welcome to first friday scranton
First Friday art walks are held on the first Friday of every month at galleries and businesses around Downtown Scranton. Paintings, photography, sculpture, music, performance art…you never know what you’ll find at First Friday in Scranton.
Support local artists and mingle with your Northeastern Pennsylvania neighbors, all in a casual atmosphere. Join us for First Friday!
May 9, 2012 | By administrator
Stephanie Maday is one artist you’ll find at the First Friday Art Auction who is really hands on when it comes to her work: “When I was in high school, I took welding and became enthralled with building sculpture from metals. Working with the heat and just getting in there, being dirty and really feeling like a part of the art made me connect with myself as a person on an entirely new level. I knew creating and understanding my pieces was something only I could feel.” Being a part of her work and feeling the organic nature of the piece take shape eventually led Stephanie to her favorite medium: “I got away from art for a few years but upon returning I found that same passion, love, and connectedness when I discovered blown glass. Everything about it entices and draws me in. I concentrated my studies on glass through the school for the last year and a half. Glass has offered me endless opportunities and has opened so many doors for me. There is still so much more that I want to learn and glass just seems so endless.”
As an artist, Stephanie believes she has a distinct opportunity to...
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May 8, 2012 | By administrator
When it comes to perspective, Erica Simon tends to reflect on the big picture.The really BIG picture.
“Most recently I’ve been taking a lot from images from the Hubble Space Telescope. I am deeply fascinated with celestial bodies. I purchased the book Cosmos, which included an image of a galaxy cluster. I thought it was absolutely breathtaking. I couldn’t grasp the idea that something so massive was captured in an 11” x 17” photograph." Erica attempts to encapsulate both this sense of wonder and scale in her glass works: "I think that the idea of containing something as endless as the vastness of space into an object that can be held in your hand is greatly appealing." And this humbling perspective, is one that Erica is keenly aware of in her day to day. Following a tragic car accident as a teenager, Erica was confronted with an inevitable truth of the universe: “ I became aware that my time on this planet is very limited, so I need to do everything I can to make a lasting impression. My life could have easily ended that day. I would have just been gone without ever doing anything significant. This is my biggest...
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May 7, 2012 | By administrator
When looking at Maria Grzybowski’s paintings you cannot help but be struck by the influence that Mother Nature has upon them. Whether it is a flock of robins crying out, a technically rendered stag beetle machine or the deceptive charms of a not-so-wild orchid, the natural world plays a heavy role in all of her works. And as Maria would tell you, it is a concern for her on a wider scale: “I’m thinking about the interdependency of all creatures, the overbearing presence of technology and the absence of nature from our daily lives.” And this observation carries through to her overall artistic direction and beliefs, “I think there is a need for all types of artists in the world. But I am particularly interested in the role of the artist as reintroducing people to nature in our world.” With an MA in Painting from Marywood University, and having studied abroad in Italy, Maria enjoys finding her inspiration organically: “I read a lot, go to museums and go into nature for inspiration. I keep a sketchbook with random thoughts and drawings. Eventually something comes together in a composition in my mind and I continue to think about it usually for...
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