Capturing Time in Cazenovia    (as seen in the Cazenovia Republican)

        Come see two artists who have captured timeless scenes of our most historic and well-knowned places in Cazenovia.  Included in the show are paintings of the Brewster Inn, the Lincklaen House and Lorenzo that could be from anytime during the 1900s. 

        Chris Baker and Linda Wesner, who have been showing their artwork in Cazenovia since Diana Goodsight started “Goodsight Galleries” over ten years ago are debut this new body of work that includes a focus on historic Cazenovia starting Friday, Sept. 25 through Oct. 11.  The opening night reception is open to the public on Friday, September 25, 2009. The artists will be on-hand from 5-7 pm to answer any questions and to talk about her work.  The gallery will be open that night until 8 pm. As always, this event is open to the public and children are welcome and encouraged to attend. Check out the gallery’s active website for more about the artists and a sneak peak of the show.  www.gallerycny.com
     

        The artists bring unparalleled use of their mediums to light through their intimate connection with Central New York’s quintessential historic architecture, interiors and landscape.  In a painting of the foyer of the Lincklaen House, Chris Baker depicts an evening moment in which visitors relax while reading their newspapers.  With the telephone booth on the left, low lighting and checkboard floor, this could be the 1920’s as easily as it could be today.  And in a piece by Linda Wesner, she paints the lake from the point where the once popular club, Owahgena, was located on the southern end of the lake between Lakeland and Lake Lawn estates.  She says that she imagined an early morning on the dock during the late Victorian period when perhaps a regatta is planned later in the day. 

        “What makes these scenes special is that could have been painted by an artist living nearly one hundred years ago,” explains Joe Sosnowksi of The Gallery of CNY.  “But they are by artists of our time; artists following in the footsteps of some of Central New York’s greatest artists of the turn of the 19th century including Dwight Williams, John Barrow or Fernando Carter.” 
     

        Jennifer Schutzendorf explains “The Gallery of CNY strongly believes each of the gallery artists, committed full-time to their art, is making a mark in history.  We believe it’s our generation’s responsibility to support these artists as previous generations have done.”    To encourage the public to gain interested in the work of our emerging regional artists, Chris Baker and Linda Wesner, the gallery asked them to ‘paint Cazenovia’.   This show, over a year in the making, just received national attention putting both the artists and Cazenovia on the national spotlight in American Art Collector magazine.  October’s edition of the magazine includes a three page article of the show and is called, “Capturing Cazenovia”.  “It’s great to finally see the hard work of the artists, Chris and Linda, in collaboration with the gallery, finally come to fruition,” says Jennifer Schutzendorf of The Gallery of CNY.  “As always, we hope September 25th brings a glorious evening so many people will come out to see this special show and participate in all that Cazenovia has to offer including “It’s Finally Friday”  and “Jazz ‘N Caz”. 
     

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
      

Chris Baker        Chris Baker for years has been the favorite of the artists as he clearly has mastered the technical use of the often considered difficult medium, gouache.   Recently collectors are discovering his work noting his ability to capture light, unusual depth and delicate balance of detail from his ’snapshot-in-time’ (fleeting moment) perspective.  Chris presently resides in Weedsport, New York with his wife Barbara.  Studying fine arts at Rochester Institute of Technology, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1968, and upon graduation, began teaching in Auburn, NY.  Following two years in Auburn, he served in the Armed Forces during the war in Viet Nam.  Upon his return from South East Asia, he continued Graduate Work at R.I.T., completing his Master’s degree in Fine Arts.  As teaching afforded him the opportunity to share in two of his passions (working with children while allowing time to paint), he continued as an art teacher in the Cato-Meridian School District for 35 years, retiring in 2008 to dedicate himself to painting full-time. Chris has exhibited extensively the past 30 years in Central New York.  Presently, he is represented by several galleries: The Gallery, Cazenovia, NY, The Oxford Gallery, Rochester, NY, West End Gallery, Corning, NY and The Grove in Aurora, NY.  In addition, Baker has shown numerous times in the prestigious National Exhibition of American Watercolors in Old Forge, NY.   As his work focuses on the distinctiveness of Central New York, he has received several awards from the National Exhibit, and by request, has sat on the podium to discuss the exhibition with other honored artists. 
     
     
      “In preparation for the exhibition in Cazenovia, I visited a number of local sites.  Seeing the area from both “inside and out” was revealing:  buildings, landscapes and interiors.  I found that there was a small town feel, but with an obvious rich historical past, both evident upon driving through the village.  Searching for unique points of artistic view, I discovered that often a smaller more intimate vision spoke more clearly of the village’s character.  A corner of a historic Inn on the lake with a heron flying overhead spoke to me of the past, present and even the future.  As with any form of art, the visual investigation of a subject reveals  much more than a visual diary.”   - Chris Baker
      
      
Linda Wesner 

         It’s in front of Linda Wesner’s colored pencil work that those who appreciate the subtle romance of time passing are found drawn.  And those who discover her ability to capture these scenes in detailed layers of colored pencil are simply amazed.  Linda, a realistic landscape artist working in both colored pencil, grew up on a farm in Central New York, surrounded by traces of agricultural life. She observed that familiar old barns and houses, fields and roads were changing, either by man or by nature, and she filled her sketchbooks with studies of these images.  Linda’s award-winning work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, and is in numerous private and corporate collections, including those of IBM, General Motors and Coca Cola. She is represented by galleries in Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio. She is also a Signature Member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and a juried member of The National Association of Women Artists, Inc. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in art from the State University of New York, Oswego. 
     
     
      “In my newest work, I look at the familiar in a slightly unfamiliar way. For example, In Pond Story 1, I isolated an Adirondack style gazebo in the middle of a meadow, and then used a lower viewpoint so that it would seem the gazebo was suddenly appearing among the grasses.  I explore how light changes both seasonally and daily on a familiar historic landmark in Travelling Light. In the interior Lake View, I wanted afternoon sun to warm the cool dark interior of an historic dining room.  And in Evening Solo, I wanted the viewer to contemplate that instant when day becomes night, and fireflies appear.”  - LInda Wesner

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