Tony Seker

Tony Seker is a multicultural artist, originally from Beirut, Lebanon. His abstract painting style largely stems from his childhood refugee experience. After fleeing the Lebanese Civil War in 1975 he abruptly dispensed of the camouflage colors used on his model warplanes and, in protest, began to apply bold & colorful paint. In retrospect, the familiar medium became a comfortable way to express his despair and anti-war sentiment. Today his art continues to express aspects of his past with the consciousness of the present and the hope for a more peaceful future.

Tony approaches painting much like a writer records his/her thoughts in a journal. However, the “action” behind his abstract methods truly reflects his personality and emotions, leaving a story of sorts with scant need for words. While there may be elements of his work which invoke comparisons in style to well-known artists such as Gerhard Richter or Jackson Pollock, Tony’s most impactful influences actually came from outside of the art world. Most notably, the random and over-exaggerated movements of his favorite physical comedians/performers (such as Peter Sellers & Victor Borge) inspired Tony’s “action” techniques.

Tony has won multiple juried awards, including for three paintings on display at The Windows at Studio Montclair: “Best in Show” for BAZOOKA JOE, “Best Acrylic” for LOVE CHAKRA and “Artist Choice Award” (favorite in show as voted by 52 tri-state artists in NY, NJ and CT) for EYE OF THE TIGER.

In May, Tony was the lead artist at Fort Lee Fashion Week where his art was featured. He led a team of artists who together produced a 40 by 11 foot street-art style mural as the fashion show’s & cat walk’s centerpiece.

Tony’s work can regularly be found in the NYC metro area. His solo show “Beyond Dogma” just concluded (Nov.18, Piermont, NY). He has exhibited at numerous venues including in SOHO, Hoboken, Brooklyn, Santa Fe NM & Cedar City UT. His collectors span the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East.

Christine Anderson

I like to tell stories through my pictures. Sometimes I photograph what I see, but most of the time I explore different ways to tell a story. I believe you do not have to be so literal all the time using photography as an artistic medium.  I like to explore different ways to create portraits. It is challenging for me and during the process I learn more about myself and the person I am photographing.

For example, when I first started my series “Peeling the Onion” when I had a clear idea of how I was going to create the portraits, but it those ideas often goes out the window once I started work.  Doris owned over 200 vintage hats and had a decade’s old dream of telling a story with those hats. She wanted to tell stories with the hats, funny stories. She is a funny person. You would not think that when you first meet her, but if you get to know her you find that she is very funny, sometimes in a dramatic way sometimes in a subtle way.

Doris let me put colored dots on her face. I used the dots to dramatically mimic the vintage hat netting which partially covers the face. I think the dots help people to look beyond a person’s age and to notice other things about that person. I like to think that people have more in common than we would think despite age or any physical differences we may all have.

Many of my portraits come about this way. To make a good portrait I need to communicate my thoughts to the person I am photographing. I never know what that person will think about it. Fortunately, people have been adventurous and have gone along and even contributed to the process of making the photograph. This is what I like best about being an artist/photographer.

Victoria Hanks

The sculptures were inspired by the French outsider artist Michel Nedjar who creates dolls out of rough found materials, dips them in paint, dirt, etc. and may work on them from time to time over the years letting them get old and disheveled. I’ve always loved the dolls made by Hans Bellmer as well. These “dolls” I have created are mainly out of old underwear and bras sewn together and stuffed to the breaking point, gessoed and painted. I use found objects that are personal and lived in that they carry mysteries that observers will never know, yet their exterior belies no trace of what pleasure, trauma, pain, etc. that they have witnessed.