Zwerling to exhibit watercolors

LORDS VALLEY - An exhibition titled, “Don Zwerling - Retrospective in Watercolors” will be shown at the Davis R. Chant gallery on Route 739 in Lords Valley through the month of March. A reception will be held on March 3, from 5-7 p.m. The reception and exhibition is open to the public without charge. Don Zwerling of Bayside, Queens, NY, is a retired middle school principal, with over four decades of service as an educator and consultant. He has had a lifelong interest in art. His art background includes service as an art teacher in the New York City public school system, art studies at the City College of New York, workshops and membership in the National Art League, the Floral Park Art League, and the Pike County Arts and Crafts Inc. He continues to devote his time and efforts to refine his skills, by attending advanced art classes for the past six years at the Nassau County Museum of Art. Zwerling has worked in a variety of media, but prefers watercolor painting and pen and ink drawings, involving landscapes, marine-scapes, florals, and people in all walks of life. “Any good painting shows competence, creativity, and content. These C’s provide the guidelines for my efforts in working with the direct medium of watercolor. My work tends to be up close and personal, with very little distraction from decorative elements. I want to show the subtleties, nuances and the imperfections in what I’m painting. “With realism, the emotion is much more direct because the image is simple and unambiguous. Each painting is designed to capture the depth and mood of a subject , filled with rich color and natural light. “I am fascinated with how three-dimensional objects are placed in a two-dimensional space. My friends ask, ‘When are you going to leave realism?’ But I love the idea of using the competence that I have acquired over time in depicting objects realistically. I never want to let go of the emotional quality of art making, and the enjoyment of it. The most wonderful question in art is, I wonder what would happen if...” Don’s work has received numerous awards and achieved widespread acclaim at the National Art League, the Floral Park League, the Nassau County Museum of Art, the Pike County Arts and Crafts Inc., and various communities in the tri-state area. His work has been exhibited throughout these areas.