KANNER-KURZON MUSEUM

PAULA BLUMENFELD AND SOL BLUMENFELD IN THE KANNER-KURZON MUSEUM
From April 6th to May 12th

Thanks to Beth El member Rabbi David Blumenfeld, his cousin and his brother will exhibit their art in the museum from April 6th through May 12th. Both are quite talented, but their work is totally unrelated. It is even hard to draw any personal connection between the two artists, since they have never met.

Paula Blumenfeld now lives in Westchester. She was not an artist when she was young. She obtained her bachelor of arts degree and her master’s degree in international affairs, with a specialization in the Middle East. Her junior year abroad was spent in Israel. After she married, Paula and her husband moved to North Carolina. Since there was no job in her area of expertise, she decided to pursue an interest in art. She obtained a master of fine arts degree, with a specialty in painting, from the East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

Upon returning to New York, Paula studied further at the New York Studio School of Drawing and Painting in New York City. She has exhibited her paintings, mixed media, and drawings widely in dozens of venues, in both solo and group shows, in juried and in non-juried shows. Exhibitions have taken place throughout Westchester and North Carolina, as well as in Boston, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. She has won awards for her oil paintings, watercolors, mixed media, and graphics in various exhibits. Her work is in various corporate and private collections.

Sol Blumenfeld, who lives in California, spent his working years in advertising. He always doodled, but he did not go beyond that until he retired. He then began making graphic drawings in pen and ink, working on Jewish themes. He has exhibited his work in California and has won awards for his art. He has not been as prolific as Paula, but the work that he has done shows that artistic abilities must be innate in the family.

You can visit the museum at any time. If the room is locked, please get the key from the office or from the greeter at the front door.

Everyone is invited to the artists’ reception on Sunday, April 14th, 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm, in the museum.

STEPHEN HOROWITZ' EXHIBIT
from May 18th to June 23rd

Stephen Horowitz, brother of Beth El member David Horowitz, previously exhibited at Beth El five years ago. That exhibit was very well received, and so we are happy that he has consented to return. This exhibit will run from Saturday, May 18th, through Sunday, June 23rd, and the artist’s reception will be held on Sunday, May 19th, 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm. This exhibit will not have a title because the artwork will encompass a variety of subject matter, using oil, acrylic, oil pastel, and Giclée, on a variety of painting and drawing surfaces.

Stephen became interested in art when he was quite young and came across two volumes of Audubon’s bird paintings. He spent many hours drawing the birds with colored pencils, but his interests changed through high school and college. After college, he went back to drawing and then to painting. He studied at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Student’s League, both in New York City. Stephen has been a professional artist for many years now.

Two of his favorite twentieth-century artists are Paul Klee and Joan Miro because of their endlessly inventive work; brilliant use of line, color, and balance; and the veil of mystery and enchantment infusing the stories they told. He loves Rembrandt for his extraordinary use of light and dark, as well as his explorations of the human spirit. He also especially prizes Van Gogh, Renoir, and George Innes.

Stephen’s favorite landscape subjects are the wooded road circling Rockland Lake and the enduring, but dwindling, forest of Clausland Mountain Park. He says that when he is working abstractly, he often uses thick black outline to investigate the power of line and uses intense color to explore the boundary where powerful pigments can either uphold balance in the image or lead to visual disruption. He adds that painting is an opportunity to reinvent the world, an act of love, defiance, and joy. He hopes to conquer boredom and indifference, delight the senses, and gratify the viewer both emotionally and spiritually.

He has exhibited widely in the Hudson Valley, as well as in Connecticut and New Jersey. He also sells his work through several galleries. His work has been collected by a number of well-known patrons.

You can visit the museum whenever the synagogue is open. If the room is locked, please get the key from the Beth El office or from the greeter at the front door. Everyone is invited to attend the artist’s reception on May 19th and to discuss the details with the artist.