From Artisans to Artists - Queens Interior Products Manufacturer Hosts Art Event for Community + Clients

April 24, 2008 - Throughout history, many of the most memorable fine artists were also professional artisans of fine crafts, or commercial artists. Whether out of necessity to support their artistic endeavors, or personal interest, the skills and craftsmanship cultivated by these more commercial pursuits served to enrich and enhance the quality of the artwork produced by these well-rounded artists. Michelangelo, one of the artists for whom the term “Renaissance man” was coined, was not only a fine art sculptor, but earned most of his living painting commissioned portraits and scenes, most famously; the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Italy. Rembrandt, the seventeenth century Dutch artist - considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European history - spent his youth as a commercial portrait painter. Moving forward in art history, the late nineteenth century Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, known for his richly patterned and decorated figurative paintings, trained as an architectural painter and worked as a mural artist and interior painter in public buildings. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the late nineteenth century French painter, illustrator, printmaker and draftsman, was most famous for his graphic illustrations and promotional posters for Parisian nightclubs like the Moulin Rouge. And moving into the present, Andy Warhol, the central figure in the Pop Art movement of the 1960’s, was a graphic artist and magazine illustrator.

In this long standing tradition, DFB Sales, a Queens manufacturer and installer of vertical interior products, will open its doors to host BEYOND THE SURFACE II, a free art exhibition and event in their durable applied surfaces and decorative finishes studio; the studio @ DFB. The exhibition, back by popular demand, and presented in their new studio and showroom; gives clients, friends and the local community an opportunity to view original fine artwork created by the company’s President and the Studio artists who work with high profile architecture and design firms to create DFB’s custom proprietary cementitious and plaster wall finishes for contract interiors. Harvey Fein, DFB’s President, is a renowned wood turner with works in the permanent collection of the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC. Carla E. Reyes, the Studio’s Director, is a professional painter and mixed media artist, with gallery representation in NYC and Fort Lauderdale. Maria Walker, the Studio’s Assistant, is an accomplished painter with an MFA in Painting from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. DFB has been in business for over 40 years and was the NYIRN Manufacturer of the Year for 2006.

This year’s exhibition will also present artwork by professional artists working for other high-end studios in the NY Artisan Center, which is quickly becoming a destination for the decorative arts connoisseur and NYC design community. Featured artists include: David Hairston, Alla Mirilashvili, Dennis Ryan, and Rodion Tikhomirov - all decorative painters working for Osmundo Echevarria & Associates; and artist/proprietor Oliver Westermeier.

There will be an evening reception from 6-9pm on Thursday, May 8, and another viewing on Saturday, May 10, from 2-5pm; wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served. The event will feature an open house of all of the participating artisan studios including: Joseph Biunno Antique Restoration, Natalie Chase Studios, the studio @ DFB, Osmundo Echevarria & Associates, W. P. Sullivan, and Oliver Westermeier Fine Furniture Restoration. An exhibition catalogue will be available for guests and by request. The New York Artisan Center is located just minutes from Manhattan and blocks away from MOMA’s P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, Queens- an up and coming urban art center.

BEYOND THE SURFACE II
New York Artisan Center Studios, LIC

Reception + Viewing: Thursday, May 8, 6-9pm + Saturday, May 10, 2-5pm

Hosted by: the studio @ DFB, 21-07 Borden Avenue, 2nd Floor, LIC

RSVP + info: studio@dfbstudio.com

the studio @ DFB
21-07 Borden Avenue, 2nd Floor
LIC, NY 11101
Studio Director/Head Curator: Carla E. Reyes
Studio Assistant/Associate Curator: Maria Walker
studio@dfbstudio.com
www.vitruv.com

The studio @ DFB is an artisan studio with professional fine artists designing custom decorative wall finishes in paint, plaster and cement for architecture and design firms working on high end contract and residential projects. The Studio is part of DFB Sales, a manufacturer and installer of vertical interior products in business for over 40 years, and the NYIRN Manufacturer of the Year for 2006.

Alternative space for exhibitions of studio artists and New York Artisan Center Studios in Long Island City, Queens, NY.

This release was published on openPR.