emphasized with pops of energy and color. Each necklace has a personality all of its own and is stylish and professional.

The 9S Sterling Collection features fine jewelry made of 925 sterling, The glamourous pieces are refined, delicate and dainty.

Pursuits newest collection is the Q Collection. These necklaces are bold and eye-catching with resin buttons and metallic accents strung on a rubber cord with a simple pop-clasp. While they look chunky, they are comfortable to wear every day.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Vanassa at a trade show in Manhattan and was impressed by her unique collections and their abstract qualities. Her desire to create a line with architectural elements, while including a feminine look was interesting.  I thought our patrons and visitors would appreciate her work,” said Lois Reboli, president and founder of the Reboli Center.

Vanassa Chan’s Pursuit jewelry is available at the Reboli Center, 64 Main Street, Stony Brook, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information please call 631-751-7707 or visit www.rebolicenter.org

 

 

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ONE PAINTING A DAY A cat painting created by Mickey Paraskevas on Nov. 3, 2022. Image courtesy of The Reboli Center
The community is invited to an art reception on September 9.

Up next at the Reboli Center for Art and History is a unique exhibit titled Every Picture Paints a Story by Mickey Paraskevas, on view now through Nov. 5. 

Mickey Paraskevas is an American illustrator, cartoonist and animation producer, who is best known for co-creating with his late mother Betty the animated children’s television series, Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. Together they authored more than 20 children’s books. 

Paraskevas has worked for 32 years for Dan’s Papers, and has had about 120 cover paintings for the publication. In addition, he has been featured in Time, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Town & Country, Esquire, The Washington Post and The New York Times. He obtained his bachelor’s and Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts.

The exhibit is comprised of almost 365 paintings by Paraskevas that he created each day in 2022. While his work was included in the 2020 exhibition of “Dan’s Covers” show, this is the first time that he is doing a solo exhibit at the Reboli Center. 

“I am very proud of my association with this art center and it’s a beautiful location,” said Paraskevas.

Paraskevas’ new exhibit features vibrant landscapes, animals and still life paintings. During the last 12 years, most of his work has been digital, be it a children’s book or an animated series. Although he loved what he was doing, he missed the physical act of painting. 

“I missed getting up every morning and simply applying paint to paper or canvas. I was burned out working on the iPad,” he said. 

He considered painting on a small scale so he could get the desire to paint out of his system. On January 1, 2022, he made New Year’s resolution -a painting a day for the month. He took several small 8×8 canvases and started a project that was to last a month. He thought that was a realistic goal — he would have 31 small paintings by the end of the month. Then he thought that maybe he could do this longer and if he did it for a year, he would have 365 small paintings, which he accomplished at his studio in Southampton and now most will be on display at The Reboli Center. 

“We are so delighted that Mickey Paraskevas has chosen The Reboli Center to showcase his works of art. His massive collection pairs well with the Joseph Reboli originals that will also be on display,” said Lois Reboli, founder and president of The Reboli Center.

The community is invited to an opening reception on Sept. 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Guests will have an opportunity to view the show and meet the artist. In addition, Paraskevas will be back at The Reboli Center for a Third Friday art talk on Sept. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to discuss his painting a day project and to answer questions. No reservations are required for either event, but seating will be limited, and refreshments will be served.

The Reboli Center, 64 Main St., Stony Brook is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631- 751-7707 or visit www.rebolicenter.org.

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Pottery by Russel Spillmann

For the month of September, the Reboli Center for Art and History in Stony Brook Village is showcasing the incredible work of ceramist Russel Spillmann.

Spillmann has worked in ceramics for more than 50 years, during which time he has participated in many fine craft shows and exhibited at numerous galleries. His work is included in many corporate, private, and public collections. As a former resident of the Three Village area, he is thrilled to be the Reboli Center’s September Artisan. Lois Reboli, president and a founder of The Center said, “Russel’s ceramics are just amazing and the colors so magnificent that we are pleased to have an affiliation with him.”

Pottery by Russel Spillmann

“I work with porcelain for its purity and translucence. It allows one to look into and through the pot, not merely at it. Through my work, I attempt to resolve function and beauty into a presence; for it is through presence that beauty suspends the soul in timelessness, and it is here the soul expands to sense more than itself,” said Spillmann.

The artist has fond memories of growing up in the area, riding his bike past what is now the Reboli Center and going to the local beaches, where a parade of porpoises would entertain the onlookers. He relocated to upstate New York where he earned his Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cortland. There he became interested in ceramics as he was inspired by his teacher, John Jessiman, who was instrumental in getting him accepted into the School of Ceramics at Alfred University. At Alfred, he had the opportunity to study under the esteemed pottery teachers, Val Cushing and Daniel Rogers. 

The Reboli Center for Art and History is located at 64 Main Street in Stony Brook. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please call 631-751-7707.

 

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Former New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright begins his Aug. 18 talk on Joe Reboli’s paintings. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

At the Reboli Center in Stony Brook on Friday evening, Aug. 18, former New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) presented a love letter to Long Island and its people through the landscape paintings of Joe Reboli. 

Englebright, a geologist also running against Anthony Figliola (R-East Setauket) for Suffolk County’s 5th Legislative District, opened for each of us who attended a new, personal and intimate view of Reboli’s paintings.

In his opening comments, Englebright touched on the importance of Reboli’s work as a local artist. 

“Joe Reboli speaks directly to us through his paintings, through his art,” Englebright said. “Joe also speaks now and forever to all who would live here in our community. I believe that open space is the beginning of our story. It’s what attracted the first colonists here, and … I believe that Joe’s paintings suggest that open space should continuously be an important part of our story.”

Englebright noted that he was initially surprised and then intrigued by Reboli’s detail in painting the most ordinary features of nature, including rocks and mud, in how they form and react to the forces of wind and waves. 

The first and largest painting was described thus:

“It is likely the Montauk Till — I call it an ice contact deposit — which means that the upper third of the painting is the till that was dropped directly, melted directly, out of the ice, and it included all of the different grain sizes — everything from clay to silt to sand to pebbles to cobble to boulders — that range of that spectrum of different grain sizes is all contained inside of that pumpkin-colored fill,” the former state assemblyman elaborated. “But when the waves break on it, they take away the small stuff, and we have a lag deposit of the boulders and cobbles.”

Englebright also noted the simple beauty and the importance of what Reboli included in his works. “Joe’s paintings speak to us regarding our exquisite coastal heritage,” he said. “Each of his natural images is a journey into nature’s splendor.”

Describing the middle painting, Englebright added, “This is quite amazing. It is a remarkable painting. Avalon is lovingly cared for, and Joe painted this before Avalon was there. They are either red oak or chestnut oak.”

Englebright described the third painting as “the convergence of a manmade feature and a natural feature. The pushed-down fence invites you into the natural world.”

With a series of slides of Reboli’s paintings, Englebright noted how Reboli placed fences, gates, chairs and even old rusting gas pumps into his images of the natural world. Sometimes, they were items that we could imagine belonged in an area of human habitation. In others, such as the images of rusting gas pumps juxtaposed in the foreground of a beach scene, Englebright suggested Reboli illustrated the permanence of the natural world over manufactured objects.

Noting that “respect for this place is infused into Joe’s paintings,” a few of Englebright’s thoughts show Reboli’s love of Long Island. “With the body of his work, Joe Reboli’s Long Island is imaginative, inviting, and I ask the question: Is he not Long Island’s most imaginative storyteller through his paintings?”

Englebright concluded, “Many of Joe Reboli’s paintings have become iconic images representing our sense of place. Joe’s paintings have defined what it means to be a Long Islander. Joe Reboli’s paintings enable us to focus upon the beauty of our community’s natural wonders. Joe’s body of work is breathtaking in its expanse and its beauty,” adding, “Joe painted sites and landscapes that should be saved for all time.”

Beverly C. Tyler is a Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the society at 93 North Country Road, Setauket. For more information, call 631-751-3730.

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Photo by Beverly C. Tyler

**Important Event Update**
Due to inclement weather forecasts, the Wet Paint Festival Reception being held at The Reboli Center is being moved from Friday, July 21 to: Saturday, July 22 from 5:30pm – 8:00pm.

Join the Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook for a Backyard Picnic Reception to celebrate the artwork and artists of Gallery North’s 2023 Wet Paint Festival from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Featuring an awards ceremony (awards will be granted to Best Picnic Blanket Spread and Centerpiece and 1st, 2nd and 32d Place in the People’s Choice of Artwork), live music by the Bayport Jazz Band, coffee and cake. Bring your own picnic spread.  For more information, call 631-751-7707 or email [email protected].

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