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Unitarian church hosts exhibit By Erin Kennedy ekennedy@longislarulemews.ccym Victoria Twomey, long-time Huntington resident and pioneer in the digital arts, is currently exhibiting her artwork and poetry at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hunting-ton. The exhibit, entitled "How Melancholy, How Divine," had its reception on Sunday and will be on display until the end of the month. Twomey began her artistic adventure several years ago, creating her own graphic art, although she had been working on a computer since the first Commodore 64 came out in the 1980s. A self-taught web designer, graphic artist, computer programmer and technical writer, Twomey found that her most suitable form of expression was through her computer, only to branch out to poetry after the passing of her mother two years ago. |
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Through these two media, Twomey has been able to express her internal jorney in a tangible way. "I find that the poetry just comes very naturally to me. It's an extremely effective way for me to deal with my feelings and emotions about life," Twomey said. "I do feel that the art and poetry are ultimately a search for God, a search for self, a search for meaning in life and to understand why it is that we experience such divine things and yet such melancholy things. Life is full of such wonderful, wonderful experiences and such tragedies." About a year ago Twomey took her hobby to the next level by beginning to exhibit and sell her artwork at outdoor art shows on Long Island, alongside her husband, who is a fine art photographer. The two are currently in theprocess of building an in-home gallery at their house, located off of Broadway in Huntington |
Photo Courtesy Victoria Twomey
Victoria Twomey's image, "Still Beautiful," is on display at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington until the end of September.
After experimenting with several different mediums, including drawing, painting, and sculpting, Twomey came to find that working with a computer suited her best. "I was never as satisfied with the results as I am with what I'm able to do with a computer," Twomey said. "Really the sky is the limit with what I can do. It helps me put more of what I see in my mind on the paper than the other mediums. Artists use the tool that works best with their minds and hands and coordination. I don't know if it's a left-brain right-brain thing, but it lets me use both sides of my brain which I find extremely enjoyable."
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Twomey often uses subjects such as flowers and foods, including coffee beans, pistachios in mint jelly and pear seeds. By scanning these objects directly into her computer, she can use PhotoShop to adjust the shadow, depth and color of the image, as well as to zoom in very close, until the images become somewhat abstract. One of Twomey's pieces, entitled "Still Beautiful" is a close-up of a slightly wilted gerbera daisy that her husband had given her in a bouquet for their anniversary. "I had quite an intimate experience with it. As I was working with it, I was reminded of the difference between a young girl and an older woman. A young girl, much like a young flower, is fresh and new and beautiful in her own way. This flower became very beautiful because it had its own character. It had lines and different hues but it was still beautiful and quite interesting," Twomey said. The show had its opening reception on Sunday and will be open on Sundays until the end of the month. For more information about Victoria Twomey and her work, visit www.victoriatwomey.com. |