A group of acrylic paintings by one of Woodstock’s most popular artists will be featured at the James Cox Gallery in an upcoming exhibit called “Sui Generis”. An opening reception for the artist will be held on Friday, August 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the gallery’s Willow showroom.
Bobby Blitzer moved with her two young children from the West Village in New York City to Woodstock in 1968. At the time she worked for artist Charles Seliger of Commercial Decal, Inc. in Mt. Vernon, NY. The arrangement worked well for the young mother who was able to work on dinnerware, tile and other designs for the firm from her home on Jones Quarry Rd. in Woodstock.
Blitzer, an art major who graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Minnesota, began her professional career as a designer for Hallmark Cards, Inc. in Kansas City in 1960. Before creating designs for Commercial Decal, she also worked at Style Art Studio in New York creating patterns for wallpaper and drapery.
After moving to Woodstock the artist married her late husband Bill Blitzer and moved with him and her sons to her current home and studio on Silver Hollow Rd. in Willow. Commenting on her decades living in the famous art colony, Blitzer commented, “Woodstock is the perfect place. It’s full of so many interesting, inspiring people.”
In 1989 Blitzer began to focus on working in acrylic and watercolor, creating paintings that blend her skills as an illustrator with her extraordinary ability to create provocative textures and designs. She also joined the Woodstock Artist Association where she was elected to the Board of Directors in 1992 and won the prestigious Towbin Award in 2005. In addition to the James Cox Gallery, Blitzer has exhibited at several Hudson Valley venues including Petrucci Gallery in Saugerties, Green County Council on the Arts in Catskill and The Fletcher Gallery in Woodstock.
Commenting on Blitzer’s work, James Cox explained that he chose the title “Sui Generis” because it aptly describes the unique quality of her paintings. “Each piece featured in this exhibit is an example of Bobby’s ability to combine representational elements with fascinating abstract patterns.”
Blitzer credits Charles Seliger of Commercial Decal with having a profound influence on her own work. The fine, distinctive lines and patterns along with calligraphic flourishes evident in so many of her paintings were inspired by Seliger’s technique, Blitzer explained.
This approach is particularly evident in a large 48” x 32” paintings titled “Consuelo”, which is based on a photograph by Consuelo Kanaga. This piece depicts a young African American mother and her two children standing amidst a stand of bright orange iris. The figures are rendered in a classic, realistic style while the floral element is painted with fine patterned strokes and the background a swirl of intricate patterns.
“Indigo Bunting Buddha”, a charming 12” x 9” painting, is an example of the whimsy evident in much of Blitzer’s work. Buddha is depicted with a half-smile on his face, a pair of birds perched just above his forehead. Sometimes Blitzer employs a more classical technique, as in a 20” x 16” piece titled “The Prophet – Kahil Gibran”, which is reminiscent of John Singer Sargent’s portrait painting
style. The same approach is also evident in “Last Winter”, a 16” x 24” landscape with a provocative composition. It depicts the artist’s family, a group of all ages, gathered in the forest on a snowy afternoon.
“Sui Generis” will be on view at the James Cox Gallery, 4666 State Route 212 in Willow, NY, through September 22.