Artwork on Display from early September through early October
The National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) will be hosting a solo exhibition of artwork by Leah K. Tomaino, of Randolph, starting in September.
Waiting Lotus
From September 6 through October 2, art goers can view Tomaino’s recent collection of artwork titled “Pieces” at the NAWA Gallery, 315 West 39th St., Suite 508, New York, NY 10018.
Tomaino, who teaches two- and three-dimensional design at County College of Morris (CCM), works primarily in the medium of collage on canvas, generally reusing old brown shopping bags to create new works of art.
Tomaino’s interest in working with collaging brown bags began in 1999 when recycling became popular. For her, working with brown bags served as a metaphor for the cycle of life: the bags she uses start as a tree, are turned into a brown bags and used for a short period of time until Tomaino recycles them by painting, tearing and collaging the pieces into her newest art piece. Tomaino in her artwork seeks to convey the beauty and serenity of nature that still exist in today’s largely urban society.
At first glance, one appreciates the vibrant colors and delicate depiction of Tomaino’s nature scenes, but a closer inspection reveals months of hard, tedious work. Tomaino applies each vibrantly painted ripped strip of paper to her canvas, building upon the pieces until she finally completes her vision. This attention to detail gives each of her pieces a unique flare.
Leahbra Bag 1
In 2011, Tomaino branched out from collage paintings when Bloomingdales asked her to design a collection of artwork to help raise awareness for breast cancer. For that project, she designed “LeahBras.” That, in turn, inspired a collection of seven small handbags in the form of a female torso made with the same collage technique, each adorned with a small pink breast cancer awareness ribbon and small, abstract pink impatience flowers to represent the unease of breast cancer patients.
First designed for CCM’s 2016 Fashion Show, “Pretty in Pink,” The “LeahBras” handbag collection will have its New York City debut at Tomaino’s upcoming exhibition. A portion of proceeds from any handbag sold at the exhibition will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
For additional information about the artist and art exhibit, visit www.leahktomaino.com and www.thenawa.org/.
To learn more about the Art and Design programs at CCM, visit https://tinyurl.com/y9kzbxqf/.
