MEDIUM /// DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION

Josh Coon is a Conesus, NY based artist that has been exploring various curiosities of his mind through whimsical illustrations for many years. His love of drawing has fueled him to share that work through teaching, marketing, and most recently as one of the founders of HA! Skates (a boutique artist-driven skateboard company.) Working primarily digitally these days he continues to explore his creativity bringing to life the quirky characters of his imagination.

MEDIUM /// ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR, MIXED MEDIA

Amy Balling is known for merging her science background with art to showcase the simple beauty in nature. As a high school science teacher Amy is well known in the science community as a writer and editor for the State Regents exams. She was selected as the NYS Biology Teacher of the year in 2014 and is a New York State Master teacher. This knowledge of science is clearly reflected in her drawings and paintings. She is inspired by the serenity of our state parks, Finger Lakes, wildlife, and small vignettes such as historical libraries and antique stores. Her artwork has been showcased in The Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, New York State galleries, HBOMax, Magnolia Network, and small stores around the region.

MEDIUM /// FORAGED PIGMENT PAINTINGS

From a lineage of artists, scholars, and revolutionaries for social justice, Alexander Fals is a genre all his own. His paintings are not just wall hangings, but windows into a magical world where all things have beauty and mystery. The mineral pigments he uses are colors that have been underground in ancient volcanic deposits, lying dormant for centuries. Each color has a unique mineral composition, many of which are naturally flecked with Mika, stones and crystals. Born in Naples NY, 1990, to mother Lauren Sherwood (Naples, NY), and father Roberto Fals (Popayán, Colombia), Alexander spent his seventeenth year as an exchange student living with his Grandfather, Dr. Jaime Fals Borda, in Colombia. He then returned to New York to study Environmental Conservation and Ecology at Finger Lakes Community College. After leaving school in 2011, Fals decided to blend his love for ecology, evolution, and Colombia. He moved to Popayan and began painting, using a technique regionally pioneered by his Uncles, Henry and Billy Fals: foraging for vibrant naturally occurring pigments and processing them into paint using a strong yet biodegradable adhesive.

MEDIUM /// MUSIC & PHOTOGRAPHY

Felicity Houston Thomas (they/them) is a singer/songwriter based in Geneseo, NY. They are an alumnus of Geneseo Central School and Nazareth University with a BFA in Musical Theater. Felicity credits their artistic skills to being brought up in a very musical and theatrical family and classical vocal training that began when they were ten years old. Songwriting came to the forefront of Felicity's many creative interests around 2015, and "Reaching Through a Generation" is the first time they have shared their work! You can find Felicity on Instagram and all other social media platforms by searching @felic127

Dante Zaccagnini Thomas, grandfather of Felicity Houston Thomas, was an English professor at SUNY Geneseo for 45 years. He was a true renaissance man and an especially talented nature photographer. His collection, taken on 35mm film, was then self-developed in his at-home dark room. Dante honed his craft over five decades from the early 1950s through the early 2000s accumulating thousands of prints over his career. Dante passed away in 2013 surrounded by his loved ones who are so grateful to see his work on display for his beloved community.

MEDIUM /// DRAWING, PAINTING, CERAMIC

Kim Binaghi Lee is a life-long New Yorker who moved to Geneseo in 2011 with her husband Eddie and the cat. She has been an artist her entire life. Her first major work was completed at the age of three; an abstract mural in red at her great grandmother’s house. After graduating with an art degree she worked for the State of New York in public affairs through the 1990s. During this time she also held art classes through Very Special Arts New York and taught after school art classes for children. In the early 2000s she was a member of an arts organization and gallery in Latham NY before ultimately moving to Geneseo. Kim continues to share her art experience with community art classes at Wadsworth Library. She works in her home studio drawing and painting and creates in clay at the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts with other like minded friends. Her work has evolved into mixed media pieces that tell stories of her life experiences and current events. Follow her at kimbinaghilee on Instagram.

MEDIUM /// CERAMIC, PRINTMAKING, CROCHET SCULPTURE

Julia Parrino and Isabella Fluker are longtime friends that hail from Tampa, Florida. Their show "Buds in Bloom" welcomes spring with bright colors, expressive designs, and playful whimsy.

Isabella studied animal welfare and behavior at NYU, and graduated in 2021. She started crocheting during the pandemic as a way to keep her hands busy, and found her passion in making these little dolls she calls Babas. Babas have an anxiety reducing effect and multi-sensory qualities, and are made with the intention of assisting children and adults with controlling their anxiety.

As an artist who battles anxiety herself, she notes on the ways they have helped her:

"I find that they assist a lot when I am having difficulty in my day to day life. The best way to find peace with your baba would be to either count the amount of rows on their body when anxious or trace your finger in a swirl pattern around their body, following each row."

Julia studied Graphic Arts and Design at University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, and has been working locally on public art and murals since graduating in 2023. Julia's bright and intricate work centers nature, humor, and nostalgia. She works in a variety of mediums, but channels most of her designs through ceramics and printmaking. She gathers inspiration from the landscape of South Florida where she grew up and beautiful visions of her grandmother's Spanish style home, where bright colors and complex patterns decorate everyday life.

❤️ Love from Geneseo features 143 postcard designs from over 20 local artists.

📍Stop by The Gallery at 79 Main Street in Geneseo, NY (It’s right by the bear 🐻 fountain in the center of town, you can’t miss it!)

✅Choose the postcard(s) you like and purchase at the counter. Each card is $5 and comes with a standard postage stamp.

✏️You can sit down right at the workshop tables in the gallery and write a note, draw a picture, whatever you want!

📬 Drop your card(s) right in the mailbox at the gallery or take them with you and mail them yourself.

➡️ Festivities kick off on February 2nd with a First Friday Art Party starting at 6pm!

MEDIUM /// PAINTING & SCULPTURE

Mike Wedge makes paintings and sculptures of everyday scenes, but with a dreamlike twist. The imagery in his work is often recognizable and naturalistic, but upon a more sustained viewing, odd situations emerge. Deer and foxes find themselves in the city, and traffic lights and parking meters appear in the woods. The dichotomy between the city and the country is a recurring theme in Mike's work.

After an idea for a piece is conceived, Mike uses photos of acquaintances to create reference collages. These collages are created using a variety of methods, including layering drawings on tracing paper, cutting and gluing printed photos, and making digital collages using pixlr. Surreal scenes of displaced people and animals result in Mike's artwork.

Mike Wedge received a BA in Sculpture from SUNY Fredonia, and a Master of Science for Teachers from RIT. He currently lives in Geneseo, NY with his wife, Natalie, and their 2 kids, Asher and Anjali. When Mike is not painting and sculpting, he is teaching elementary art.

FOLLOW ALONG:

Website

Instagram: @myke.ouej

MEDIUM /// OIL AND WATERCOLOR

Kasey Lewis is a Brockport, NY based oil and watercolor painter. Her work captures the awe and peace she finds in nature. Whether she’s painting a scene she came across on a walk in her rural neighborhood or composing a whimsical still life of a visit from a cheerful bird, her work offers a moment of calm in a busy world.

Kasey grew up in Albion, NY and fell in love with drawing in middle school. Nurtured by her art teacher and her parents she went on to pursue art and graphic design and received a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Kasey worked in the field for several years designing for Kodak and Wegmans packaging. She then stayed home with her children. When they got a bit older she craved to be creative and started painting again.

Within the last 3 years she has created bodies of work, started selling at art festivals, creates commissioned work, has licensed over 40 pieces of art and most recently started teaching watercolor classes. You can find her prints and cards in many local shops and her wholesale and licensed pieces across the country.

FOLLOW ALONG WITH KASEY’S WORK:

Website: kaseymelissaart.com

Instagram: @kaseymelissa

MEDIUM /// POLYMER CLAY EARRINGS

“My name is Michael (pronounced like the “traditionally” boy’s name), and I make polymer clay earrings. I worked in theater before coming to clay, and still remain a thorough theater nerd. I’m a playwright, an aspiring 90s sitcom connoisseur, and jazz history nerd. I love to read, buy books that I’ve yet to read, and buy books that I accidentally already read. My goals include: someday having a fleet of dogs. My leisure time includes: making lists of potential names for said fleet. My journey with polymer clay started when Miché Fambro, my beloved musician father passed. I inherited (musician kids will understand) $500 bucks and his immense record collection. I used the $500 for a bed in the back office for my Mom to come over and stay the night whenever she wanted. I couldn’t listen to Dad’s music, but I found that I could listen to the records, and it was a nice way to bond with Dad from afar. I would listen to an album while playing with clay. He introduced me to the deep tracks of Sonny Rollins, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Johnny Guitar Watson, so much Frank Sinatra I can’t count, underground punk of the 80s, so much classical, etc etc etc etc. Listening to these albums, and every time working with clay while I did - I got pretty good by record #43, really good by #67 and by the time I got to #103, I had so many freakin’ earrings I had to figure out what the hell to do with them. So, I decided to pick up the ol’ family trade and sign up for a festival. I couldn’t believe it - people actually were buying them. Things I made with my own hands! To wear on their body! They kept buying, I kept making, and now it seems I have a little business called Jazz House. ” - Michael

FOLLOW ALONG WITH JAZZ HOUSE DESIGNS:

Website: jazzhousedesigns.com

Instagram: @jazzhousedesigns

MEDIUM /// 2D ILLUSTRATION AND ANIMATION

“The rat is an animal that straddles the line between being adorable and being grotesque. Because of this, I’ve come to frequently express myself through the image of a rat. My work is strange, goofy, sometimes dark or gross, but also cute. Just like a rat. In my work, I mesh gritty textural elements with rounded, cartoonish designs, expressive animation, and inject it all with a bit of my own real world experiences. This is because I like to create art that both expresses how odd the world is and exaggerates the absurdity of it. My goal is to put a magnifying glass to the world and give people the chance to laugh at just how weird it looks up close.” - Ray

FOLLOW ALONG WITH RAY’S WORK:

Website: ratchilistore.com

Instagram: @ratchili

TikTok: @ratchili

MEDIUM /// PAINTING & MIXED MEDIA

Ivy Stevens-Gupta is an international award-winning contemporary artist living in Ithaca, NY USA. Her artistic style varies from photorealism to abstract designs. Stevens-Gupta is one of those artists who takes photos of granite, tree trunks or woven fabric because imperfections, natural patterns and colors inspire her to paint. She often dreams of colorful paintings before she creates them. She is a 2023 NYSCA grant recipient. Stevens-Gupta studied art at Alfred University and has a graduate degree from Empire State University. As a certified color therapist, she has a huge crush on color and strives to convey its emotional and psychological significance when she paints. Stevens-Gupta’s colorful paintings have appeared in several books on international contemporary artists and her work has recently been exhibited in Rome, Hong Kong and Germany. Steven-Gupta’s work helping others creatively express themselves is what really brings her joy. She has used color as a form of therapy while painting to help herself transform and process grief, stress and anxiety, and this experience has anchored her work as a color therapist. Some of the many organizations Stevens-Gupta has taught color and art are Cornell University, MIT Sloan Alumni, Aravind Eye Hospitals and Aurolabs in India, SUNY Cortland, and SUNY Alfred. Her bespoke paintings involve several layers of acrylic, oil, polymers, and high gloss resin on cradled birch board panels. To see more of Stevens-Gupta’s work or to take a workshop, connect with her online:

Website: ivycreativedesigns.com
Instagram: @ivystevensgupta.art

MEDIUM /// MIXED MEDIA & PYROGRAPHY

I have been fortunate to grow up and live in western New York. I started drawing, painting, and building in grade school. I have always enjoyed creating things and spending time outdoors. In the last few years creating and being in nature have been key to helping me on my healing journey. I love to combine building sculptures with pyrography and using watercolors to design surreal nature scenes inspired by the WNY landscapes. I am grateful to have the opportunity to share my work with others and hope that it brightens someone’s life as it has mine. -Chip

FOLLOW ALONG WITH CHIP’S WORK:

Instagram: @fiery_designsbychip

MEDIUM /// PENCIL AND CHARCOAL ILLUSTRATIONS

Hello! My name is Madison Marzec! I was born in Buffalo, NY and moved to Avon shortly after. I graduated from Avon High School in 2021 and decided to get my associates in fine arts at Finger Lakes Community College. Even as a child I was creative, I was constantly doodling on my desks at school and on the margins of my homework. It was not till my senior year that I decided I wanted to go to college and study art. I will be graduating from FLCC at the end of May and transferring to SUNY Geneseo. Working here at “The Gallery in The Valley” has been nothing short of amazing. I am excited to see what the future holds for me here in Geneseo.

For my exhibition I wanted to stay true to NY and create pieces that represent our towns and counties. From places, to people, and to the animals that inhabit our home; I wanted to capture the significant symbols of our county, Geneseo especially. Having a father who works for the Letchworth Park police force, I am familiar with the park and its attractions. I used a variety of materials to create each piece. I enjoy using charcoal, pens, pencils, and colored pencils. Through my work I can express my love for NY and all it provides for us.

FOLLOW ALONG WITH MADY’S WORK:

Instagram: @mady.draws_

MEDIUM /// PAINTING AND PRINTMAKING

Steven Berger has been a lifelong artist. A native of Geneseo, NY, he graduated with an A.A. in Visual Communications in 1989 from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and with a B.F.A. from R.I.T. in 1996. Soon after graduation from RIT, Steve opened his own successful jewelry store in Lakeville, New York; he later relocated to Geneseo. After 15 years as a jeweler, he went back to college (University of Rochester) to earn his B.S. and become a registered nurse. Steve currently works as a nurse for OPWDD.

Nevertheless, his interest in visual arts never faded. He works in original prints, watercolors, and paper art. Western New York is filled with waterbirds and songbirds, sunflowers, and unique tree formations, so there is much to admire and inspire. During the pandemic, he discovered that walnuts, when opened up, have unique faces, which then culminated in his whimsical “W[e’re] al[l] nuts” series. In addition, his lifelong appreciation of the trees on Nations Road and Temple Hill Cemetery in Geneseo led to the print series showcased here.