Monthly Meetings
2025-2026 MEETING YEAR
The Hamden Art League will begin a new meeting year on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. All scheduled meetings are on a Tuesday, begin at 7 pm, and are held in the Social Hall of the Hamden Senior Center, 2901 Dixwell Avenue, behind the Miller Library.
May 13, 2025: Fritz Horstman
At the last 2024-25 meeting on May 13th, Fritz Horstman gave a presentation entitled “Interacting With Color: Joseph Albers’s Color Experiments and the Art Of Fritz Horstman”. The fascinating presentation covered both his new book ’Interacting with Color: A Practical Guide to Josef Albers’s Color Experiments’ and his own artwork.
April 8, 2025: Mark Grindell
HAL hosted printmaker, Mark Grindell, on April 8th as he demonstrated "Tetra-Pak® printmaking demo with mini press", creating printing plates, then inking and printing them. Tetra-Paks were a fascinating way to make prints recycling and utilizing non-biodegradable garbage. The level of definition was surprising. Mark's handout is available here.
March 11, 2025: Brian McClear
HAL hosted Brian McClear on March 11th as he presented “Painting a Still Life in Oil” at the Miller Senior Center.
Brian McClear is a representational artist who loves the process of painting. Working mostly in oil, he demonstrated painting everyday objects with a twist.
Brian McClear is a representational artist who loves the process of painting. Working mostly in oil, he demonstrated painting everyday objects with a twist.
February 11, 2025 VIA ZOOM: Stephen Henderson
HAL hosted Stephen Henderson, Artist and Professor at Quinnipiac University, VIA ZOOM, on February 11th as he presented " Abstracting Your Art". His slide presentation included history of abstraction in art and provide suggestions on how artists can begin to work in a more abstract manner, and also included some examples of his own artwork. Stephen Henderson will be teaching a workshop on April 13th on "How to Abstract Your Art".
January 14, 2025 VIA ZOOM: Rashmi Talpade
HAL hosted Rashmi Talpade VIA ZOOM, on January 14th as she presented " Public Art By The Public, Rashmi's Collage Projects". The presentaion included her own work as a professional artist as well as her well known
collaborative community projects for which she has received numerous grants from the state of Connecticut and The National Endowment for the Arts, as well as private and local funding. The apt description for these projects would be “Public Art by the Public”. These projects were created with community members at the Ball & Socket Arts, Cheshire, Wallingford Public Library, the New Haven Free Public Library, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital , New Britain Museum of American Art, Pelham Middle School, and UCONN Avery point among other locations.
www.artodrashmi.net
collaborative community projects for which she has received numerous grants from the state of Connecticut and The National Endowment for the Arts, as well as private and local funding. The apt description for these projects would be “Public Art by the Public”. These projects were created with community members at the Ball & Socket Arts, Cheshire, Wallingford Public Library, the New Haven Free Public Library, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital , New Britain Museum of American Art, Pelham Middle School, and UCONN Avery point among other locations.
www.artodrashmi.net
November 12, 2024: Bivenne Staiger
HAL hosted Bivenne Staiger, on November 12th as she presented "A Goldfinch in Watercolors". Her demonstration in watercolor captured the essence of a goldfinch perched on a coneflower. Of particular interest was the palette and painting strategies to achieve such dynamic paintings.
For more information see: www.bivennefineart.com
For more information see: www.bivennefineart.com
October 8, 2024: Diana Rogers
HAL hosted a full house on October 8th to listen to Connecticut based landscape artist Diana Rogers as she presented “Leaning Toward Abstraction in Pastels”. Her presentation demonstrated the use of dynamic mark-making, simplified shapes, and bold color to create abstracted landscapes and seascapes in pastels. The discussion included ideas to utilize these strategies in other mediums. For additonal information on her work see her Website: dianarogersfineart.com
September 10, 2024: Betsy Barry
HAL hosted a full house to see CT color pencil botanical artist Betsy Barry on Sept 10, 2024, as she demonstrated "Drawing Nature in Colored Pencil". Betsy showed the multi-layered meticulous approach she uses to produce award winning botanicals. For additional information on her work see her website at https://www.betsybarry.com/
2023 - 2024 YEAR OF DEMONSTRATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
May 14, 2024: Margot Rocklen
The last meeting this year HAL hosted printmaker Margot Rocklen on May 14, 2024 when she discussed and demonstrated "Japanese Block Printing". A slide presentation helped all to understand the history of Japanese printmaking and learn to see the variations among the different important artists and their styes. Margot was able to demonstrate the printing technique. It's difficult to appreciate how much work goes into making a single print!
April 9, 2024: Jennifer Davies
The Hamden Art League hosted fiber artist Jennifer Davies at the April 9, 2024 meeting as she demonstrated the “Magical Transformations: Japanese Fibers in Contemporary Art”. She will show and explain how she uses Eastern and Western papermaking traditions and then incorporates her handmade paper in her contemporary art. The fiber techniques she uses are pulp dipping, indigo dyeing, and sewing papers together to make large wall hangings. Her demonstration of the various stages of paper making generated lots of interest and questions.
March 12, 2024: Marian Wittink
HAL hosted (in person) printmaker Marianne Wittink on March 12, 2024 as she demonstrated and explained how she reuses old prints to create new collage pieces in “Prints: Re-imagined and Revived With Collage”. Attendees thoroughly enjoyed listening to ideas, stories and ways of thinking about artwork, both the successful pieces and how to reuse the less successful ones in new and creative ways.
February 13, 2024: Bob Potter
The Hamden Art League hosted via Zoom art historian Bob Potter on Feb. 13, 2024 as he presented "Power and Remembrance: Reclaiming Black Lives Through Art".
Throughout the history of Western art, people of color have been relegated to unidentified, subservient, and marginalized roles, or have been completely absent in paintings presented by major museums. African American artists Romare Bearden, Amy Sherald, Kerry James Marshall, and Kehinde Wiley confront this reality creating powerful images of the black experience in history, popular culture and American life. In honor of Black History Month, this lecture will explore the art and lives of these artists through examples of their work, biographical profiles, historic context and in videos where the artists share their own personal journeys as artists.
Throughout the history of Western art, people of color have been relegated to unidentified, subservient, and marginalized roles, or have been completely absent in paintings presented by major museums. African American artists Romare Bearden, Amy Sherald, Kerry James Marshall, and Kehinde Wiley confront this reality creating powerful images of the black experience in history, popular culture and American life. In honor of Black History Month, this lecture will explore the art and lives of these artists through examples of their work, biographical profiles, historic context and in videos where the artists share their own personal journeys as artists.
January 9, 2024: Linda Vauters Mickens
Linda Vauters Mickens, "Unclaimed", photo taken at City Gallery
The Hamden Art League hosted via Zoom artist Linda Vauters Mickens at 7 pm on Jan. 9, 2024 as she presented "Art as Activism". Ms. Mickens is from Hamden, CT and is a mostly self-taught African-American sculptor and mixed media artist. Her creative goal is to celebrate African American life, culture and promote social justice and change using her art as activism. She has exhibited in New Haven and throughout CT as well as New Jersey, New Orleans and Los Angeles.
Recent awards are a Bitsie Clark Fund 2023 Recipient and a New Haven Artist Corp 2023 Recipient.
See her website for more info: https://lindamickens.com/
Recent awards are a Bitsie Clark Fund 2023 Recipient and a New Haven Artist Corp 2023 Recipient.
See her website for more info: https://lindamickens.com/
November 14, 2023: Katie Kindilien
The Hamden Art League hosted CT artist Katie Kindilien at 7 pm on Nov. 14, 2023, as she demonstrated her technique for “Oil Painting from Life”. Katie renders her paintings with splashes of high color, giving it the sense of light and space, as well as infusing the work with feeling and authenticity. Katie was an Artist in Residence at the Art Association of Nantucket. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and art associations throughout New England.
Website: https://www.katiekindilienfineart.com/
email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.katiekindilienfineart.com/
email: [email protected]
October 10, 2023: Jeanette Compton
The Hamden Art League hosted award winning CT artist Jeanette Compton at 7 pm on October 10, as she demonstrated “Detailing Nature in Ink" using pen and ink. Jeanette is an artist and educator whose stark pen and ink compositions focus on natural objects such as nests, branches, bark, fungi and other materials whose texture and form catch her attention.
Website: https://www.jeanettecomptonart.com/
email to: [email protected]
Website: https://www.jeanettecomptonart.com/
email to: [email protected]
September 12, 2023: Gigi Horr Liverant
The Hamden Art League hosted Gigi Horr Liverant, on September 12th, as she demonstrated the “Dynamics of Color" using pastels.
Gigi is an IAPS Master Circle member, a PSA Master Pastelist, and a Signature Member of the Connecticut Pastel Society. She has won numerous awards, has exhibited nationally and internationally in addition to being featured in Pastel Journal magazine and other publications. She maintains a studio and gallery in Colchester, Connecticut. To see her work: www.gigiliverant.com and email to: [email protected]
Gigi is an IAPS Master Circle member, a PSA Master Pastelist, and a Signature Member of the Connecticut Pastel Society. She has won numerous awards, has exhibited nationally and internationally in addition to being featured in Pastel Journal magazine and other publications. She maintains a studio and gallery in Colchester, Connecticut. To see her work: www.gigiliverant.com and email to: [email protected]
2022 - 2023 YEAR OF DEMONSTRATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
May 9, 2023: Aleta Gudelski
Hamden Art League hosted Aleta Gudelski, at 7 pm on May 9, as she demonstrated “Experiments from Chaos to Order" using Cold Wax Medium and oil paint techniques. Attendees were treated to this freeing and exciting process for making visually stunning oils. For a copy of her handout CLICK HERE.
For more information see her Website: https://www.aletasgudelski.com/ and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oilandwatercolorbyaleta/
For more information see her Website: https://www.aletasgudelski.com/ and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oilandwatercolorbyaleta/
March 14, 2023: Leif Nilsson WAS ON ZOOM
The Hamden Art League hosted Leif Nilsson at 7 pm, on Tuesday, March 14th, as he presented “Contemporary Connecticut Impressionist".
Leif Nilsson showed scenes of the Connecticut River and his boat, the village of Chester and his own garden. His plein air paintings are alive with vivid colors, that are heavily textured, and multi-layered producing the unique effects of changing light.
Website: http://www.nilssonstudio.com/
Leif Nilsson showed scenes of the Connecticut River and his boat, the village of Chester and his own garden. His plein air paintings are alive with vivid colors, that are heavily textured, and multi-layered producing the unique effects of changing light.
Website: http://www.nilssonstudio.com/
February 14, 2023: Carol Vinick
The Hamden Art League hosted Carol Vinick at their meeting on February 14th, where she presented “Art for Social Justice". Carol Vinick uses fabric collage to tell stories. Included in her body of work are stories of the struggle for social justice, her family history, and the wonders of nature. She brought several examples of her textile art in addition to a slide presentation summarizing her body of work and detailing how she makes it. Her most recent accomplishment was a two- person show at the Windsor Art Center, Sewn Stories, Shared Lives, where she and Linda Martin explored the common threads of their Jewish and African American family histories.
January 10, 2023: Elizabeth Gourlay
The Hamden Art League hosted Connecticut artist Elizabeth Gourlay at 7 pm via zoom, as she presented “Explorations in Color, Light, and Shapes". Gourlay’s work has been written about in The New Criterion, Painters’ Table, Gorky’s Granddaughter and most recently in the Art blog, In Their Studios. Gourlay’s work has been shown nationally and internationally, most notably at The Drawing Center, MASS MoCA, The Cummings Arts Center at Connecticut College, The Hecksher Museum and currently the solo exhibition, Elizabeth Gourlay: Eclectic Threads, at The New Britain Museum of American Art. For more information see her website at https://www.elizabethgourlay.com/ .
November 9, 2022: Lisa Miceli
Hamden Art League hosted award-winning CT artist Lisa Miceli as she presented “Expressive Skies in Watercolor". Lisa illustrated expressive watercolor techniques that capture the spirit of the moment, the light and atmosphere of the sky and water. For examples of her work go to her website.
October 11, 2022: Sandra Wakeen
Hamden Art League hosted award winning artist Sandra Wakeen as she presented “Painting a Portrait in Oil". She demonstrated her technique of creating a poster study (value study) first, then creating the portrait through massing and carving the image with paint.
Website: https://www.sandrawakeenfineart.com, Workshop contact: [email protected]m
Website: https://www.sandrawakeenfineart.com, Workshop contact: [email protected]m
September 13, 2022: Howard Park
Hamden Art League hosted award-winning CT artist Howard Park as he presented “Oil Landscape using a Palette Knife". He demonstrated his basic steps for plein air painting and explained his process, color, and mark making with different knives. For samples of his work and more information, see his website https://www.howardparkart.com/
Artist Howard Park during HAL demonstration.
"Support has been provided to Hamden Art League from CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature".
