The Art League of Ocean City had a very successful 2013 with the opening of the new OC Center for the Arts on 94th Street and welcoming over 10,000 visitors to the new building since the grand opening in March. The ALOC looks forward to a busy and successful 2014 and will start the year off with the Friday, January 3rd reception that promises to be packed with talent.
Join the Art League on Friday, January 3rd from 5 to 7pm at the OC Center for the Arts. Come meet the photographers behind some of the most amazing photographs ever seen in the Thaler Gallery. The spectacular works, “Views of Delmarva and Beyond,” by photographer Kevin Fleming and Chris Parypa will be on display during the month of January.
Kevin Fleming has covered the world as a photographer for national Geographic and has recently been recognized as America’s Best Observer by Reader’s Digest. His assignments have taken him into war and famine in Somalia, to the Mediterranean for a re-creation of Ulysses and put him in a dogsled crossing the Canadian arctic. A Delaware native, Kevin began his career as a newspaper photographer after attending Wesley College (where he has been inducted into their Hall of Fame and in 2007 was named the “Distinguished Alumni of the Year”). He then spent a decade as a National Geographic photographer and most recently has concentrated on creating books. At the January 3rd reception Kevin will hold a book signing for his book, The Beach, which features his photographs of wildlife, nature, and the beauty of coastal Delaware.
Chris Parypa was born in raised in Poland but learned photography in Brooklyn, NY and Manhattan, working with the best photographers in the world. Chris is one of the most recognizable photographers on the beaches of Ocean City and the surrounding area. Chris is well known in the Ocean City community for his stunning photos and front page picture publications in The Dispatch, and for his volunteer work for many local events which aim to help others, like the Penguin Swim for Atlantic General Hospital and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. In 2013, his aerial picture of Ocean City, MD was chosen to represent the state of Maryland in “Great Book of America”.
His biggest passion is aviation photography and he is well known as one of the very few aviation photographers in the country.
The Galleria will feature the all media “Winter” themed show. Talented Art League members and local artists will display their very best winter themed pieces of art in this juried show. The judge will be Michel Demanche, Professor of Fine Arts at UMES.
The artist in residence for the month of January will be Marina Borovok. Marina focuses on drawing and oil painting. She will be teaching several classes at the Center for the Arts over the course of the month including: Kids After School Drawing Class, Introduction to Drawing for Adults, and Introduction to Oil Painting. Join Marina on Saturday, January 4th from 11am to 4pm for an “Everyone is an Artist” open house. There will be art projects for all ages and complimentary refreshments.
In the Members Spotlight Gallery for January is artist, Kathy Gibson. Primarily self taught, she has participated in classes and workshops at The Art League in Alexandria, VA; Maryland Hall; Black Rock Center for the Arts; and many locations on the Eastern Shore. Since moving to Berlin, her painting has become her central focus. Kathy also very much enjoys Plein Air painting.
The Art Leage of OC holds a reception for new exhibits the first Friday of every month at the OC Center for the Arts on 94th Street. The receptions are free to the public and include refreshments. The galleries at the Center for the Arts are open daily at 11am to 4pm. For more information on exhibits, artists and classes, visit the website at www.artleagueofoceancity.org or call 410-524-9433.
