North Shore artists reflect area's beauty in new show

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Despite recent renovations cutting its run time short, the Sea Cliff Arts Council’s annual summer art show held its opening reception on Aug. 8 in the village library, delighting residents with a variety of local art showcasing the iconic sights and landscapes of the North Shore.

“The summer show, which usually last two months, highlights a variety of artists, specifically people who aren’t ready to have an entire show, but who want to represent something unique to them,” said Heidi Hunt, the council’s co-chair.

The show, titled “North Shore Through the Artist’s Eye,” echoes the most recent exhibit at the Sea Cliff Village Museum, which comprised works of artists living and dead, offering unique interpretations of the village’s waterfront, architecture, landscapes and people.

The council solicited artists from the area to contribute works that represented an “impression” of the North Shore. The result is a mix scenes depicting boats, beaches and boardwalks — all recognizable to the average resident — seen through another’s eye.

“A lot of times we like to represent the North Shore in its entirety, but in this show we’re looking more at the artists’ impression of the North Shore, so there’s a lot of vignettes,” Hunt said. “They’re a little more thought-provoking.”

Snaking along a wall, in frames of brilliant gold and bronze, are paintings and photographs of the Gold Coast. Details of Sea Cliff’s boardwalk — a lone lock on a wire, a medley of seaside reeds — come to the forefront in Sydney Goldman’s pieces. This is the first time she has displayed her work with the Arts Council.

“These are both from the same night at Sea Cliff Beach,” said Goldman, who grew up in the village. The 20-year-old was inspired to capture the lock, because she had never seen one affixed to the boardwalk before. Toying with her camera’s focus, she blurred the view across the Sound.

“A lot of people love that specific view and know that view, so to have it kind of blurred I really love, because you know what it is,” Goldman said.

There are unique finds among the rest of the show’s artwork, said Jeanne Henner, of Sea Cliff. She noted a painting of three striking Victorian houses, which she said speaks to Sea Cliff’s character. “The artist captured that really nicely because all these houses sort of come from all different directions,” Henner said. “It’s a very unique-looking village.”

Jennifer Britt, Goldman’s mother, said she appreciated the show because it demonstrates “the quirkiness of our town and why people live here,” she said. “You can see what type of town it is by the art, the colors, and the vibe.”

There is an unmistakable feel of home and familiarity in each piece, from the high trees that line Hempstead Harbor in Lilli Scott’s “Prospect Avenue Run” to the stacks of colorful canoes in Judy Martialay’s “Getting Ready to Set Sail.”

“There’s so much love and color and happiness in each one,” Goldman said.

“North Shore Through the Artist’s Eye” will be on display through the end of the month. Select pieces from the show are available for sale.