By Danielle Marra
Are you interested in experiencing art created by local artists? Michelle Conte, 27, artist and graduate of Adelphi University and currently an art teacher in Smithtown, opened her second solo art gallery, “Tainted Innocence,” in Adelphi’s Manhattan Center on Sept. 6 and will run through Dec. 20.
She describes in the invitation as “watercolors, paintings and prints inspired by both environmental and human facets of nature.”
Conte delivers what she promises in her invitation. “Tainted Innocence,” the title piece, and “Humanity” were both meaningful collages that she says “were meant to evoke emotion in the viewer.”
These pieces are her response to the direction that society is currently taking: “There are individuals dying from disease, famine, violence, etc. everyday. Why are we not paying attention?” she asks, “Why are we not outraged?” She says she wants her artwork to make people pause-to stop and look. “Too often we go about our daily lives and don’t take a moment to breathe and appreciate our surroundings,” Conte says.
“Desire,” the image used for the postcard invitations, was completed in primary colors. She chose this piece for the postcard because she felt that it was a great depiction of nature, “both environmental and mankind.”
“Tainted Innocence” consists of 22 pieces in total, 12 from her first art show, “Unadulterated,” which was in September of 2006, located at Adelphi University’s Garden City Campus Fine Arts Exhibition Hall.
The opportunity to solo show again was offered based on one of her favorite pieces, “Unadulterated,” that showed the year before. “It was an honor and a privilege to not only be invited back, but also be given my own gallery space to exhibit my work,” she says, “It is always exciting to enter a new space and see the barren walls transform into a stimulating environment filled with color and interesting imagery.”
Conte added, “I wanted to present a unified and well-balanced show, considering the techniques, style, use of color and medium. Before hanging, I arrange the works around the gallery space to see which pieces complement each other; placement is key.”
To get to the Manhattan Center: take the train to Penn. Station, and Conte’s gallery is accessible by subway by taking the 1 train downtown to Canal Street, and then walking one block north to Grand Street