Happy (Belated) Mothers Day!

In honor of Mothers Day having been this past weekend, I decided to share one of my favorite family pictures depicting my maternal lineage. That fuzzy potato on my grandma Pauline's lap is me and on either side are my great grandma Pearl and my Mama. I thank them for their lessons, patience, grace under challenging circumstances and funky style.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been visiting Mom and Dad on Long Island. So, between the impossible array of events and get togethers that come up when one goes back home for any amount of time, I've managed to squeeze in a mini visit here and there of some of my old stomping grounds and discover new spots, as well. Of course, several of these outings involved catching some great art exhibitions.

Here are some shots from my recent adventures. They include photos of downtown Huntington, the local tulip festival, an opening reception for Stanko's Happy Trails at the Ripe Gallery, an exhibition of Long Island's most talented high school artists at the Heckscher Museum, and both the Kenny Scharf exhibition and the Glamorous Graffiti exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art.

*Huntington Tulip Festival, Heckscher Park*

Opening Reception, Stanko's *Happy Trails*, Ripe Art Gallery

*Long Island's Best Young Artists* at Heckscher Museum

Meagan McClinchey, *Inner Demons,* Digital Photograph

Shaina Tabak, *Rock Paper Scissors,* Acrylic on canvas

Blair Rohan, *Family Dinner,* Digital photograph

*Long Island's Best Alumni Exhibition,* Heckscher Museum

work by Kenny Scharf, Nassau County Museum of Art

works by Kenny Scharf, Nassau County Museum of Art

Kenny Scharf, *Pop Renaissance*, Nassau County Museum of Art

Kenny Scharf, close up of *Pop Renaissance*, Nassau County Museum of Art

Jean-Michel Basquiat, *Third Street,* 1984

Keith Haring, *Red and Black Painting,* 1983

We had a wonderful time at the opening reception last night. What a fantastic turnout! It's great to see so many art enthusiasts, especially on such a chilly night. Thanks to everyone that was able to make it.

Who knew? Carolers like art, too!

The participating artists were Jacques Albert, Andre Kan, Melissa Espina, Brenda Clews, Judy McKenna, Donna Gordon, Musa Musa, Choi Ka-Eun Jane Hur, David Cumming, Earl Elowsky, Gail Gregory, Nola McConnan, Nazli Nahidi, Vashty Hawkins, Kathy Vatcher, Carol Steinberg, David Brandy, Felicity Somerset, Anthony Smerek, Reuben Looyenga, Ann Somers, Shyla Tibando, Jennifer Hosein, Amy Siegel, Lisa Fox, Michaela Nessim, Colin Asuncion, Reuben Looyenga, Norman Allan

And, here is my work.

The Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival programming can be a bit overwhelming, so I’ve put together a list of the events and shows that have me most excited this week.