Windows at Studio Montclair Gallery
127 Bloomfield Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07042
Work is viewable 24×7 in the Studio Montclair Gallery Windows adjacent to the Studio Montclair Gallery
View work by Sylvia Padilla, Christopher James Kull, Sayeed Syed, and Amanda Kopp
About the Artists
Window 1: Christopher James Kull
Christopher James Kull is a North Arlington resident with works spanning four decades, who has exhibited from Canada to Mexico. He has a BFA from VCU.
My first time oil painting was in college in 1990. The one thing I retained from a few Zen classes in college decades ago, is to embrace imperfections in the world around you. I enjoy embracing the imperfections of paint and creating. Some thoughts or influences
while painting are current events, physics, philosophy, family, impressionism, zen, the future… Each time I make a new painting, my goal is to make a piece of art that the entire planet is in awe of. That is ridiculous, but it’s still the aim for creating something special.
Contact Information: Please visit christopherjameskull.com, Shopify site
Window 2: Sayeed Syed
Sayeed A. Syed is a self-taught local artist in New Jersey, with no formal training in the arts. He was Born in a small town in South India, Mulbagal, where farming and country life meets diverse cultures. He lost his father at a very young age, after which he picked up a pencil to start art as a form of therapy. Growing up in India, his family wanted him to spend more time studying than doing art, but art remained his passion. He likes to bring his art to real life with freedom of colors and enjoys painting with all types of mediums, from Pencils, to Acrylics and Oils on Canvas, Wood, Metals, Ceramics, and Murals. Also Art helps him to see the beauty of our world and exposes it to a broad range of people. He has appeared on Public TV, displayed art work in various galleries, art fairs and libraries, and completed a mural project in the city of Hoboken, NJ.
Future: Interest and Opportunities – Creating web sites, representing his artwork in various galleries, meeting with art collectors, curators, contractors, meeting with great artists, art consultant & getting advice, donating large prints to various children’s hospitals, representing my work in hospitals, taking art advance courses – portraits, murals, learning Sculpture art and selling my artwork. Like to be a successful artist. Currently working from home, he would like to find an opportunity to work in a studio.
Contact Information: 814-494-6679, Email: sayeedsyed24@gmail.com, Instagram
Window 3: Sylvia Padilla
Sylvia Padilla is an artist working out of the Northern New Jersey area, born and raised in Newark New Jersey with a background from Cabo Rojo Puerto Rico on her father’s side and Quito Ecuador on her mother’s side. She credits the East Side High School in Newark and the Rutgers Newark School of Arts and design for enriching her knowledge in the arts and also reinforcing her creative endeavors and versatility. In her paintings she uses past pre-Columbian icons having to do with her Taino and Inca heritage in her artwork, but also incorporates recent news topics in her current artwork such as covid, and the current war in Ukraine.
Initially I started 2020 with self reflection. I started looking back at my Andean and Taino heritage and studying various pre-columbian societies with the description of one’s self identity as starting from a place where the person originates from. My pieces incorporate the influence of aztec symbols and textiles, but also demonstrate the influence that a knowledge of past cultures has on one’s current identity.
With the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 the sense of self became harder to identify. There was a surreality in a sense and a feeling of the world turned upside down. With new terms as the “new normal” and “essential” we all went from a place of having everyday expectations of living to suddenly not having any grounding on what self was. I am working sometimes on flat imagery on the picture plane intermixed into a neo surrealist atmosphere. I use contemporary images in some of my work as well.
Some of my work involves the study of past Central and South American civilizations before Spain’s arrival. While other paintings deal with current events such as the pandemic. I want to incorporate into my art the use of various imagery, textile patterns, various Gods, and the idols from Incas Aztecs and Mayan culture. This will serve as a way to both self reflect in my identity and also bring on an awareness of the cultures that were lost due to Spanish colonization. I will also try to create a balance of current events and how it reflects on my self identity as well.
Contact Information: Please visit https://lstraven.wixsite.com/mysite, jampony007@yahoo.com, Instagram, Facebook
Window 4: Amanda Kopp
Amanda Kopp received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan with a focus on painting and installation. Kopp studied under artists Lynda Benglis, Jack Whitten, Andrea Belag, and Leigh Behnke. She has
exhibited throughout eastern Long Island, in addition to New York City.
Over the past decade, Kopp’s work has been focused on her series entitled Content & Controlled. Both the works on paper and canvas are expressive through color, form, and texture. Rather than using a traditional paintbrush, Kopp creates these works with a rubber roller. The patterns vary on how much pressure is applied to the roller and then outlined, subconsciously creating a meditative
environment for the viewer.
Kopp is from New York and recently relocated to Montclair, New Jersey. She currently works on the sales team at Pace Gallery.
Contact Information: Please visit AKoppArt.com, Instagram