Art Jam 2021 in Palmer Square, Princeton

Art Jam 2021 Poster

When: October 15-30, 2021
Where: 19 Hullfish Street, Palmer Square, Princeton, NJ

A gallery exhibit of art sale featuring national and local artists to benefit local families at risk of, or suffering from homelessness. Visit homefromtnj.org for more info.

I have 10 small plein air paintings in this exhibit. The exhibition space is in Palmer Square which is a prime spot with very high visibility in Princeton. It’s also for a great cause: helping the homeless in New Jersey. I’ll post an update after the exhibition. There will not be an artist’s reception due to COVID… bummer.

Update: 11/10/21: This exhibition turned out to be very successful for me. On opening night, 4 of my paintings were sold. By the end of the exhibition, I sold a total of 9 paintings! I am very happy because it was for a good cause and it was also good for me as an artist.

92nd Juried Art Show at Phillips’ Mill in New Hope

92nd Annual Art Show at the Phillips' Mill

When: September 25-October 31, 2021
Where: The Phillips’ Mill Community Association
2619 River Road, New Hope, PA 18938

This year’s show will take place both on-site at the Mill, as well as online. The show will open officially to the public on Saturday, September 25, 2021. Benefactors and patrons will have the opportunity to preview the show online for 24 hours before it opens to the public, and in person at our opening event, Friday evening, September 24. Accepted artists invited to join at 5 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Masks will be required. Click here for more information about the art show.

Update 10/11/21: The reception for this show was top notch. It was great to see the artists and meet the wonderful volunteers for the Phillips’ Mill. My painting “Winter Shadows” (pictured in the poster above) sold on the second day of the exhibit. This is the area’s most prominent exhibition and getting juried into the show can be tough. I highly recommend anyone in the New Hope area to participate in future shows. Additionally, they have an online show to coincide with the live show. You can view it here.

Plein Air Plus, a plein air juried exhibition in Long Beach Island

When: September 26, 2021
Where: Long Beach Island Foundation, 120 Long Beach Blvd, Loveladies, NJ 08008

This Sunday is the opening for this plein air competition and exhibition. There are two categories: “classic plein air” and “plein air plus”. The Long Beach Island Foundation (LBIF) gave the artists a two month span (July – September) to create these works; all had to be created on Long Beach Island. I have four, small plein air paintings in the “classic plein air” category. I’ll update this post with my final thoughts and overview of the competition after the opening.

Update 10/11/21: I exhibited four 8″x10″ plein air paintings for this exhibition and won an Honorable Mention for “Sun, Sand and Cellphone”. I’ll post this painting when I get it back from the exhibition as I didn’t have the foresight to photograph it beforehand.

The exhibition was well-attended but many of the artists. LBIF did a great job of hanging the show; the paintings and the exhibition space looked great.

Rutgers Arts: a plein air studio tour and fundraiser

When: October 2-3, 11am-3pm
Where: Rutgers Landscape & Nursery, 1051 US Highway 202, Ringoes, NJ 08551

Celebrate art, music, and community! Stroll the Nursery to meet artists creating on-site, each with work for sale. Blawenburg Bistro will be on hand with drinks and snacks for sale.

The event benefits Fisherman’s Mark, a Lambertville organization providing aid to area residents. Please bring contributions: non-perishable foods, diapers, personal hygiene items, and cleaning supplies.

This is a unique, fun event similar to “Art in Bloom” that happened in the summer. I’ll be plein air painting both days at this beautiful nursery and showing my work along with other artists

Visit RutgersLN.com or call 800-322-6008 for more info.

Update 10/11/21: This is a beautiful outdoor space to exhibit. It was sunny but hot. The nursery does a great job of setting up temporary walls where the artists can exhibit. The weekend was fun and I got a nice painting from the weekend to no sales… unfortunately. It was fun and I’ll participate in this event in the future.

“From Water” Exhibition at Atelier Rosal

From Water Artist Reception, Friday, August 20th 5-8pm

When: August 17 – September 11
Where: Atelier Rosal, 74 East Cherry Street, Rahway, NJ 07065

With The Rahway River Watershed Association holding their 1st annual Rahway RiverFest in Downtown Rahway, Atelier Rosal has curated works from local artists to expand the narrative and participate in the celebration of The Rahway River.Works by Joe Brown, Rodriguez Colero, Jim Fischer, Trish Gianakkis, Zev Jonas, Erin Karp, Debbie Livingston, Dave McGrath, Eric Miles, Harold Olejarz, and Francisco Silva will be featured.The exhibit will be on display from August 17th through September 11th. Gallery hours are 11-6pm Tuesday through Friday and 11-5pm on Saturday.Refreshments will be served during the reception. For your safety, Atelier Rosal asks that all guests follow CDC protocols and mask up during the event.

I have three plein air paintings in this exhibition. All of them having to do with water.

Update 8/20/2021: The reception was well-attended but not too crowded (which is nice during a pandemic). I was lucky enough to sell “New Hope Vibes” and “Bridge to PA” to the same collector! This is a great space with a two very friendly gallery owners. I exhibited here twice and have sold paintings both times.

“Inside Montclair” talks with the award winners of ViewPoints 2021 at Studio Montclair

Wayne Robbins of “Inside Montclair” interviews Susana Baker, director of Studio Montclair. He also interviews the first and third place winners and discusses their winning pieces. I won second place in this exhibition but was unable to make it to this video shoot as I was stuck behind a major accident on Route 78. Susan Baker discusses my two submissions in my absence.

My painting wins second place at the 2021 ViewPoints exhibit at Studio Montclair

When: April 23 – May 28, 2021
Where: Studio Montclair, Montclair, NJ

My painting “The Benefits of Bias 2” won second place at the Studio Montclair’s “ViewPoints 2021” exhibition. I was lucky enough to have two paintings selected: “The Benefits of Bias 1” and “The Benefits of Bias 2“. Studio Montclair director Susana Baker begins by talking about the philosophy behind this yearly show and the juror, Eleanna Anagnos, discusses her approach to selecting all the works. This video walks through the entire exhibition highlighting some works and ends with the juror giving the awards. The Benefits of Bias 1” was sold at this exhibition.

My painting is on view at the Studio Montclair Art Gallery

The Lack of Privilege, an oil painting by Francisco Silva
“The Lack of Privilege”, an oil painting by Francisco Silva

One of my paintings is currently on view at the Studio Montclair art gallery. Additionally, an online exhibit compliments the physical show. This group show titled “Privilege, Power and Everyday Life” showcases 32 artists and their interpretation of the theme. Click here for a detailed view of my painting. Click here to view the entire exhibit.

The concept

Titled “The Lack of Privilege”, my new oil painting deals with an unexpected consequence of the pandemic: I depict a food line in Queens in a latino neighborhood. COVID-19 has been devastating to poor communities specifically black and brown neighborhoods. In the painting, I show figures standing in the cold, not interacting, and waiting for their turn. The faces are unclear, smudged or, in some cases, hidden in shadows. Some figures are hidden behind others or visually blend into each other. I painted them this way to emphasize that their identities are forgotten or overlooked. Although this is a tough time for everyone, some people are deprived of essentials such as food.

My painting process

In this painting I began experimenting in several ways. I normally take snapshots and use them as reference. In this case, I’ve searched online for videos taken by news outlets, I then took screenshots of the video and have used that as a foundation for this painting. I wanted to begin with a realistic, almost clinical view of the subject.

With regards to painting process, I outlined the figures in heavy black lines. The people in the food line are painted in mostly cool grays which visually separates the blue-gray sidewalk and the orange/terra cotta buildings serving to balance the composition. The brushstrokes are loose and expressionistic adding to the mood of the artwork.

The show is currently on view through February. Click here to register for a Zoom curatorial talk on January 21 at 7pm.

What do you think about the exhibition? Please share your thoughts in the comments.