Works by internationally recognized, Manhattan-based artist Allan Curry are on display at the Rye Free Reading Room. The exhibit opened with a reception hosted by the artist on December 2 and will be open to the public until December 31.

 

By Maureen Mancini Amaturo

 

Works by internationally recognized, Manhattan-based artist Allan Curry are on display at the Rye Free Reading Room. The exhibit opened with a reception hosted by the artist on December 2 and will be open to the public until December 31.

 

Curry’s selected works represent a sampling of his varied styles and methods. (Visit allancurry.com to view more.) Subjects range from powerful to pensive, exuberant to serene. “I use several methods of application,” the artist told a guest, who also paints and asked about his preferred technique. “Palette knife, brush, and my fingers. Yes, fingers. Sometimes that is the best way to blend colors.”

           

Though Curry has been creating since his early teens, the quest to progress still motivates changing styles and subject matter. While he is an American Impressionist, his breath of work includes stark, striking Japanese ink compositions, watercolors, graphic arts, and illustration in addition to his noted oil paintings. During his nearly 70-year artistic career, Curry’s works have contributed to the art communities in several areas of the U.S., the Philippines, and the Pacific Rim to Tokyo. He is a member of the Salmagundi Club, Allied Artists of America, and the Georgia Watercolor Society, and has been exhibited far and wide.

 

As artists do, he absorbed influences from his travels and experiences living in distant lands that have found their way into his ever-evolving forms of artistic expression. But his source of inspiration truly springs from his personal view. “As long as you keep asking questions, keep learning, keep seeking, your soul and your energy will go on,” he says. “Take advantage of all of life’s dynamics. Recognize the opportunities to learn, to escape, to find joy.”

 

The Rye Free Reading Room’s art exhibitions began prior to 1985 and originally were showcased upstairs in what is now the “Biography Room.” They have been overwhelmingly successful for both artists and the community. Library Manager Maria Lagonia says, “The exhibit content varies widely and you never know what the next exhibit will feature. I think people enjoy that. We don’t vet the list, so it’s a surprise each month.”

 

Exhibited art is for sale, which benefits the artist. The exhibition and the experience are free to the public, a benefit to guests. Interested artists may inquire about the library’s exhibit program by contacting Maria Lagonia at 231-3166 or mlagonia@ryelibrary.org. Artists will be placed on a waiting list, which at this time is two years. Exhibitions follow the order of the list. The public can visit anytime during regular library hours to view inspiring, mind-expanding art.

 

In the words of Allan Curry, “It’s a joy to create, to paint, but it is even more rewarding to see others find joy in the art.”