Bells, Baubles and Farce
February 5 - April 27, 2008
Rochelle and Irwin A. Lowenfeld Exhibition Hall,
Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, 10th floor
In all my work you see that very definitive line which creates the shape. I use color to define it. That comes out in my drawings. I think the thing you see in my drawings, maybe more clearly than in my larger paintings, is I try to create feeling and emotion as simply as I can with one line.*
Wendy Csoka
Wendy Csoka's mural Bells, Baubles and Farce, pictured above, is the centerpiece of this exhibition which also features drawings and watercolors by the artist. The exhibition is produced in conjunction with the Hofstra University Cultural Center conference At Whom Are We Laughing? Humor in Romance Languages Literature, April 10 - 12, 2008.
Wendy Csoka was born in Sea Cliff, NY in 1949 and currently lives in the village. She attended the University of Arizona from 1967 to 1969. With no formal art training, Csoka has been painting since the 1970s. Her husband, Frank, and her father-in-law, the artist Stephen Csoka, encouraged and supported her inherent talent and interest in painting. Her color palette was partially influenced by the vibrant, colorful landscapes and sunsets of the southwest. In 1994, after a career in advertising sales, she decided to dedicate herself to her painting.
Since 1977 her artwork has been exhibited in solo and group shows, primarily in the New York City and Long Island regions. Her most recent solo exhibition, in June 2007, was sponsored by the Sea Cliff Arts Council. Solo exhibitions of her artwork have appeared at The Shelter Rock Art Gallery (Manhasset, NY), Chelsea Center (East Norwich, NY) and Lightworks Gallery (Glen Cove, NY) among other venues. She has participated in over 25 group exhibitions since the 1970s. Her paintings have been used in some less conventional ways. For instance, 62 images of Csoka's paintings were used for a stage production of the Vagina Monologues at Hofstra University in 2003.
In 2000, Csoka received a Certificate of Recognition from the New York State Division for Women and, in 2001, the "Woman of Distinction" award from the New York State Senate. Csoka recently appeared on the program Artscene on Long Island hosted by Shirley Romaine. A monograph of her artwork, "everything is asleep until it wakes up" The Art of Wendy Csoka, was published by Second Float Press in 2006.