Pleasantville Preserve Presents "Pastoral of the Peonies"

From New York State Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation:

Pleasantville, NY – The Art Gallery at the Rockefeller Park State Preserve has recently opened an exhibit to coincide with the blooming of the popular Japanese peony garden just outside the gallery. The exhibit features art subjects of beautiful blooms in both realistic and abstract paintings created by Peggie Blizard, R. Ashley Krohmal and Susan Lanzano, dramatically influenced by Asian and Western cultures. The exhibit opened May 1 and will remain open through Sunday, June 26. The artists will be honored at a reception on Sunday, May 15, 1 to 3 p.m. The exhibition is curated by Audrey Leeds. Admission to the gallery is free, although there is a $6 per vehicle parking fee for the preserve.

The exhibit is timed to match up with the blooming of the preserve’s Japanese peony garden, a favorite spot among many visitors. The garden consists of about 500 tree peonies donated by the Japanese town of Yatsuka Cho, in Shimane Prefecture, in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

In addition to an art exhibit themed after the blooming of the peonies, the Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve will hold the Eighth Annual Peony Celebration Benefit on Thursday, May 12 from 6 to 9 p.m. More information on that can be found at www.friendsrock.org.

Information on the Artists:

Susan Lanzano began her study of Botanical art in the Western tradition after a successful publishing career at Oxford Press. Traveling to the Orient, she was inspired by brush painting and now creates water color paintings and archival giclee prints and calendars.

Peggie Blizard’s oil paintings are in the nature of joyful celebrations of gardens, and bouquet arrangements in unique surroundings and structures. Her paintings are in many private collections throughout the U.S.

R. Ashley Krohmal pursued an internship in ceramic arts in Nagano, Japan and throughout her education she has focused on ceramic sculpture. Her watercolors and paintings capture aspects of abstraction evoking a spiritual quality. She has exhibited her paintings, ceramics and sculptures in the U.S. and Japan.

The Art Gallery at Rockefeller State Park Preserve is located at 125 Phelps Way (Route 117), Pleasantville, N.Y., 10570. The gallery is open daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Preserve is one of 15 state parks, six historic sites and two golf courses administered by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – Taconic Region. Visit the Preserve on Facebook. For further information about the Preserve, click here and for information on the Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, visit www.friendsrock.org.