Current Exhibition: May 5th - June 16th, 2022
Nature's Majesty: Ross Barbera & Krys Lipinski
Discover the majesty of nature as local artists Ross Barbera an Krys Lipinski showcase their work in a joint exhibition at The Atelier.
About the artists
Ross Barbera
Though Ross Barbera grew up in the city, he spent his summers at his family's homes in Smithtown and Peakville, New York. During these summers he discovered the world of the natural landscape, and it has been the inspiration for his art ever since. Ross received his MFA in painting from Pratt Institute, and began exhibiting at Razor Gallery located in SoHo, NYC. From the early 80s to the mid 90’s he exhibited at Soghor, Leonard and Associates, which was the “OK Harris Annex,” located on Broome Street in lower Manhattan. Ross served as a full-time faculty member at St. John’s University teaching in the Department of Art and Design from 1990 through 2020, and served as the department's chairperson from 2010 through 2013. Though he retired from St. John’s University in 2020 as an Associate Professor he continues to win many juried awards and prestigious grants to pursue his prolific art career.
Krys Lipinski
Krys Lipinski spent his childhood riding bicycles, sailing and paddling small dinghies, punts, and kayaks near one of the most pristine wetlands in Northeastern Poland. These bogs and swamps awakened his fascination with border zones between land and water, places where nothing is clearly defined and always fluid. After moving to Long Island, NY, Krys worked on a lobster boat based in Centerport and later explored Long Island’s South Shore estuaries and coastal waters between Block and Manhattan Islands on his Irwin Citation 30’ sailboat. Krys currently uses durable Wilderness System Tsunami 16’ kayak and expedition-style Wenonah Minnesota II 18.6’ ultralight canoe to access, explore and find creative inspiration in transitional zones between land and water, organic decay, and lush life, habitable and inhabitable, accessible, and inaccessible. These places are usually not true land nor open water, but they are consistently filled with space, light, and aromas, that are unmatched elsewhere. The colors there are vibrant and fecund. Finally, textures are intense and pulsing with life. Creative inspiration in such places overwhelms Krys with a force of a speeding train.