Theater for the New City is a renowned theater in New York City that has become an esteemed venue for the performing arts. Yet the Theater for the New City also supports visual artists by displaying artwork in their lobby. In April of 2017, Theater for the New City is hosting a three-Artist show that features the colorful work of artists Beth Bailis, Michele Bonelli, and Dorine Oliver. The work will be on display until May 2, 2017.
Beth
Beth Bailis’ fifteen featured works are abstract, two-dimensional paintings that explore color and shape. She recently had a solo show at the Cohen Library Archives featuring another style of work entitled "Fusion Paintings" which incorporates abstract ceramic forms and other material to create a three-dimensional surface.
“I also paint landscapes due to my love of nature and this practice informs the abstract work,” Beth stated and noted that she is heavily influenced by Abstract Expressionism and master artists such as Matisse, Bonnard, Cezanne, Picasso and Charles Burchfield.
Aside from being a visual artist, Beth is also an actress who has performed at Theater for the New City which is how she found out about their gallery and visual arts opportunities. Beth, Dorine, and Michele all know each other from their membership in the National Society of Mural Painters.
“Each artist brought their style to the making of a colorful show,” Beth said. “Each work that I do has is its own set of goals, each work is different, and all deserve my best effort.
Personally, I thought ‘Exuberant Red’ was a good challenge, because I tried to use many different kinds of red, and make it lively.”
Dorine
Dorine Oliver works primarily in watercolors, and her brilliant abstract works were partly inspired by diverse artists such as William Turner, David Hockney, Mary Cassatt and William De Koening.
Dorine has been exhibiting work at the Theater for the New City for several years and enjoyed the venue. “I know Beth and Michele through the National Society of Mural Painters,” Dorine explained.
“The three of us are members, and we met many years ago at one of the meetings of the Society. In this exhibit, I am showing nine paintings.
I have two favorites; they are the largest paintings in the show, ‘The Escape’ and ‘The Crossing.’
They were the most challenging to paint. I used a lot of colors in these paintings, and the compositions gave me a fair amount of struggle. But I think that at the end I succeeded in resolving the problems, and I feel that I have to keep painting with watercolor as large or larger.”
Michele
Michele Bonelli's style is inspired by synthetic cubism and her fascination with exploring visual opposites and/or contradictions such as the relationship between lines versus colors and shapes. "The pieces at the theater are part of my Urban Abstract series which are my attempt to structurally breakdown and capture the visual impact of NYC, Michele explained.
"I have dozens of art pieces in the show and I also currently have one piece on exhibit at the Guild Hall in East Hampton." The pieces in the Theater for the New City exhibit are inspired by Long Island City and Times Square and were influenced by artists such as Picasso, Mondrian, and Steward-Davis.
Future
Aside from the Theater for the New City show, Dorine is also displaying works at the Ward-Nasse Gallery on Prince Street in Soho. She is also scheduled to show new works at the Theater of the New City Gallery and Ward-Nasse Gallery in May.
Michele Bonelli is the designer and operator of twenty-two studios and is currently preparing for an "open studios" event in Long Island City on May 20 and 21.
"I also have an upcoming exhibit at the Carriage Barn in New Canton, Connecticut, next month," Michele added, "and I am on the board of two art non-profits."
Beth Bailis also has an exciting number of projects ongoing. Several of her paintings are currently on display at the Players Theatre in the West Village, the Cohen Library, and the City College Art Collection.
She also has work displayed at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City and is anticipating the upcoming Alumni Biennial Exhibition at CCNY’s Aaron Davis Hall which is scheduled to commence on April 26 and runs through June 30. “I will be exhibiting some of my Fusion paintings, and I am one of the judges, due to my recent Career Achievement Award,” Beth said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
