Latest News
"A Blend of Art Society" exhibit is ongoing at RSI Bank in Pier Village, Long Branch, NJ.
Pictured above is, "Sunset in Seabright" pastel, by Mary Christiansen
Our next show is at the Terner Gallery in Ocean Township, October 2012
Pictured above is, "Sunset in Seabright" pastel, by Mary Christiansen
Our next show is at the Terner Gallery in Ocean Township, October 2012
A Blend of Art Society is a group of local artists who gather to paint. Our sole purpose is the pure enjoyment of artistic expression through a shared experience of fellowship. Our mission is to encourage creativity through art.
Currently, we meet each week to continue our creative endeavors through an informal studio setup. Each member works independently but offers advice to the others. We learn and benefit from each others' experience. The Society is our greatest form of encouragement and sharing. Our comaraderie and similar goals make each of us a better artist.
We may be contacted via email at:
ablendart@yahoo.com
Or, use the contact form on the Events and Upcoming Exhibits page.
Currently, we meet each week to continue our creative endeavors through an informal studio setup. Each member works independently but offers advice to the others. We learn and benefit from each others' experience. The Society is our greatest form of encouragement and sharing. Our comaraderie and similar goals make each of us a better artist.
We may be contacted via email at:
ablendart@yahoo.com
Or, use the contact form on the Events and Upcoming Exhibits page.
Artist Bios
Ernest Antholis
Ernie studied photography at the New York Institute of Photography. Upon earning a degree in finance, his career was in banking and finance in major New York institutions. As an artist, he studied oil painting at New York University and the New School in New York City. In 2005, Ernie returned to photography and since 2008, he has studied pastels. Ernie has won awards for both his photography and pastels and has been accepted into many juried exhibits, including the Brookdale Community College Art Show (2009; 2010) and the Monmouth Festival of the Arts (2011). Ernie's art has been featured in newspapers and magazines and he has exhibited in many libraries and galleries in NJ. His paintings and photography feature nebulas, landscapes, seascapes, and color abstractions. Contact Ernie at eantholis@comcast.net or 732-787-5890. Ernie’s awards include:
Monmouth County Senior Art Show 2011
HONORABLE MENTION "Old Town Mykonos"
Art Society of Monmouth County Ruth Crown Memorial Exhibit
THIRD PLACE “Sandy Hook Bay” pastel 2011;
FIRST PLACE “Swan Nebula” pastel 2010
Helen "Eleni" Antholis
Helen, associate member of the prestigious Pastel Society of America, is an award-winning artist who expresses the beauty of what she sees through various mediums. Whether it is with pen & ink, watercolor pencils, oils, or pastels, Helen enjoys learning and growing through her art. Helen is the founder and curator of Brookdale Community College's first public art gallery in Freehold, NJ from 2006-2008 where she was the charter director of that campus. Helen signs her pastels as "Eleni", her Greek name. Helen has been accepted into juried art shows at Brookdale (2009; 2010) and the Guild of Creative Art in 2010. Helen has a BA from Brooklyn College and an MAS from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Helen's awards include:
Monmouth County Senior Art Show:
2011 FIRST PLACE Pastels for "Liberty Bowl"
2010 SECOND PLACE Pastels for "Mandarin Reflections"
Mary Christensen
Mary is an Associate Member of the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury and is a member of the Middletown Arts Center. Mary creates beautiful pastel paintings of landscapes and seascape mostly of her home state, New Jersey. Her work has been on exhibit in various galleries and libraries in New Jersey. Her painting "The Angry Ocean" was accepted in the 2010 Monmouth Festival of the Arts at the Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls. Contact Mary at mchrist129@aol.com or 732-513-7947.
Sol Hara
Sol is an Associate Member of the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury. Sol began art studies, after retiring, through the Monmouth County Park System with classes in charcoal, watercolor and later in pastel. He continued studies in pastels at the Middletown Arts Center and the Guild of Creative Art where he is an Associate member. He has also taken classes and workshops with Sangita Phadke, PSA and Danielle Mick, PSA. He has exhibited at Thompson Park Center, juried shows at The Center for Visual Arts, Brookdale Community College and The Middletown Art Center, plus various libraries and other venues in Monmouth County, NJ. His portfolio of work consists primarily of still lifes and landscapes. His last position before retiring in 2005 was as an executive in a medium-size home furnishing firm.
Sol's Awards include:
2011 Monmouth County Senior Art Show
Third Place pastels
2009 Middletown Arts Center Community Art Show
First Place pastels
2008 Middletown Arts Center Community Art Show
First Place pastels
Rose Korman
Rose studied charcoal at Brookdale Community College with Marcie Lopez and at Thompson Park with Gina Torrello. She moved onto pastels at Thompson Park also with Gina, then the Middletown Arts Center with both Ginger Morogiello and Sangita Phadke. Her workshop instructor of choice is Danielle Mick. She is an award-winning pastelist focusing on portraits, still life and landscapes. Her artwork reflects her love and use of vibrant color. Rose is also a member of the MAC and the Guild of Creative Art. Contact Rose at rosiesdevils@gmail.com or ablendart@yahoo.com.
Rose's Awards include:
2010 Middletown Arts Center Amateur Art Show
Second Place pastels
Marie Monahan
Marie, a resident of Old Bridge, retired as a NYC Secondary School Social Studies teacher in 1996 serving 33 years in the NYC Public School System. She has been pursuing her artistic interest for 14 years. Marie has studied Japanese Sumi watercolor, color pencils and pastel painting. She especially gives thanks to all her instructors: Ann Curley, Nancy Gawron, Caroline Klein, Jane Lux, Virginia Morogiello, Sangita Phadke and Gina Torello for their inspiration and encouragement. Marie is an Associate Member of the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury, NJ and the New Jersey Watercolor Association. Her pastels, as well as other artwork, have been accepted at the juried art exhibit at Brookdale Community College and at the Guild. She won awards for her pastels at the Middletown Arts Center in 2009. Her main focus is landscapes, animal, and floral paintings. Contact Marie at mariebm42@gmail.com.
Carol K. Seip
Carol began painting in oils with still lifes. She soon gravitated to the natural environment, focusing on English thatched-roof cottages and small country houses of England, incorporating gardens which enhance the architecture of the buildings. Landscapes are her present interest in oils. These detailed paintings, utilizing a color palette which complement and intensify the scheme of nature, have become the artist's signature style. As she began to explore watercolor, her preference for clear, crisp transluceny lent itself to single-flower floral paintings. For the past few years, she has been using watercolor to challenge her and broaden her horizons. Carol is a member of the Guild of Creative Art as an Associate, Ocean County Guild of Artists and the New Jersey Watercolor Society. She has exhibited at the Guild of Creative Art, Thompson Park, Middletown Library and Old Bridge Library. She has taken classes and workshops with many local and noted artists. She has earned a BS and MS degree from Monmouth University. Art by Carol Seip can be found at dplab.com. Contact Carol at: SeipCL53@verizon.net
Ernie studied photography at the New York Institute of Photography. Upon earning a degree in finance, his career was in banking and finance in major New York institutions. As an artist, he studied oil painting at New York University and the New School in New York City. In 2005, Ernie returned to photography and since 2008, he has studied pastels. Ernie has won awards for both his photography and pastels and has been accepted into many juried exhibits, including the Brookdale Community College Art Show (2009; 2010) and the Monmouth Festival of the Arts (2011). Ernie's art has been featured in newspapers and magazines and he has exhibited in many libraries and galleries in NJ. His paintings and photography feature nebulas, landscapes, seascapes, and color abstractions. Contact Ernie at eantholis@comcast.net or 732-787-5890. Ernie’s awards include:
Monmouth County Senior Art Show 2011
HONORABLE MENTION "Old Town Mykonos"
Art Society of Monmouth County Ruth Crown Memorial Exhibit
THIRD PLACE “Sandy Hook Bay” pastel 2011;
FIRST PLACE “Swan Nebula” pastel 2010
Helen "Eleni" Antholis
Helen, associate member of the prestigious Pastel Society of America, is an award-winning artist who expresses the beauty of what she sees through various mediums. Whether it is with pen & ink, watercolor pencils, oils, or pastels, Helen enjoys learning and growing through her art. Helen is the founder and curator of Brookdale Community College's first public art gallery in Freehold, NJ from 2006-2008 where she was the charter director of that campus. Helen signs her pastels as "Eleni", her Greek name. Helen has been accepted into juried art shows at Brookdale (2009; 2010) and the Guild of Creative Art in 2010. Helen has a BA from Brooklyn College and an MAS from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Helen's awards include:
Monmouth County Senior Art Show:
2011 FIRST PLACE Pastels for "Liberty Bowl"
2010 SECOND PLACE Pastels for "Mandarin Reflections"
Mary Christensen
Mary is an Associate Member of the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury and is a member of the Middletown Arts Center. Mary creates beautiful pastel paintings of landscapes and seascape mostly of her home state, New Jersey. Her work has been on exhibit in various galleries and libraries in New Jersey. Her painting "The Angry Ocean" was accepted in the 2010 Monmouth Festival of the Arts at the Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls. Contact Mary at mchrist129@aol.com or 732-513-7947.
Sol Hara
Sol is an Associate Member of the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury. Sol began art studies, after retiring, through the Monmouth County Park System with classes in charcoal, watercolor and later in pastel. He continued studies in pastels at the Middletown Arts Center and the Guild of Creative Art where he is an Associate member. He has also taken classes and workshops with Sangita Phadke, PSA and Danielle Mick, PSA. He has exhibited at Thompson Park Center, juried shows at The Center for Visual Arts, Brookdale Community College and The Middletown Art Center, plus various libraries and other venues in Monmouth County, NJ. His portfolio of work consists primarily of still lifes and landscapes. His last position before retiring in 2005 was as an executive in a medium-size home furnishing firm.
Sol's Awards include:
2011 Monmouth County Senior Art Show
Third Place pastels
2009 Middletown Arts Center Community Art Show
First Place pastels
2008 Middletown Arts Center Community Art Show
First Place pastels
Rose Korman
Rose studied charcoal at Brookdale Community College with Marcie Lopez and at Thompson Park with Gina Torrello. She moved onto pastels at Thompson Park also with Gina, then the Middletown Arts Center with both Ginger Morogiello and Sangita Phadke. Her workshop instructor of choice is Danielle Mick. She is an award-winning pastelist focusing on portraits, still life and landscapes. Her artwork reflects her love and use of vibrant color. Rose is also a member of the MAC and the Guild of Creative Art. Contact Rose at rosiesdevils@gmail.com or ablendart@yahoo.com.
Rose's Awards include:
2010 Middletown Arts Center Amateur Art Show
Second Place pastels
Marie Monahan
Marie, a resident of Old Bridge, retired as a NYC Secondary School Social Studies teacher in 1996 serving 33 years in the NYC Public School System. She has been pursuing her artistic interest for 14 years. Marie has studied Japanese Sumi watercolor, color pencils and pastel painting. She especially gives thanks to all her instructors: Ann Curley, Nancy Gawron, Caroline Klein, Jane Lux, Virginia Morogiello, Sangita Phadke and Gina Torello for their inspiration and encouragement. Marie is an Associate Member of the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury, NJ and the New Jersey Watercolor Association. Her pastels, as well as other artwork, have been accepted at the juried art exhibit at Brookdale Community College and at the Guild. She won awards for her pastels at the Middletown Arts Center in 2009. Her main focus is landscapes, animal, and floral paintings. Contact Marie at mariebm42@gmail.com.
Carol K. Seip
Carol began painting in oils with still lifes. She soon gravitated to the natural environment, focusing on English thatched-roof cottages and small country houses of England, incorporating gardens which enhance the architecture of the buildings. Landscapes are her present interest in oils. These detailed paintings, utilizing a color palette which complement and intensify the scheme of nature, have become the artist's signature style. As she began to explore watercolor, her preference for clear, crisp transluceny lent itself to single-flower floral paintings. For the past few years, she has been using watercolor to challenge her and broaden her horizons. Carol is a member of the Guild of Creative Art as an Associate, Ocean County Guild of Artists and the New Jersey Watercolor Society. She has exhibited at the Guild of Creative Art, Thompson Park, Middletown Library and Old Bridge Library. She has taken classes and workshops with many local and noted artists. She has earned a BS and MS degree from Monmouth University. Art by Carol Seip can be found at dplab.com. Contact Carol at: SeipCL53@verizon.net
