(RARITAN, NJ) -- Curate NJ Gallery presents a group show, Say Less, from March 1 through June 1, 2025. The featured artists include: Michael DiMaio, Barry Emmons, Laurie Hart, Frank Ippolito, Adrienne Kurzawa, Hector Martinez, Christine Myshka, Peter Rooss, and Abbey Rosko.

Assembled by owner and main curator Tess Hansen, Say Less is a compilation of work about symbolic representation of a subject with lots of emotional subtext. Some of the works featured seem to 'drift off' looking unfinished or have blurry edges to their subjects. Some works are startlingly clear but set a scene of longing, pastoral, or romanticism. This kind of artwork lends itself well to watercolor and pastels but the show also includes photography and oil paintings.

“I believe the reason people love art is because it causes them to feel.” Said Tess “You don't have to say a lot to feel a lot. Say less. Feel more.” Starting with houses leaden with snow, scenes in these works unfold into memories of playing the piano with Grandpa, and sitting on the edge of a dock.

As patrons walk through the gallery, they will see the rust, golds, or burnt umber coming together to form a cohesive sepia. Some works are displayed on cardboard with rough edges, contributing to the romanticism of memory.

Say Less will be ongoing throughout the month of May with an opening reception Saturday, March 1, 2025. The gallery will be open for visitors in conjunction with the attached frame shop hours: Tuesday-Friday 10:00am-5:30pm and Saturdays 11:00am-4:00pm. Register for the opening reception here.

Meet the Artists

MICHAEL DIMAIO is an illustrator, painter, and portrait artist originally from Jersey City. He studied under many talented and renowned artists at DuCret School of Art where he graduated as valedictorian. Throughout the years, he received many awards as well as scholarships for his works. He currently works on commission where he specializes in photorealistic portraiture.

BARRY EMMONS - Born and raised in South Jersey, Barry drew from an early age. He received formal training at Gettysburg College, graduating with degrees in Fine Arts and Art History. Equally accomplished in pastels, watercolors and oils, Barry’s works show an understanding of sunlight on landscape and structure.

LAURIE HART lives and paints in central NJ. She graduated college with a “practical” major and art minor. Post retirement, with further training from lots of workshops and classes at the Art Students League, Salmagundi Club, and South Avenue Arts, she is pursuing the study of watercolor painting.

FRANK IPPOLITO is a multi-disciplinary artist who maintains a painting and photography studio in Jersey City. His illustration work has been commissioned by Scientific American, The New York Times, and The U. S. Geological Survey and his paintings hang on permanent exhibit at The American Museum of Natural History as well as The National Zoo.

Throughout this time, Frank has cultivated a parallel, singular thread of focus that centers around the drawing and painting of the human figure in motion and in rest. The works are drawn and painted onto found surfaces—most recently, torn scraps of cardboard—and employ a limited palette of color. Painted from live models, whose poses last a mere 5 to 10 minutes, these works leverage the built-in time limitation to help channel the gesture and energy of that unique moment onto the surface of the cardboard. The result is a collection of small, high-energy works that attempt to capture a small piece of the vibrancy of the human condition.

ADRIENNE KURZAWA is a New Jersey based emerging artist working in acrylic and mixed media creating abstract compositions that express the interconnectedness between material, emotion, spirit, and the psyche. She entered into the study of psychology and art as an undergrad at Kutztown University, later obtaining a Master’s in Art Therapy and the Creative Process from Pratt Institute, and a Masters of Counseling from Seton Hall. 

With over 20 years of experience as an art therapist and mental health practitioner, her work is greatly informed by the emotional struggles of individuals as well as her own insights. Adrienne is interested in bringing awareness to her work as an artist but furthermore as an advocate for Mental Health.

PETER ROOSS is a documentary photographer based on the East coast United States specializing in 35mm film. His work evokes emotion by playing with shadow and light, capturing everyday moments to create something thought provoking and out of the ordinary. His goal is to have his photos make the viewer ask questions.

Peter’s work was recently featured at The Black Box Gallery in Portland Oregon as part of their 2024 Black and White exhibition, and through the SHIM Art Network /AQUA Art Miami as part of the Bushwick Community Darkroom show during Miami Art Week. Peter has been featured in the Freestyle Photo LA newsletter and on the Kodak Professional website. From the artist, “I started taking photographs because I have terrible handwriting. I felt the need to document my life and the lives of those around me in a format that will live on beyond the limits of my own existence.”

HECTOR MARTINEZ started his traditional oil painting and drawing studies at Ducret School of Art where he studied under one of Norman Rockwell’s apprentices, Peter Caras. In speaking and learning with an alumni from Ani Art Academies, Hector was opened to an experience that drastically changed the way he approached painting. He enrolled in and continues to learn at Ani Art Academies in Red bank NJ, where he is taking his skills to another level.

CHRISTINE MYSHKA has been working professionally for over 30 years. As part of her art training, Christine attended Parsons School of Design earning a BFA in Illustration. In carving out a career in the visual arts, she has done illustration, logo designs, architectural portraits, fine art, murals, and painted furniture. Some of her clients include Davis Publishing, Ideal Graphics Inc., T`Leon Advertising, The Home New & Tribune, Suburban Golf Club, Arcola Country Club, Rockaway River Country Club, EJ`s Bar and Grille, Vitale General Contracting, John Kling Custom Homes as well as numerous commissions for private clients.

ABBEY ROSKO - The figures within Rosko’s paintings are based on photographs and film stills and depict family, friends, and actors. Her images carry the feeling of the familiar, of everyday scenes or moments from films shared across our culture that stand out in our memories and immediately resonate. In eliminating specific details of time or place, she invites an exploration of mood set by pose and paint, enhancing her interaction with the viewer.

Rosko graduated with a BA in studio art from Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She has participated in over thirty solo and group exhibitions around Pennsylvania since 2021 and is a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant. In addition to her own studio practice, which includes portrait commissions, Rosko has worked as a studio assistant, K-12 substitute teacher, and instructed at The Baum Art School in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Lehigh Art Alliance and the Arts Community of Easton. She has been named a finalist for The Bennett Prize Round 4 (2025).

LAWRENCE QUIRK was born in New Jersey. After an uneventful youth spent in Monmouth County and seven years of post-high school education, he spent the next 30 years as a practicing attorney trying civil jury cases. Upon retirement, he decided that his life’s second act would center on trying to become a potter which is a continuing and addictive effort.

He embraced both wheel throwing and hand building to create these works as well as using a range of glazing/firing techniques including the use of electric kilns, Soda and Salt firings, Raku firings, Pit firings and Anagama wood firings. While Lawrence believes that he creates a range of different works, his fellow potters say they can always see Lawrence himself in what he creates.

Curate NJ is a mural company and art gallery owned by Plainfield, NJ residents Jake and Tess Hansen. It opened in 2023 with the mission of making the world a more beautiful place.