

Reception:
Saturday, March 4, from 5 - 7:30 p.m.
- All invited!
Music will be provided by Mitch Cohen
Refreshments will be served
Lesley Phillips
Lesley Phillips is a local artist who has painted throughout her life. She became immersed in watercolors during the pandemic. Working through the pandemic in a children’s hospital, Lesley found watercolor painting as a form of self-care and relaxation.
Lesley is a Certified Child Life Specialist, who has worked in children's hospitals for over twenty years. She works with kids of all ages, bringing emotional support, education, and play to hospitalized children. Lesley brings the joy of art to the children and families that she works with in the hospital.
Lesley has been a Croton resident since 2002 and loves the nature and beauty of the Hudson Valley. A proud mother of two children, Misha and Sarafina, Lesley finds inspiration in the little things in life that makes each day worth living. Lesley enjoys knitting, cooking and traveling as well as spending time with her two cats and bernedoodle, Indigo.

For February, our gallery is honoring the late Jerry Pinkney and his legacy.
Mitch Cohen
Mitch, a native New Yorker born in Manhattan, has been playing guitar and bass since the age of four. His styles encompass many forms and include classical guitar. In addition, he has performed with numerous bands spanning a wide variety of genres including blues, jazz, rock, metal, reggae, funk, and improv. Recently he has focused on classical guitar as an atmospheric instrument, performing at art galleries, wine tasting events, craft fairs, dinner venues, weddings, and many others. His music provides an ambience that is non-intrusive and acts as an atmospheric backdrop.
Mitch also has an extensive background as an audio engineer, acoustical designer, and jingle writer for T.V. and radio. He has assisted many venues in creating a more pleasant-sounding environment conducive to live music.
He currently resides in Westchester, NY with his wife Debbie and four cats, Moe, Thor, Lamisse, and Velma.

Reception:
February 5, 4-6 p.m. - All invited!
Refreshments will be served
Jerry Pinkney
Jerry Pinkney was one of America’s most admired children’s book illustrators. He won the Caldecott Medal and five Caldecott Honors, five Coretta Scott King Awards, the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Show Lifetime Achievement Award, and many other prizes and honors. He illustrated over 100 books since 1964, including picture books, nonfiction titles and novels. His works addressed diverse themes and were usually done in watercolors. Jerry died on October 20, 2021 at the age of 81.
One could not live and grow up around Jerry Pinkney’s studio without being inspired to perform creative acts and works. Pipe cleaner stick figures, drawings, paintings, weavings, pottery, teaching, photography, silver designs, millinery designs, fashion styling, recorded singing, drumming, professional dancing, social working, art directing, ministering, and the illustrating and authoring of conscientious literature for children and adults. To date, Jerry’s zeal in using his God-given talents to create good things for the world has touched four generations. What a blessed legacy.
Gloria Pinkney
Gloria Jean Pinkney and Jerry Pinkney were friends for sixty-four years, married for sixty-one years, and are parents of artistic offspring. Over the years, they worked together on numerous projects. She is the writer of five published books for the whole family. Howbeit, her greatest accomplishment is her call to ministry and the writing of In The Forest of Your Remembrance. This spiritual book embodies thirty-three true tellings of everyday miracles, causing readers to question their own lives and reflect on whether or not what happened was a mere coincidence or a message from God. Gloria has documented extraordinary evidence in this exhibit, proof of her encounters with the Holy One.
Troy Pinkney
Troy Pinkney has over 30 years of experience in Child Life, including directing several child life programs in the tri-state area. She has been the director of the Child Life Masters Program at Bank Street College since 2004. In 2015 she developed and implemented the Online Masters Program in Child Life, which is now entering its 7th year. Racial consciousness has been integral to her personal and professional commitment to the College and the greater community. Troy has been conducting presentations centering race and its impact on the identity development of children, youth, and families. She pursues art in her leisure time to process the world around her.
Brian Pinkney
As a child, Brian Pinkney loved drawing pictures on every piece of paper he could find. He also loved watching his father, Jerry Pinkney, illustrate books for children. Brian couldn’t wait to grow up and do the same thing.
Today Brian Pinkney is a New York Times bestselling illustrator who has illustrated numerous books for young readers, including two Caldecott Honor Books, The Faithful Friend by Robert D. San Souci and Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney, his wife, and frequent collaborator.
Brian has been awarded the Coretta Scott King Honor Award for illustration on three occasions and the Coretta Scott King medal for In the Time of the Drums by Kim Siegelson. He is a five-time NAACP Image Award nominee, the recipient of many American Library Association Notable Book citations, and was acknowledged by the National Council for Teachers of English for his vast contribution to the field of children’s literature.
Not only is Brian a visual artist. He is also a writer who has authored several acclaimed picture books based on his own experiences and interests. These include The Adventures of Sparrowboy, winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, Max Found Two Sticks, hailed by The Horn Book as one of the classic children’s books of all time. On the Ball; Cosmo and the Robot, and JoJo’s Flying Side Kick. Brian’s books have been translated into numerous languages, thus reaching a broad and diverse mix of children.
Scott Pinkney
After attending The Columbus College of Art and Design and graduating from Pratt Institute in NYC, Scott would pursue a career in advertising and design. He has worked at some of the biggest agency brands in New York, the UK, and finally, Toronto, where Scott is an SVP, and Executive Creative Director at Publicis Hawkeye. While this keeps Scott busy, he has never lost his passion for fine art. Painting for over 25 years, Scott has had the privilege to exhibit his fine art and has an online gallery scottpinkney.com. His medium of choice: oil pastels, acrylics, and pencil. His paper of choice, the same as his father’s — Arches watercolor paper. Using a collection of scratch tools allows Scott to add fine detail and texture, bringing each piece to life.
Myles Pinkney
When Myles Pinkney was in middle school, he discovered photography. Despite his interest in painting, photography quickly became his favorite way of capturing life’s images. Myles worked as a photojournalist for newspapers and magazines before opening his portrait and freelance photography studio. In 2000, Myles and his wife, Sandra L. Pinkney, teamed up to produce Shades of Black, a photoillustrated children’s book that won numerous awards. In 2002, they published A Rainbow All Around Me, another photo-illustrated book from Scholastic that celebrates the racial diversity of children. This newest book was nominated for the NAACP Image Award.
Gloria Johnson
Gloria Johnson is a fashion stylist from New York City. Her background is in fashion design, illustration, image consulting, makeup artist, creative director, stylist, journalist, and editor. Her styling has appeared in the following publications, Schon, Italian Vogue, Elle, Esquire, Numero, L’Officiel, Flaunt, Cosmo Magazine, and Nylon, to name a few. All her various skills have made it possible to be a stylist and an editor who can see the complete picture illustrated through her choice of clothing and design for her magazine and creative work.
Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
Charnelle Pinkney Barlow is an illustrator and expert tea drinker. Born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York, was surrounded by art daily. Her passion for illustration grew after being introduced to the wonderful world of watercolor. This led her to combine the joy she found in books with her love of drawing and painting. Her debut children’s book Just Like a Mama by Alice Faye Duncan was nominated for Children’s Outstanding Literary Work at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. She received her BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2010 and her MFA as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York, New York, in 2012. Charnelle currently lives in central Illinois with her husband. When she’s not drawing, she is baking, sewing or reading with a cup of tea by her side.
Zion Johnson
Zion is the oldest great-grandchild of Jerry and Gloria Pinkney, the grandchild of Troy Pinkney, and the daughter of Gloria Johnson, Zion is a high school student at Spire School in Stamford, CT. In addition to the visual arts, Zion is a singer after the tradition of her great-grandmother.

Reception for Flora Meyer:
October 8, 2 - 4 p.m. - All invited!
Featuring the live music of:
Mitch Cohen
Refreshments will be served
Reception for Flora Meyer:
October 8, 2 - 4 p.m. - All invited!
Featuring the live music of:
Mitch Cohen
Refreshments will be served

Mitch Cohen
Mitch, a native New Yorker born in Manhattan, has been playing guitar and bass since the age of four. His styles encompass many forms and include classical guitar. In addition, he has performed with numerous bands spanning a wide variety of genres including blues, jazz, rock, metal, reggae, funk, and improv. Recently he has focused on classical guitar as an atmospheric instrument, performing at art galleries, wine tasting events, craft fairs, dinner venues, weddings, and many others. His music provides an ambience that is non-intrusive and acts as an atmospheric backdrop.
Mitch also has an extensive background as an audio engineer, acoustical designer, and jingle writer for T.V. and radio. He has assisted many venues in creating a more pleasant-sounding environment conducive to live music.
He currently resides in Westchester, NY with his wife Debbie and four cats, Moe, Thor, Lamisse, and Velma.
Introducing our November Visiting Artist:

Upper Left:
Detail of "The garden of Umberto Pasti"
Tangier, Morocco
3’ x 4’ (36” x 48”)
Primer, latex paint and acrylics, 2022
3/4” birch ply, primed and weather proofed
$1400
Upper Right:
Trompe-l'œil hinged panels
Copy of mural, circa 1498. "Corso Magenta, Milan, Italy"
Original triptych adapted to two plywood panels
Each panel 2’ x 4’ (24” x 48”,) Primer, latex paint and acrylics, 2022
3/4” birch ply. Primed and weather proofed, birch edge taped, 4 sets of steel hinges
$3800 for set of panels
Bottom:
"Idealized Tuscan View over stone balustrade"
64” x 16”
Gallery wrapped canvas
Gesso, latex paint and acrylics, 2022
$1400
Reception for Eleanor Kwei:
November 19, 6-8 p.m. - All invited!
Featuring the live music of:
The Mike Risko Band
6:30 - 8 p.m.
Refreshments will be served
ABOUT ELEANOR KWEI

Eleanor Kwei has been drawing since a young child. While working as staff illustrator at a Midtown book design firm, she was selected as the colorist for A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh story and poetry books, and went on to create line drawings in the style of Ernest H. Shepard (classic Pooh) for Dutton and Disney.
With a decade of experience rendering pastoral scenes in pen & ink, Eleanor extended the style and sensibility to illustrated estate maps, and to painting interior landscape murals for homes and establishments.
Samples of Eleanor's landscapes are on view at the Croton River Artisans Gallery, November 1 through 30th.
The Mike Risko Band
Playing 6:30 - 8 p.m. Saturday, November 19 at Reception for Eleanor Kwei
The Mike Risko Band features Mike and Miriam Risko on guitar and vocals. The Riskos are the owners of the Mike Risko Music School and Store in Ossining and the band has been entertaining audiences for several decades in the Westchester area. They have a uniquely versatile style which enables them to cover all the crowd pleasers as both a full electric 5 piece band and a scaled back unplugged style acoustic duo or trio, which also features singer Melissa Miser. Whether they are playing a large outdoor concert or a smaller venue, you will love listening to their arrangements of all your favorite songs. They add an energy to events that you do not want to miss. Visit Mike Risko Band on Facebook for more.
Mike Risko Music
School. Store. Entertainment.
www.mikeriskomusicschool.com
144 Croton Avenue Ossining NY 10562
914-762-8757
VISITING ARTIST PROGRAM
We look forward to finding exciting artists from the community and inviting them to show with us for a month at a time. We are excited for the energy it will give our space, introducing new ideas and taking us in different directions. If you think you might be interested in joining us for a special exhibit, click and download the linked pdf to your computer, save as [Yourname.pdf]. Then fill out the form, and email along with jpg examples of your work to: CrotonRiverArts@gmail.com. Alternatively, print the form, fill it out and drop it at the gallery.
Visiting Artist Application
Our October Artist:

ABOUT FLORA MEYER
Flora Meyer was born in Colombia, South America and has been painting landscapes, her passion since childhood. Some of Flora’s paintings have been done “en plein air” which she believes is the most rewarding way to create art, capturing moments of exquisite color and light. Flora has traveled extensively throughout Europe, South America, the Caribbean and the United States – a source of inspiration for many of the subjects of her artwork. Her primary media is oil.
Flora studied art at El Colegio Major de Cundinamarca in Bogota, Colombia. She received art instruction for over 25 years at the National Art League, Douglaston, NY, under the direction of Angelo John Grado, President Emeritus of the American Artist Professional League (AAPL). She also studied with Leo Yeni, President Emeritus of AAPL, at the historic Chelsea Center in Muttontown, NY.
Flora has exhibited paintings at private galleries in NYC, the Bronxville Public Library, and major juried shows throughout the New York Metropolitan area. Over the years, she received recognition and awards from The National Art League, Douglaston, NY the Bay Ridge Festival of Arts, Brooklyn, NY, the American Artist Professional League at the Lever House in NYC, and the AAPL at the Salmagundi Club, NY. In addition, Flora has produced numerous commissioned works.
Flora has two grown children, four grandchildren, and resides in Ossining, NY.
Reception for Flora Meyer:
October 8, 2 - 4 p.m. - All invited!
Featuring the live music of:
Mitch Cohen
Refreshments will be served

Mitch Cohen
Mitch, a native New Yorker born in Manhattan, has been playing guitar and bass since the age of four. His styles encompass many forms and include classical guitar. In addition, he has performed with numerous bands spanning a wide variety of genres including blues, jazz, rock, metal, reggae, funk, and improv. Recently he has focused on classical guitar as an atmospheric instrument, performing at art galleries, wine tasting events, craft fairs, dinner venues, weddings, and many others. His music provides an ambience that is non-intrusive and acts as an atmospheric backdrop.
Mitch also has an extensive background as an audio engineer, acoustical designer, and jingle writer for T.V. and radio. He has assisted many venues in creating a more pleasant-sounding environment conducive to live music.
He currently resides in Westchester, NY with his wife Debbie and four cats, Moe, Thor, Lamisse, and Velma.

Our September Artist:
ABOUT TOM SMITH
Areas of particular interest to Tom are abstract painting, collage, sculpture, and installation. There is often a crossover in content, form, and media between his personal and professional work.
Tom is a visual artist and owner of Tom Smith Design, a graphic design studio in Croton-on-Hudson, specializing in brand identities, print, and digital media. In addition, he plays bass guitar in rock, blues, and improvisational bands.
Tom, his wife Jessica Miller-Smith, and their daughter Hanna Smith have been living in Croton-on-Hudson for 20 years.
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