banner

Check It Out!

Keeping you up-to-date on what's happening at your library. We invite you to join in the conversation!
JULY 7, 2012
In the Gallery: Paintings and Pictures: The Artistic Work of Chris O'Herron and Tom Kutz

    
Through the month of August, Canton Public Library’s Gallery features the work of Chris O’Herron and Tom Kutz, two Canton artists who have studios in the Axe Factory.  The show opened on July 5 and will run through Friday, August 31.
     
     O’Herron, who grew up in Simsbury, draws upon the Connecticut landscape for inspiration, including the familiar tobacco fields and semi-rural settings near his home.  His landscapes are oil, and his portraits are oil or charcoal.  “With its subtle nuances, charcoal is an ideal medium for expressive portraiture,” said O’Herron.  His portraits of loved ones and family pets have become very popular commissions for him.
    
     Chris has donated his time and art to help raise money and awareness for the Junior League of Waterbury, Chip In For A Cure (a charity for Cancer research), "Shakespearience" (a non-profit educational group for kids), and several area churches.  He has also drawn a charcoal rendition of Simsbury’s famous “Pinchot Sycamore” which was included in – and later purchased from – the CT Department of Environmental Protection’s Art From CT Forests exhibit.  The traveling educational show featured 50 artists and craftpersons who created art using the material from one single CT Oak tree in order to promote forests and healthy
land management ideas.

     He has had solo shows in Connecticut at The McLean Home, Miss Porter’s School, FastFrame of Avon, and Gallery 101 Main in Collinsville.  He has exhibited paintings and portraits at the Maine Art Gallery in Kennebunkport, ME; the Beth Ellis Cove Gallery in Ogunquit, ME; Gallery On the Green in Canton, CT; Green Trees Gallery in Northfield, MA; Autumn Light Studio & Gallery in Avon, CT; the Talcott Mountain Music Festival in Simsbury, CT; and the Simsbury, Farmington and Prosser (Bloomfield) Libraries in CT.   His work can always be found on the walls of Brookside Bagels, in Simsbury, and Rootz Hair Salon, in Collinsville.

     He graduated from Syracuse University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration.  Beyond the classroom experience, he had the opportunity to study and paint in Florence, Italy, in 2000.

     Tom Kutz was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island. “I have been taking pictures since I received my first camera at the age of 7,” said Kutz.   He attended Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating with a B.F.A. in Photo Illustration. “After college I traveled for a few years working on Cruise ships as a photographer. For the last 25 years I have worked as a commercial photographer photographing people, places and products.  My personal photos are based on a surreal reality.” Kutz has shown his work in galleries and shows throughout the last 30 years and has made Collinsville his home for the last 20 years.

     Said Kutz, “The photos that I create are usually based in a surreal point of view. I enjoy images that give the viewers a treat if they spend the time to look at them. Most of my pictures are very personal to me in one way or another. I tend to create art as an outlet for the daily stress of life. Sometimes the photos work, sometimes they don't, but  I enjoy using photography as my artistic medium.”

     CantonPublic Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue, Canton.  Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, and Friday 10:00-5:00 and Saturday 10:00-1:00 through August 25).  For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Meghan

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JULY 2, 2012
Friends of the Canton Public Library Are Accepting Donations for September Book Sale

     The Friends of the Canton Public Library are busy collecting and organizing donations for their September book sale, a process that began on June 20.  Over the summer they will be collecting books, music CD’s, recorded books, and DVD’s for their sale on September 8 and 9.  All those books that are spilling out of your shelves could find a new home and earn some money for the library in the process.  And of course your  donations will make the 2012 Friends Book Sale bigger and better than ever and will give you a tax deduction.
 
     Book and other items may be dropped off any time during library hours:  Monday through Thursday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and Friday and Saturdays from 10:00-1:00 through August 25.  The last day for dropping off books is Saturday, August 25.
 
     The Friends have been holding a book sale for over 30 years, beginning with a table at the Lions Club Flea Market, later moving to Joel Fried’s Funnybones at the Canton Green shopping complex, then to a booth on Sam Collins Day, and finally to the Canton Community Center in 2003.  Along with a change in location has come a huge increase in the number of items for sale.  And as technology has burgeoned and media have proliferated, the “book sale” has become more than just books.
 
     What hasn’t changed is the reputation that the Friends of the Canton Public Library have built over the years.  “Everybody says how organized we are.  We sort and categorize to the nth degree,” said Carol Stevens, who heads up the drive. 
 
     As a volunteer organization, the Friends are always looking for a few good volunteers, especially for help with the book drive, which requires constant and extensive sorting throughout the summer.  Anyone wishing to volunteer a few hours is asked to contact Carol Stevens by leaving a message at the library, 693-5800.  Training will be provided.
 
     The Friends emphasize that all donated items must be in good condition.  Books that are yellowed, ripped, tattered, highlighted, or underlined cannot be accepted for the book sale.  Magazines, encyclopedias, textbooks, the Time-Life series, computer books, condensed books, and VHS tapes will not be accepted. 
 
     CantonPublic Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue in Canton.  For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Meghan

Categories: Friends of the LibraryLibrary News

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe via RSS
Search