Stormy Weather

Dean Dalfonzo is an artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He completed an MFA in figurative painting from The New York Academy of Art in 2002. In 2003, he was a summer resident in the studio of Odd Nerdrum in Stavern, Norway. He currently teaches drawing and painting at Pratt Institute, Parsons The New School for Design, The Fashion Institute of Technology and Franklin University Switzerland.

Looking at all the amazing work submitted to Stormy Weather, I was struck by the range of emotions represented by artists responding to nature and severe weather. The energy, vulnerability, beauty and hope we all feel is there in many diverse forms and media. From poignant photography, thought-provoking found creations, and skillfully executed drawings and paintings, it was a challenge to choose any standouts. As if considering the aftermath of a storm, I looked at all the works and then put the images away. I thought about what was left, and the pieces that had left an impression on my personal memory. I tried to pick from the range of media and artistic expression equally and therefore I wasn’t able to give awards to many pieces I thought were outstanding. It was a true pleasure to be introduced to so many wonderful artists. Award Winners: In looking at “Wishing While Fishing” by Karen Henderson, I could almost feel the droplets of rain and hear “pitter patter” as they hit the water. “Frozen Stream” by Linda Dorfman, made me think of crunching snow under foot, cold silence and cut of sharp air in my lungs. The thick paint of “Prospect” by Julie Devine, reminded me of Winslow Homer’s Seascape’s and the powerful forces of nature. Another painting, “Renew Thyself”, by Justin Worrell, captured an ethereal rainstorm punctuated by brilliantly rendered trees, made me think of Inness’s emotive landscapes. I got lost in the dynamic mark-making of Jean Yang’s “Spill” reminiscent of Van Gogh’s drawings made with reed pens plucked from the marshes. Lastly, “After the Storm” by Judi T Gaston, a wonderful, thought-provoking creation from found objects that addresses the cost of natural “weather events” that seem to be increasingly unnatural and our role in creating and cleaning up after them. Honorable Mention: In addition to these pieces, I found others such as “What do the Heavens Hold” a beautifully simple and thoughtful charcoal drawing, the exciting composition of “De-Icing for Wicked Weather” and “Man & Broom in a Nor’Easter”, a piece that evoked thoughts of wet boots and warm of home simultaneously to be great examples of our trials and tribulations with Stormy Weather to name a few.