An Interview
with Jessica
the Designer
Fall Student
Art Show
and Sale
by Peter Cignatta
Q: How did you get into art?
A: My mother is an artist. She went to
school for fashion design, and worked
in NYC for 6 years. Growing up, arts and
crafts were always an important part of
our day, and my sisters and I were always
encouraged to follow our imaginations.
Halloween
Costume
Contest
Photos
An Interview
with Jessica
the Designer
Q: When you conceptualize, you…
A: I listen to music, or have the TV on in
the background, nothing too distracting.
Q: What do you feel most inspired by?
A: I feel inspired by artists in general.
Whether it’s another designer whose
work recently caught my eye, or a
painting in a museum, I take what I find
compelling about each piece and try to
express it through my own eyes, in my
own style.
Q: How would you describe your
sketches?
A: My sketches have the tendency to be
very messy and difficult to understand.
Q: What makes you feel successful?
A: I feel successful by finding a balance
between doing what you love, and
making the money you want. As an artist
Staff
it’s more or less a necessity to understand
that.
Q: What is the best thing about being
at Paier?
A: Being such a small institution allows
Paier faculty and administration to
dedicate more time and effort toward
each and every student. They really
works with you to get you the education
you want and to get the degree you’re
here for. Another highlight, the vending
machines.
Q: What is your favorite tool?
A: My favorite tool is my mechanical
pencil, much to my illustration teacher’s
chagrin.
Q: What is the biggest obstacle you
face?
A: I first felt like an artist when I was
creating my portfolio for college
applications. Organizing my work,
discussing what I was missing, creating
consistency in my presentation, gave my
work more of a purpose. I remember
feeling very excited about that.
Q: Do you feel an evolution occurring
in your artwork?
Editor in Chief: John Akin
Contributors: Leon Hungerford
Peter Cignatta
Jessica Kennedy
A: I find commercial work as an artist
to be my greatest obstacle. I’m stuck
between designing something for myself,
and designing something that a client
would want. Creating something for a
client that I don’t enjoy is almost painful.
Q: When was the first time you felt like
an artist was?
A: I do feel it is, in a small way. I’m less
obsessed with finding “the new big
idea”. I’m trying to relax a little more, and
allow other great designers and artists to
influence me.
Q: What is your favorite song?
A: It would have to be “Killer Queen”
by Queen.
Flux
by Catie Kacenski
Held right here at Paier College of Art
from November 14 – 16, 2014, the
Student Art Show and Sale featured
some exquisite pieces by students from
all programs from the college. As with
all the art shows, this gives students
a chance to get their work out to be
viewed by the general public as well
as potential art buyers as well. In the
shows, judges are selected at random
and face the difficult task of awarding top
2nd place
Graphic
Design
award was
bestowed on
Sammy Diewert for his footwear theme
using page layout and package design,
titled “It’s a Jungle Out There”.
Grand prize for the Graphics department
went to Jessica Kennedy for “Kings: The
Official Drinking Game”. Appropriately
named for the popular social game,
core board and
construction paper
medium piece named
“Artist Residence”
standing at 20” x 30”
x 20”.
2nd prize award,
Interior Design
went to Paulina
Drozdzowski for her
in-depth “Advanced
Contract Design”
Fall Student Art Show 2014
by Leon Hungerford
honors in each area of expertise. While
every student’s art and hard work is
magnificent and respected, there can be
only three top pieces in each category.
So, hats off to those who placed top
honors and thank you to everyone who
participated in this Fall’s Art Show!
Jessica collaborated
different hues of
blue with white on
the deck of cards in
this clever package
design scheme.
Taking 3rd place in the
Fine Arts field was Susan
Minkorski for her 10” x
16” piece named “RedBreasted Merganser”
which was done in
colored pencil.
For the Illustration
department, 3rd
place went to
Amanda Rodriguez.
She constructed
a 16” x 14” watercolor
titled “Water Lily”.
2nd place Fine Arts award
went to Brian Paturzo for
his 16” x 14” oil painting
titled “Dark Tree House”.
Michael Zabivnik was
awarded 2nd place
in Illustration for his
20” x 20” piece done
in marker named
“Tell-Tale-Heart.”
Last, but certainly not
least was the 1st place
award winner for Fine
Arts—again—Brian Paturzo.
This piece is another
oil paint medium and
is 18” x 14” on panel
board. The title is “Low
Dawn” with rich, dark
colors showcasing a pale
woman with detailed
looming shadows upon
her face.
Moving on to our Graphic
Design majors, Senior
John Akin was accredited
3rd place honors with
his layout spread named
“The World According to
McCutcheon”.
1st place Illustration
was awarded to
Steven Duchesne for
four brilliant pieces:
“Peddles”, a 24” x
18” graphite and oil
medium; “Pericles”,
at a large 34” x 24”
graphite and oil;
“The Pilgrimage”,
being a watercolor
sized at 16” x 20”;
and “Want and Able”,
graphite and oil
displayed at 24” x 18”.
Inset here is “Pericles”.
For Interior Design, 3rd place award
went to Nechmarie Salgalo on the foam
using a blend of photography, sample
board and multi media with CAD.
For a detailed model
built with foam core
board, construction
paper and other
materials, Nechmarie
Salgado was given
1st place for Interior
Design on “Cacique Construction Design
- Building Model”, sized at 20” x 30” x 10”.
In Photography,
3rd place award was
given to Erica Matalis
for her “Untitled”
digital print image
sized at 12” x 16”.
A well lit digital
archival print done
by Alex Viera was
granted 2nd place,
being named “Under
Brooklyn” sized at
18” x 16”.
1st place award in
Photography went
to Nicole Croce for
her intriguing image.
With subtle blurs of
light glaring from
the windows in a dramatic surrounding,
“Keeping up with the Jones” sits at
16”x 18” done with ink jet print as the
medium.
Again a big thank you to all students who
entered their beautiful pieces to display
and a special congratulations to the
winners of the awards! Best of luck in the
Spring Art Show and we’ll see you there!
What’s Happening this Winter?
Fine Art & Illustration Show
October 21, 2014 – January 30, 2015
Advocates for Insurance Benefits
60 Connolly Parkway,
Building 15A, Suite 102b
Hamden, CT 06514
Students Exhibiting:
Jessica Ambrich, Aaron Blauvelt,
Stephen Duchesne, Anastasia Fasnakis,
Olivia Grant, Cathryn
Kacenski, Carlos Lopez,
An Vo, Amber Wagner,
and Michael Zabivnik.
2014 Exhibition
of Undergraduate
College Artwork
in Connecticut
November 23 – December 21, 2014
John Slade Ely House
Center for Contemporary Art
51 Trumbull St
New Haven, CT 06510
Students participating:
Alexina Faucher, Katie White, Brian
Paturzo, Janet Croog, Steven Duchesne,
Cariann Dominguez, Erik Blanchard,
Aaron Blauvelt, Emily Cornacchio, and
Debra Smith.
Chapel Street Window Project
Contributing artists include Professor
Vladamir Shpitalnik, Professor Peter
Bonadies, Instructor Magge Gagliardi,
alumni Janet Croog, Dan Cogan,
Daniel Schmidt, current students,
Molly Gambardella, Emily Cornacchio,
Jessica Hart, Carlos Lopez, Steven
Duchesne, Erik Blanchard, Aaron
Blauvelt, Benjawan Warner, Cariann
Dominguez, Vincent Esposito, Kim
Krivensky, Gina Dellolio, Sara Zunda,
Alexina Faucher, Michael Zabivnik, Peter
Smith, Cathryn Kacenski, Mitchell Volta,
Peter Cignatta, Sabrina Ferraiolo, Amira
Brown, Imani Brown, Cassandra Infante,
Carly Franz, Olga Tyurikova, Jessica
Amrich, Ashley Novoa, Matthew Ferreira,
Ashley Whitham, Sam Deiwert and
Michael Rico.
Muriel Miller Landscapes:
New Opening date Wednesday,
February 4, 2015, 6 – 8pm.
ROMANCE, LOVE & ART
February 7 – March 7, 2015
Featuring romantic images of women’s
mystique, beauty and their strength.
A nostalgic art experience of Sandra’s
Romantic paintings for the young at
heart, and a delight for a younger
generation that will inspire beauty and
imagination. Sandra spent over a decade
of her young art career designing and
perfecting a style of painting that was
inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites and
Art Nouveau movements. The intricate
design of her paintings, finely laced in
22k gold leaf, were reproduced worldwide for collectors plates, puzzles, fine
art prints and chocolate boxes covers.
This stunning collection will be exhibited
at the Wakeen Gallery,
Feb. 7th - March 7th Opening
Reception Feb. 14th, 4 – 8pm.
Please join us for an evening of
Wine, Roses and Art!
62 South Rd, Somers, CT
860.763.4565
www.sandrawakeen.com
“Paint Skin,” is curated
by Noé Jimenez’12
January 31 – March 7, 2015
Paintings and sculptures by nine
artists: Farrell Brickhouse, Lucy Mink
Covello, Allison Hornak,
Ted Gahl, Christopher Mir,
Susan Carr, David Taylor, Natalie
Westbrook, and Valentina Sarfeh.
This group of artists engages in
similar themes of visual gestures,
painting surface, and abstraction
of both natural, digital, synthetic,
or photographic imagery.
Their work is united by this
development of an ever changing
vocabulary and definition of
painting. Although they share
similar concepts and execution, their
differences speak to the variety of
paintings being made in the digital
age, each piece a different form of
“Paint Skin.”
New art store open:
Artist & Craftsman Supply
821-825 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT 06511
203.498.1414
844.498.1414
www.artistcraftsman.com
Photos
Dressing up for the Halloween Party!