{"id":561,"date":"2009-06-06T13:25:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-06T13:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.johnokeefe.net\/blog\/?p=561"},"modified":"2023-02-15T17:15:43","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T17:15:43","slug":"2009-annual-visual-arts-exhibit-by-cheshire-art-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnokeefe.net\/blog\/2009\/06\/06\/2009-annual-visual-arts-exhibit-by-cheshire-art-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Annual Visual Arts Exhibition by Cheshire Art League (2009)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Cheshire
Cheshire Public Library
Cheshire, Connecticut<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The 2009 Annual Visual Arts Exhibition by Cheshire Art League presented an opportunity for me to fulfill a new role I had with the organization. I was accepted onto the Board of Directors at the Cheshire Art League<\/a> with the assignment to improve the league’s online presence. This included a complete redesign of the league’s website. I attended most functions and recorded the events to collect material for web page entries. 17 league events were documented between 2009 and 2011, starting with this 2009 annual exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Note: I resigned from this assignment in 2011 to pursue my online frame business Painting Frames Plus; unfortunately, the new web designer for the Cheshire Art League did not upload the events I recorded. I will try to re-post them on this site as time permits. The below pictures are just a sampling from this exhibit.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Event Literature – Annual Visual Arts Exhibition<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Cheshire
Event Literature<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Receiving and Hanging – Annual Visual Arts Exhibition<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Joan
Joan Shackford, Angela Orsene, and Ann Hearn<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Paul
Paul Miller and Tom Mayer<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Opening Reception and Award Ceremony – Annual Visual Arts Exhibition<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Annual<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Annual<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Annual<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"Ellie
Ellie Bender and Christine Ivers<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

I didn’t know it then, but Christine Ivers<\/a> would become my sponsor for membership in the Salmagundi Club<\/a> in New York City. Christine’s specialty is working with pastels, and is an excellent artist. I first met Christine at this Annual Visual Arts Exhibition by Cheshire Art League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Judge – Annual Visual Arts Exhibition<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Power
Power Boothe<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Power Boothe, Dean of the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, is a recognized abstract painter. He has had twenty solo exhibitions in New York. His work is represented in many public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. Boothe has designed sets for Obie Award-winning productions, collaborated as a visual artist with choreographers and musicians, and has received numerous NEA Inter-Arts grants. In 1975 he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Artist Fellowship for painting, and in 1985, a Guggenheim Fellowship for painting.1, 2<\/strong><\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Image of Power Boothe from hartford.edu ~ 2014<\/small><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Bio. information for Power Boothe from the exhibition brochure<\/small><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The 2009 Annual Visual Arts Exhibition by Cheshire Art League presented an opportunity for me to fulfill a new role I had with the organization. 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O'Keefe Jr.\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.johnokeefe.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"},\"description\":\"Hello, My name is John O'Keefe Jr. I was born and raised in Wallingford, Connecticut, USA, where I raised my family with my wife, Jennifer. While I am comfortable working in most mediums, I specialize in landscape oil painting, similar to the famous Hudson River School and Victorian-era artists. ART IN MY EARLY LIFE Like every other artist, I have loved viewing and creating art for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always drew with pencils, colored pencils, watercolors, and just about every medium I could get my hands on. I received formal art training during my primary school years. When attending elementary school, I received specialized training at the Paier College of Art in New Haven, Connecticut. The first formal recognition of my artistic ability happened in elementary school when I won an award, placing me in the top five of a statewide student art competition. During my middle school years, I was invited to attend college-level art classes one day a week at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Also, during this time, I studied watercolor painting with Connecticut artist Kathy Singer. However, my most beloved art teacher was my Aunt Ann Fucich, who instilled in me a love of art when I was a small child. John O'Keefe posing with a drawing outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was seven years old Outside the Museum of Natural History (NYC) at 7 Years Old. (My Aunt Ann Fucich took pictures) My love for art led me to seek a career in mechanical drafting. As new technologies emerged, I advanced to more sophisticated 3D CAD modeling systems, new product development, and, eventually, project management. Throughout the years, I completed many university courses and job-specific training to advance my mechanical design\/engineering career. Even though my work was very technical, an artistic element was involved in designing new products and the associated documentation processes. My love for creating art did not stop at drawing and painting. As a teenager, I started pursuing musical skills. My first love is the guitar, and I ran a small recording studio out of my home for a time while also playing guitar in a few bands. The computer soon became another outlet for creating art. With my computer skills and 3D modeling experience, I began to develop a sophisticated DC-9-41 add-on cockpit package for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The project focused on the Scandinavian Airline Service (SAS) DC-9 airplane OY-KGR. There was extensive programming and many computer-generated renderings and image files assembled in real-time when the game was running, giving the person playing the experience of sitting in a real DC-9 cockpit. A RENEWED LOVE OF ART In 2007 my wife, Jennifer, rekindled my zeal for drawing and painting. Her encouragement and support motivated me to create O'Keefe Arts and take up oil painting as a professional artist. Jennifer also enjoys creating art, and we are working together to promote the business and my paintings because of our shared love of art. I sell original works, accept commission work to create custom landscape paintings, and offer a variety of high-quality pigment prints, i.e., Giclee, reproductions of my artwork. (Websites: www.okeefe-arts.com and www.johnokeefe.net) John and Jennifer O'Keefe outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was thirty-seven years old Outside the Museum of Natural History (NYC) at 37 Years Old. My paintings have been well received in the art community, allowing my works to be displayed in prestigious exhibitions and art shows. In my home state of Connecticut, the Lyme Art Gallery, Mystic Arts Center, Cate Charles Gallery, and the Mill House Gallery have exhibited my artwork. My paintings have won awards, and I have been a featured artist in a group exhibition at the Lyme Art Association's \\\"17th Annual Associate Artists Exhibit\\\". In April of 2009, I was elected onto the board of directors of the Cheshire Art League in Cheshire, Connecticut, and I created and managed the league's website until the fall of 2011. Organizations that I belong to are Oil Painters of America, Lyme Art Association, The Salmagundi Club of New York City, Mystic Arts Association, Cheshire Art League (until 2011), and Landscape Artists International. In 2012, Jennifer and I created Painting Frames Plus, where people can purchase high-quality reproduction painting frames. 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While I am comfortable working in most mediums, I specialize in landscape oil painting, similar to the famous Hudson River School and Victorian-era artists. ART IN MY EARLY LIFE Like every other artist, I have loved viewing and creating art for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always drew with pencils, colored pencils, watercolors, and just about every medium I could get my hands on. I received formal art training during my primary school years. When attending elementary school, I received specialized training at the Paier College of Art in New Haven, Connecticut. The first formal recognition of my artistic ability happened in elementary school when I won an award, placing me in the top five of a statewide student art competition. During my middle school years, I was invited to attend college-level art classes one day a week at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Also, during this time, I studied watercolor painting with Connecticut artist Kathy Singer. However, my most beloved art teacher was my Aunt Ann Fucich, who instilled in me a love of art when I was a small child. John O'Keefe posing with a drawing outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was seven years old Outside the Museum of Natural History (NYC) at 7 Years Old. (My Aunt Ann Fucich took pictures) My love for art led me to seek a career in mechanical drafting. As new technologies emerged, I advanced to more sophisticated 3D CAD modeling systems, new product development, and, eventually, project management. Throughout the years, I completed many university courses and job-specific training to advance my mechanical design\/engineering career. Even though my work was very technical, an artistic element was involved in designing new products and the associated documentation processes. My love for creating art did not stop at drawing and painting. As a teenager, I started pursuing musical skills. My first love is the guitar, and I ran a small recording studio out of my home for a time while also playing guitar in a few bands. The computer soon became another outlet for creating art. With my computer skills and 3D modeling experience, I began to develop a sophisticated DC-9-41 add-on cockpit package for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The project focused on the Scandinavian Airline Service (SAS) DC-9 airplane OY-KGR. There was extensive programming and many computer-generated renderings and image files assembled in real-time when the game was running, giving the person playing the experience of sitting in a real DC-9 cockpit. A RENEWED LOVE OF ART In 2007 my wife, Jennifer, rekindled my zeal for drawing and painting. Her encouragement and support motivated me to create O'Keefe Arts and take up oil painting as a professional artist. Jennifer also enjoys creating art, and we are working together to promote the business and my paintings because of our shared love of art. I sell original works, accept commission work to create custom landscape paintings, and offer a variety of high-quality pigment prints, i.e., Giclee, reproductions of my artwork. (Websites: www.okeefe-arts.com and www.johnokeefe.net) John and Jennifer O'Keefe outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was thirty-seven years old Outside the Museum of Natural History (NYC) at 37 Years Old. My paintings have been well received in the art community, allowing my works to be displayed in prestigious exhibitions and art shows. In my home state of Connecticut, the Lyme Art Gallery, Mystic Arts Center, Cate Charles Gallery, and the Mill House Gallery have exhibited my artwork. My paintings have won awards, and I have been a featured artist in a group exhibition at the Lyme Art Association's \"17th Annual Associate Artists Exhibit\". In April of 2009, I was elected onto the board of directors of the Cheshire Art League in Cheshire, Connecticut, and I created and managed the league's website until the fall of 2011. Organizations that I belong to are Oil Painters of America, Lyme Art Association, The Salmagundi Club of New York City, Mystic Arts Association, Cheshire Art League (until 2011), and Landscape Artists International. In 2012, Jennifer and I created Painting Frames Plus, where people can purchase high-quality reproduction painting frames. 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