Gallery North hosted a Wine Reception and Dinner Event this past week at Mirabelle Restaurant. This event was the first of a series of ArTalks – Art and The Art of Collecting.

Terence Netter, accomplished artist, educator and collector, was the guest speaker. His witty and informational talk explained the essence of becoming a collector.

Terence put the Art of Collecting into perspective with this quote from his speech. “Ultimately, you are the ultimate judge.”

A special thank you to Terence Netter for a wonderful talk.

Thank you to the all who made this event a great success.

There will be 4 ArTalks in this series. Dates to be announced.

Gallery North presents ‘Winner’s Circle’

Originally published: January 11, 2012 1:06 PM
Updated: January 12, 2012 4:55 PM
By STEVE PARKS  steve.parks@newsday.com

Photo credit: Handout | “Anna’s Place,” a Jim Molloy painting, is part of the “Winner’s Circle” group show at Gallery North, Setauket, through Feb. 5, 2012.

A warm reminder of summer is especially welcome in the middle of January. And so it is with “Winner’s Circle,” an exhibit of works by blue-ribbon artists and artisans from the 46th annual Gallery North Outdoor Art Show last September.

Starting with Friday evening’s reception, they’ll be showing indoors. Of course. Each of the 11 artists — out of 140 in the show that annually lines North Country Road outside the Setauket gallery — were judged winners. The jurists reflect the show’s breadth of artistry: Pam Brown, a sculptor and director of Dowling College‘s Anthony Giordano Gallery; James Byrne, who teaches painting at SuffolkCounty Community College, and Marilyn Lieberman, a Water Mill jewelry artist.

The winners include several Long Islanders exhibiting a similar range in arts-and-crafts disciplines. Among them are Jim Molloy, who paints mostly rural scenes in a representational style. Mary Jane van Zeijtz favors large pastel landscapes. John Deng travels frequently to China to capture his photographic imagery, while fabric artist Edith Bernstein sticks close to home, knitting creatively. A few winners are from the boroughs or New England, including Anne Havel of Vermont, who won the best-in-show prize ($500) for her jewelry.

WINNOWING WINNERS Until last year, the outdoor show awarded 25 prizes, says Gallery North director Judith Levy. Jurors bestow ribbons for a body of work, typically 10 to 15 pieces, rather than a single one. Now, with 10 winning categories plus best-in-show, each artist gets to display several selections in the “Winner’s Circle” show.

“We decided that being selected for our outdoor show was an award in itself,” says Levy.

Any spot near Gallery North on the first weekend after Labor Day is coveted among arts and crafts folk who make a living traveling among outdoor shows. But many apply in February to ensure the same spot along North Country Road (in front of the gallery is preferred). Up to 10,000 art browsers attend the two-day show and sale.

Most items, Levy says, “are priced to sell” — between two and four figures.

GOOD NEIGHBORS ”Some people in the show ask to be next to the same artist year after year,” says Anna Levy, the director’s daughter, as she helped assemble the “Winner’s Circle” art. Artists in neighboring 10-by-10-foot booths rely on each other to watch their wares during breaks. “They form a bond,” Anna’s mother adds.

Many, no doubt, have already marked their calendars for the 47th annual outdoor show, Sept. 8 and 9.

WHAT “Winner’s Circle” exhibit of artworks earning ribbons at Gallery North‘s 46th annual Outdoor Art Show

WHEN | WHERE Opening reception, 5 to 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 5 at Gallery North, 90 North Country Rd., Setauket

INFO Free; gallerynorth.org, 631-751-2676

http://threevillage.patch.com/articles/things-to-do-in-three-village-48-enjoy-art-at-gallery-north

Be sure to come to the Gallery for your holiday shopping this week!