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Ringing in the New Year with the Flintstones
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- Written by George L. Nitti George L. Nitti
- Category: Health & Spirit Health & Spirit
You may be wondering why I’m ringing in the New Year with the Flintstones, a television show that had its original run in the early to mid sixties, one of a handful of Hanna and Barbera productions that entertained me during my childhood years sometime during the mid 70's. So let me explain.
Interior Design with Eclectic Flair
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- Written by George L. Nitti George L. Nitti
- Category: Home and Garden Home and Garden
Tell me about your interior design which was featured on the magazine cover of New York Cottages and Gardens' October issue?
It’s of a room makeover I did as part of the The Designer Showhouse of New York, which was a benefit for Lenox Hill Hospital that took place from mid May thru the end of June. 30 + Interior Designers were invited to decorate luxury residences on the 55th and 56th floor of the W Residency Hotel, located in lower Manhattan. From there the views of the city are spectacular. Each designer makes up 2 bedrooms.
How does that benefit you?
The six week event attracts a large audience and the public is invited to attend through different activities. It’s good PR for the designers, it serves a great cause, and according to event publicity it shows off ‘visionary creations from today’s foremost home and lifestyle designers.'
How would you define your style?
I don’t do anything with a specific style. I’m more eclectic. I have some old things mixed in with new things. You might say I’m eclectic artistic with a modern twist.
In this project, there is no specific style you can pinpoint. Some might say there is an LA look, a little 30’s Hollywood, which is modern. Some would say it’s very contemporary with classical features.
I love your logo. How does that fit in to who you are as a designer?
My logo is a quatrefoil which is a classical element. I believe everything always goes back to classicism, which is then given a modern twist. What I try to do is achieve balance and mix things together but not be clearly defined.
What would you say is in style? What’s out of style?
What’s in: Clean lines, plenty of space with air to circulate, lighter and brighter designs, and a more casual and warmer feel.
What’s out: Big, heavy furniture, enormous pieces that are out of scale and rooms that are overcrowded and overly done.
Why do you think that there has been a shift in the trend away from bigger?
A lot of it is your age. Things change and more people are pairing down. People are more healthy and sustainably conscious. This thing about ‘stuff’ is not what it used to be. It may also have to do with what happened to the economy in 08’. There is a 'lighterness' of being.
I recognize the work of artist Heidi Bilezikian, who is from Warwick as well. What drew you to her work?
I wanted more abstract art on the walls. I knew her work, which has gold tones and blacks and a horse theme and I thought that would work well with what was going on with the other elements.
What other designs inspired you?
The room is made up of many pieces including beautiful lamps from England, tables such as the marble odegard, beautiful rugs and accessories, sustainable fabrics made by Carnegie Fabrics, Wonderly's Custom Draperies, brass lamps and more. I also used the work of another Warwick artist, Janet Howard-Fatta.
The teen center at the Warwick Valley Community Center in Warwick was one of your recent jobs. Tell me about that project.
I enjoyed doing it. I wanted to contribute something to the community. Stylistically, I wanted it to have a clean look and to feel spacious, brighter and healthier. Everything that’s there can live a long time. It would be hard to ruin anything in that space. We were on a very limited budget so we used corregated metal to cover everything and gave it a new and fresh look helped by the flooring which was made out of epoxy.
Warwick Valley Living thanks Pamela J. Durante for her fine talents and community contributions.
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Warwick resident Pamela J. Durante, owner of Atelier Durante Interior Design, is a NY State certified interior designer and past president of the American Society of Interior Designers. Her passion for design took root when she discovered that she enjoyed makingover rooms as a teenager. She graduated from the Parsons School of Interior Design and teaches at the New York School of Interior Design while keeping busy with projects for residential and commercial properties.
"There's Just Something about Pumpkins"... Up Close with Artist Nancy Reed-Jones
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- Written by George L. Nitti George L. Nitti
- Category: Art and Photography Art and Photography
George: I really like this photo of you standing in front of your mural with the pumpkins. How did it come about?
Nancy: I painted the mural at Soons Orchards last fall as part of the "Farm Art Trail" with the Wallkill River School. One artist painted on each farm where people could watch and also learn more about the farm and the Wallkill River School and their mission. I painted three large panels, each depicting a different part of the farm.
The first was Soons apple orchards where I also included one of the family dogs. The second was of the Pumpkin Patch and the third of the actual farm stand building. While we were painting the mural groups of people took tours of the farm and watched the painting being done.
I love the fact that something that I created will be part of Soons Orchards for years to come.
George: How do you feel about painting around this time of year?
Nancy: The autumn season is my favorite time of year. I think of it as "Gods Art Show" and it is like no other. We artists pale in comparison to the magnificent array of colors that he can produce as our creator.
I especially love painting en plein air in the fall when everything surrounding us has a warm glow about it. I feel it is produced by a magical force right before the landscape goes to sleep for the winter.
George: Tell us about your recent Pumpkin Painting that sold?
Nancy: This painting is titled "The Harvest." I included two of my autumn favorites in this painting. One is my love of mums because they show the true colors of autumn. The other is pumpkins.They remind me of the beautiful region we live in and of happy memories as a child picking pumpkins in the pumpkin patch.The person who purchased my painting has stated that it will hang in her dining room for the fall and holiday season.
George: You also teach. What's it like teaching your classes?
Nancy: Even with my great love of painting, I must say I really enjoy the teaching aspect of it as well. I teach beginner "Arty Parties" every Thursday evening at the Wallkill School Of Art. Students are encouraged to bring their favorite wine, snacks and paint in a party atmosphere. Even if a student has never painted before, they leave my class knowing that everyone has the ability to create art. I work with each person at the level they are at and encourage them to be creative in their own right, while creating a safe and non judgmental environment for them. I really enjoy having these very large classes because even though everyone is painting the same scene, they somehow all turn out just a little different. I love seeing the faces of the students who never knew they could paint. I feel very blessed to have the ability to unleash in my students their artistic abilities that were unknown to them.
Bio: Nancy Reed Jones came to the Hudson Valley from Long Island in 2004, where she owned her own mural business for several years. While living on Long Island, Nancy painted murals for cancer patients at a hospital there. Her murals were used for "guided imagery" to help alleviate the patients pain. Nancy also taught "Art For Relaxation" classes to the nurses and doctors at the hospital.
In 2008 Nancy joined the Wallkill River School of Art in Montgomery where she is now an instructor and on the Board Of Directors.
In 2013 she was awarded the "Champion Of The Arts In Healthcare" award by the Orange County Arts Council and in 2010 was voted #1 acrylic artist in the region.
Warwick Landscapes in Abstract: Fall Into Winter
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- Written by Heidi L. Bilezikian Heidi L. Bilezikian
- Category: Art and Photography Art and Photography
Last summer I created a collection of work during a plein air painting holiday in County Meath, Ireland. This Fall I was reminded of the lush green landscape of Ireland and decided to paint our beautiful Warwick Landscape. This series of paintings "Fall into Winter" was created on location inspired by Upper and Lower Wisner Road, Ochs Orchard, and Applewood Orchards.
Marty's Cars
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- Written by Marty Kupersmith Marty Kupersmith
- Category: Education Education
About 15 years ago, I went to a yard sale in a field up on Moe Mountain, where I found an old Buddy L dump truck from about 1923. I actually beat out a guy who spied me looking at it. It was in rough shape so I bead blasted it, re-painted it and did some research and discovered a new passion for pressed steel automotive toys. They represent an era when toys were made to last and could be played with hard without the thought of legal intervention. Today there are no metal toys - only plastic - and kids don't push toys along the floor. The only thing they push is their thumbs!
Letter from a Grateful Onion Farmer
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- Written by Chris Pawelski Chris Pawelski
- Category: Food & Wine Food & Wine
Since 1996 the black dirt region of Orange County has been hit with a plethora of devastating weather events that have severely limited, if not decimated our crops. From floods of the Wallkill River, to devastating droughts, to large hail storms, we have taken a pounding.
But 2014 is proving to be a fantastic growing season! Adequate and well timed rains coupled with warm but not excessively hot days combined with cool nights have provided an ideal growing season for most crops, especially onions. Even the long and bitterly cold winter was extremely beneficial in terms of mitigating certain pathogens and pests that harbor themselves in the soil and flourish during a mild winter.
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On our farm we are typically yielding 900-1,000 50lb bags of onions to the acre. But what has been most extraordinary has been the quality of the crop. We have virtually no culls or waste!
Though many of us, including Eve and I, are very deep in debt after so many devastating and mediocre seasons, and one very good season will not eliminate the massive debt we are in, this bumper crop will go a long way in reducing that heavy debt burden.
We are very appreciative and feel extremely blessed. Not just because of the growing season but the long standing and overwhelming support we have found over the years from our neighbors in Warwick and the other communities we are located in. We cannot thank everyone enough for their kindness and support over the years. That support makes us even more appreciative as this season hopefully progresses to a successful finish.
Hopefully 2014 will only be surpassed by 2015! In the meantime, I keep muttering to myself, “‘next year’ is finally THIS YEAR!”
Chris is a 4th generation farmer, married to the same wonderful woman, Eve, since 1990, and the proud father of two wonderful sons, Caleb & Jonah.
When he’s not stuck in the muck at home he’s mired in the muck in Washington DC and Albany, NY, working on public policy issues on behalf of farmers.
His soon to be published memoir, "Muckville: Farm Policy, Media and the Strange Oddities of Semi-Rural Life," details his experiences living on the farm and working on public policy issues affecting agriculture in Washington DC.
Chris signed with a professional literary agent, Elisabeth Dabney, of Elisabeth B. Dabney Literary Services (http://ebdliterary.com/Welcome.html). She is an enthusiastic believer in his memoir and is actively working to sell it to a publishing entity.