Suzie Alvey, Local Artist in "Viewpoints- Art of the Portrait" Show

“Viewpoints- Art of the Portrait” show at the East Meadow Public Library features a contemporary realist exhibit of the work of five long- term students with their inspiration, teacher Dan Slapo, Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America. They are Garden City resident, Suzie Alvey with Nicole Adamonis, Nadine McClusky, Ted Scholl and Thea Zavala. The show opens November 6^th with the Opening Reception for the public. It runs the month of November at the East Meadow Public Library. It can be viewed during regular library hours in the Gallery on the lower level. 

“Viewpoints” features work in oil paint, acrylic paint and pastel. Each artist has a unique viewpoint, both in realistic style and angle from which they are rendering their portrait from life (not photographs).  Although they work from the same models, each artist has his or her own technique.

The artists will be available with a “Meet-the-Artist” Reception on Sunday, Nov. 6^th in the Gallery starting at 3pm. The public is invited to this free event. Delicious hors d’ oeuvres & desserts will be served.

Suzie Alvey has been a freelance artist over 30 years who works in oil, pastel and watercolor with portraits as well as landscapes. Her paintings & drawings are in many collections, including those of well-known author, Nelson DeMille; Garth Snow, Islanders team manager; former Nassau County Executive, Tom Gulotta and in Garden City Village Hall. She became a juried member of the Art League of Nassau County in 1987. Suzie is a fine art and commercial photographer and is a calligrapher, writing in several scripts. She writes for www.Patch.com with her column, “Art and Music Now.”

Alvey won NYS Assemblyman Tom McKevitt’s “Women of Distinction Award” in 2009 for her volunteer work in the areas of history with the Garden City Historical Society and environment with the Garden City Bird Sanctuary (Tanners Pond Environmental Center). She lives in Garden City. She graduated SUNY Albany with a BA in Studio Art with a concentration in painting and minors in English and Education.

Alvey remarked, “I was happy to write the article, Dan Slapo, a Teacher of Art and Life for www.patch.comGarden City.  I’ve known Dan since 1987 when I first joined the Art League of Nassau County.  He was just as funny and inspiring then as he is now, both as a teacher of art and life.  His work is truly museum-quality and he is always willing to impart his extensive knowledge of techniques to his students.”

Dan Slapo is a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America (PSA), which can be compared to a doctorate in the amount of study required and the quality of work. He is best known for his prize-winning portraits and still lifes in pastel and oils. His art is highly representational and showcases his knowledge of traditional methods, which he stresses in his classes.

Slapo's reputation is world-wide. He won first prize in the Pastel Journal's annual national competition in 2003 in the portrait category. He won second prize in the Artists Magazine national competition in 1997 in the portrait category. He was also a finalist in their annual national competition for four years.

Dan’s pastel paintings have been published in The Best of Pastels I and The Best of Pastels II by Rockport Publishers. All together he has won more than 200 awards in national and international competitions. Some of these competitions were held in the National Arts Club, Salmagundi Club, the Cork Gallery in Lincoln Center, all in Manhattan, as well as in the first museum devoted to pastels in Shaan Xi, China.  Recently, he showed his work in the International Pastel Show in Taiwan.

Slapo is a Life Member of the Art Students League. He is a valued writer for Pastellogram, a publication by the Pastel Society of America. He writes about the fundamentals of pastels and was the Membership Chairman for many years. Dan wrote articles for the Pastel Journal, a national magazine, on the fundamentals of the portrait and the planes of the face. He is the Past President of the Art League of Nassau County and the Program Chairman for over 20 years. He is a member of the American Artists Professional League, Allied Artists of America, Hudson Valley Art Association, National Art League and the Audubon Artists Inc.

Some of the artists Slapo has studied with are the nationally- famous Daniel Greene, John Howard Sanden, David Leffel, Joe Hing Lowe, Ken Van Rensselaer, Steve Assael, Alex Fournier, John Murray and Lou De Donato. He has attended the workshops of Paul Leveille, Constance Pratt, Charles Sovek, Steve Azaenski, Ferdinand Petrie and Frederick Wong.

Slapo taught art for 25 years in New York City Schools and has taught privately for almost 40.  He has a Masters Degree in Art Education from City College of New York. He teaches the basic principles and fundamentals of art that can be applied to all mediums – pastels, oils and watercolors. Dan also does demonstrations for various art organizations.

For more information about Slapo's private classes for beginners or small group classes with live models in Westbury, please call 516-997-2268. (Students can start any time.)

Nicole Adamonis is displaying her pastel portraits.

Adamonis said, “Pastels really lend itself perfectly to portraiture. They allow you to blend to yield very realistic skin textures and undertones. Working with pastels in portraiture has flowed into my profession as a makeup artist in understanding how to use hues, tones, color and contrast in sculpting a face. I currently work in pastel, charcoal, acrylic, oil and water- based oils.”

“Dan Slapo is the teacher that everyone hopes to have. He is generous with his patience, generous with his knowledge and a skilled expert in pastel portraiture. He helped me to have confidence in my work by teaching me how to make my own corrections and learning to draw what I see more clearly,” Adamonis enthused.

Nadine McCluskey, a Manhasset resident, received her Bachelor of Art Education with C.W. Post College and has studied in a number of places, including the Art Students League in Manhattan, Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute. While studying with Slapo she is concurrently studying at the Long Island Academy of Fine Art.  McCluskey has been a silkscreen artist for nine years. She is a member of the Suburban Art League and placed "Honorable Mention" in their Open Show in 2010.

McCluskey said, “Dan Slapo is the mentor I have been searching for all my life.  He is the most talented self- taught amazing artist and a beautiful person who is willing to share all his knowledge.  He has taught me to have confidence in myself and taught me to mix color with pastels in a portrait especially his favorite color purple.”

Ted Scholl, a resident of Lake Grove is displaying his acrylic portraits on canvas and board. He is the First Vice President of the Suburban Art League, and has been a member for many years. He has been in many group shows, including Guild Hall, the Sayville Summer Fest, SAL shows and ones in East Hampton.

Scholl graduated from New York Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in 1993. He has taken art courses with Slapo for many years as well as at Suffolk Community College.

Ted has worked for Syosset Public Schools for over 30 years.

Theodora Zavala, an East Meadow resident has exhibited and received awards for her artwork in shows at Queens College, the East Meadow Library, and various locations on Long Island, most recently at the Broome Street Gallery in Soho. She is also a member of the Art League of Nassau County, the Suburban Art League, the Art Guild and the Connecticut Pastel Society. Presently she is pursuing her love of fine art working in pastels.

Theodora graduated with a BA from Queens College, CUNY in Fine Art with a concentration in painting and a received a Masters in Elementary Education from Hofstra University. She also studied painting at the Art Students League. Currently, she is a visual arts teacher for the New York City Schools. During the summers she works as an art teacher for the Big Apple Games.

Theodora worked as an illustrator for McCall Patterns, where she created detailed, instructional drawings using Adobe Illustrator® on an Apple® for high end pattern sewing guides. For pleasure she uses Adobe Illustrator and other graphic arts programs to create holiday cards and other types of media. Theodora is an avid photographer. Her use of lighting and composition is not only evident in her photographs but also in her pastel drawings. She likes to create drama in her compositions by placing her subjects in a setting. “It is not just a portrait but a complete composition that creates a mood, mystery and tension.” She likes pastels because they are so close to drawing.

Portrait commissions are accepted by the artists.

The East Meadow Public Library is located at 1886 Front Street, East Meadow.  For further information about the show, please contact Thea Zavala at thea300@optonline.net or Suzie Alvey at 516.326.1720, suziealvey@gmail.com .