Join us for an Adult Craft Class in which we will create some beautiful cherry blossom branches for spring!  We will look at the theme of cherry blossoms in art from Japanese printmakers through the Impressionists and then create some of our own.  We will provide you with tissue paper and inspiration images and some Japanese treats!  You will also need a couple of (real) branches, scissors and liquid glue or glue gun.  

For the month of March, the Dennis P. McHugh Piermont Public Library presents Virtual Student Art Show: Inspirations from Disney Studios.  You can visit this exhibition by clicking on the Artist of the Month tab on our website homepage.  

Over the summer, our art classes for kids and adults took inspiration from the art and animation of Disney Studios and some of the great Disney artists including Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle.  This program tied in with the Summer Reading theme of folk tales and fairy tales, Imagine Your Story.  We hope you enjoy the magical works our students created.  

Mary Blair lived from 1911 – 1978.  She was born in Oklahoma, then moved to California where she went to art school and met her husband, Lee Blair.  They both worked for Disney Studios where Mary was one of the first women artists to be hired.  

Many people at Disney thought Mary’s art was too colorful, too abstract, and too wild!  But Walt Disney himself loved her work and Mary did not change her unique style and color combinations!  Mary traveled to South America on a tour with Walt Disney where she got more ideas for her art. 

She created art for lots of Disney movies like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Cinderella.  Mary would do concept art paintings and then hand them over to the animators who would turn them into movies. She also designed the ride It’s a Small World and illustrated children’s books, designed theater and television sets, and created murals and mosaics. 

Eyvind Earle lived from 1916 – 2000.  He was born in New York City and moved to Hollywood California with his family when he was 2.  His father was also a talented artist.  Eyvind Earle always wanted to work for Disney Studios and kept trying to get a job there.  He was finally hired at age 35.  He is most famous for his work on Sleeping Beauty.  For this movie, Eyvind Earle took inspiration from all over art history- painters from the Renaissance, Medieval times, Japanese and Perisan art, and the unicorn tapestries at the Cloisters Museum in New York City.  

For the month of February, the library presents Love Rush Virtual Art Exhibition by Lisa D’Amico.  You can visit this exhibition by clicking on the Artist of the Month tab on our website homepage.  

from the artist

What is love and how to translate it through the end of my paintbrush? Love is my never-ending art theme and I embrace it with the passion of a first kiss. Art is the voice of love when words fail and it allows me to find a way to describe those unexplainable feelings at the depths of our souls. I am always seeking to discover its definition through color and creativity. My focus strives to reproduce the diverse aspects of affection and passion through my deep fascination with color, and composition and the struggles that occur between them.

My creative process usually begins with a series of sketches, which serve as my inspirational catalyst to canvas, paper or wood. The techniques for the actual artwork often involve building up areas of color through the application of many layers of paint, resin, compounds and ink to achieve vibrant color effects and multitudes of texture.

Dive into the heart of my artwork and find the ones that says “I love you” to your one true love.

Lisa D’Amico

www.lisadamico.net

IG & FB: @lisadamicoartist

For purchase inquiries, please contact the artist directly 

lisapainting@outlook.com, 914-648-9197

Celebrate Black History Month with a “grab and go” craft inspired by American author and illustrator Ashley Bryan, Coretta Scott King Award winner and the first African American to be published as children’s book author and illustrator.

This paper collage craft takes inspiration from Bryan’s colorful illustrations for Beautiful Blackbird, Bryan’s adaptation of a tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia which resonates both with rhythm and the tale’s universal meanings—appreciating one’s heritage and discovering the beauty within.

This project is intended for ages 5 – 8, but open to all ages.  
You will receive written illustrated instructions and colored paper.  You will also need pencil, scissors, and glue.  The book is available for checkout from our library system. You can also listen to it on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45g1Ru2R-lI

This fall, the library offered a series of STEAM themed art classes for students in grades 1 – 7 taught by Alexis Starke.  The classes were taught through live video.  For each project, we used a topic from science, technology, engineering, and/ or math as a jumping off point.  We explored clouds, minerals and geodes, planets and space exploration technology, as well as the centrality of math and engineering in the mobiles and stabiles of Alexander Calder.  We are so proud of the students and we hope you enjoy these examples from the amazing art they created this fall.  Click on the Artist of the Month tab on our homepage and then click on any image to enlarge and view individually (Mixed Media Pastel Painting by Anna).