Gallery 54 Features Mitzie Testani & Her Curious & Playful Art

 June 7 is a good day to mark on your calendar so you won't miss the opening of the month of June-long show at Gallery 54, “Traveler, Gouache and Watercolor Paintings by Mitzie Testani” featuring the playful and colorful painting of award winning Syracuse artist.

     

Artist Mitzie Testani, photo by Derek Pfohl 

After just a quick glance at her work you won't find it difficult to believe that her interest began on childhood camping trips in Colorado, or that her desire to teach her son, Alec, the alphabet provided the foundation that helped her to incorporate illustration into her graphic design career.

      When Alec was young, Mitzie would draw pictures and words, pasting them on the wall for the two of them to talk about. Her artwork is curious, playful, colorful and full of nature. She's quick to point out that it can become “somewhat opinionated” when she adds lettering and makes it “kid friendly.”

      Those pictures and words pasted on the wall evolved into painting during nap-time and taking illustration classes online. Mitzie loves the escape she finds in her art and notes it has given her an outlet to process whatever may be going on in her life. “When I'm making a painting,” she says, “I start with research and thinking through sketching and lettering.”

     

Her projects, she notes, allow her to travel vicariously and to see things she would not have seen otherwise, had she not gotten up early to paint. Her exhibit at Gallery 54 will feature new work, specifically wine trail maps for Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga lakes. She will have both prints and original paintings available for purchase along with original paintings of icons featured on her maps.

      As a graphic designer at Corso's Cookies, some of her illustrations are used in cookie designs as well as packaging. Mitzie earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Tyler School of Art at Temple University.

      Her art has been exhibited at the PATF Snow Show at the Marriott, Syracuse Co-Works Space, the SUM Art shows in Syracuse, the Tech Garden in Syracuse and at the Natur-Tyme Gallery in Dewitt, NY. She has also had solo exhibits at the Maxwell Memorial Library in Camillus, NY. Mitzie also has work in the permanent collections at the US National Library of Medicine and at the Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University in Chicago.

      The opening reception will be held from 5 to 8 pm, June 7 at Gallery 54, 54 East Genesee St, Skaneateles, NY.

  Meet Mitzie and enjoy the “Blue Harp” music of Chris Molloy.