Ray O'Connell
Artists of the Month for February, March & April 2007
at the Long Beach Senior/Community Center

The West End Arts and The Long Beach Community Center have allowed
me, Raymond M. O’Connell, to display my artwork from mid February through March 2007.

I have always lived on Long Island and enjoyed the beaches for which it is famous. Consequently, I have incorporated my love of the ocean as a theme in much of my work.

My interest in art began during my formative years in public school. Later, I pursued my art education more seriously at Hofstra University where I achieved a B.S. in Fine Arts.

In addition to my accredited schooling, I studied with a prominent illustrator known for paperback covers and advertising art named Robert Schulz of the Art Students League in NYC. While attending there, I learned figure drawing and painting in life classes using the methods of the late Frank Riley. He was the teacher of Robert Schulz, and he taught
at the Art Students League as well as in his own school which was named after him.

A brief explanation of the “Riley Method” includes: drawing lifelike figures using a foundation “action” line to emphasize movement, making under-paintings with a tonal value scale by covering an entire canvas with a thinned raw umber oil paint mixture to produce a middle tone value base on which to lighten (by rubbing the wet base with a cloth) or darken (by applying raw umber or burnt umber straight from the tube), painting colors on the now dried underpainting or “wash-in” according to the tonal values indicated on the wash-in, and building up colors in layers with ever increasing chroma strength.

After Robert Schulz’ passing, I had the good fortune to receive instruction from Louis DeDonato, who was also a former Riley student. Mr. DeDonato has taught and still teaches at the Salmagundi Art Club located just north of Washington Square Park on Fifth Ave. I became a scholarship member and later a junior member at Salmagundi and participated in art shows there. Since my membership at Salmagundi, I exhibited in various art clubs on Long Island.

In September 2006, I formally joined West End Arts. This group was co–founded by my fellow church goer at Windsor Ave. Bible Church, Oceanside, N.Y., photographer, Robert Shanley. In recent years I have produced approximately ten murals as decoration for Daily Vacation Bible School children’s program at Windsor Ave. Bible Church. Both Bob and I are privileged and inspired to share our vision of the beauty God has created using our respective mediums.

Over the years, I have made trips to coastal areas in: the Northeast, the
Northwest, Canada, and Europe taking photos for resource material in the
painting process.

My approach to painting is traditional realism. And by this manner I have
created various landscapes and portraits on commission and for my own
artistic development.

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Ron Emanuele
Artist of the Month for March 2007
at The Coffee Nut

West End Arts member Ron Emanuele artist & occasional fashion designer Of Long Beach was on ch. 12 news Monday 30, 2007. Last month Rons art work was exhibited at the Sr/Community Center in a West End Arts Visual Artist Guild group show. The community center has become a Mecca for local artists thanks to the efforts of Director Pat McCormick. Chauncey Howel was visting the Community center and spotted Rons interesting, whimsical, and unique art work. Impressd with the work , Chauncey asked Ron to be interviewed on Channel 12 LI news. Ron has been an artist all his life and more recently an art educator. He works in various two and three dimentional media and is also a fashion designer. Rons fashion t -shirt collection is known all around the south shore of LI. You can see his fashion t-shirt collection at all the art &craft shows in Long Beach and the surrounding towns. Each year he creates a new collection reflecting current trends and interests in Long Beach. Ron Emanuele was also the owner of Futons in Paridise , a retail store on Park Ave. The store was a "must see" when people came to Long Beach. It featured Futon Beds, fine art, posters, crafts, jewelry, crystals, books, cards, gifts, insence, and candles. Ron's art work is now at the coffee nut cafe for the month of Feb. At 250 East Park Ave. Long Beach