New Exhibiting Member Bios:
Chad Grohman: Chad was born in Kenmore, New York and spent most of my life in and around Buffalo. He has a BFA in Illustration from Rochester Institute of Technology, 1994, Rochester, New York, and an MFA in Illustration from University of Hartford, 2010, Hartford, Connecticut. Chad works in gouache, and watercolor.
Elizabeth Leader: Elizabeth grew up in Saugus on the north shore of Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating from Massachusetts College of Art, she attended the Rochester Institute of Technology where she earned an MFA degree. Surrounded by the effects of abandonment and pollution in post-industrial Buffalo, NY, Elizabeth creates art, using a wide range of materials and techniques to communicate her ideas about people, the environment, and the “stuff we throw away.”
Marissa Lehner: Marissa Lehner is an artist/art teacher currently living in Buffalo, NY. After graduating from Alfred University in 2009, she returned to Erie County where she has worked with the community to create public murals and independently, to create mixed-media installation art. She teaches Art at Clarence Middle School and is the Public Art Chair of ELAB.
Kaaren Metcalf: Kaaren loves trying to capture reality while expressing the interest and emotion she feels for the people she paints. She uses different mediums for different subjects: watercolor to create the softness and luminosity for younger subjects; pastel for models, and for more complex subjects Kaaren prefers oils.
Barbara Mink: Barbara Mink was born in Buffalo, but moved to Ithaca, NY in 1976 where she pursued a PhD in Comparative Literature. She started painting in 1998 and studied with Stan Taft, Bill Benson, and the late Bente King and Thomas Buechner. She is represented by Indigo Art Consultants in England and her work can be found in collections in Ithaca, New York City, Buffalo, and throughout the U.S.
Cindi O’Mara: Born in Schenectady, Cindi received an AFS from Sage College, as well as a BS and an MS from Nazareth College of Rochester During the late 70’s and ‘80’s, she exhibited work extensively in the Rochester area. Currently, she shows in a number of galleries, locally and out of state. Inspired by the nature, Cindi uses colored pencil, graphite and acrylics to express her perspective.
Salvatore Scrivo: Salvatore Scrivo taught art to inner city students for 33 years in the Buffalo public schools. After retiring, he decided to return to his artist’s tools and medium. The major themes of Sal’s work reference good vs evil while addressing the role of kitsch and nostalgia in current culture. He creates a surreal world where the viewer is invited to indulge their sense of wonder and intrigue.
Sara M. Zak: Sara M. Zak is an emerging Western New York artist whose representational paintings examine social roles, stratification, and change. In 2011, Sara founded Painting for Preservation, participated in NYFA MARK, and exhibited widely in Buffalo and WNY. Sara holds degrees in Painting, Art History, and Multidisciplinary Studies from BSC. Sara’s websites:
http://www.saramzak.com/
http://www.paintingforpreservation.org/
http://nyfamark.com/section/240530_Sara_M_Zak.html
