Art By the Falls Artists
Nelson Ascencio original created in Feb. 2023
Nelson Ascencio
My career commenced in the comic book industry in 1994, penciling backgrounds and inking for an independent comic book company. In 1997, I moved to design work in the toy industry for such companies as Toybiz, Marvel, Star Trek, Star Wars,Kiss, Eminem, just to name a few. My work includes turnarounds for action figures, as well as concept designs. I also partnered with the graphic design department to conceptualize the packaging for various projects. My experience includes a transition from toy designer to senior art director, within the 2d and sculpture departments. In 2005, I established my first design studio and worked with companies such as Gentle Giant, Jakks Pacific, Sideshow collectible and Diamond Select. Currently, I continue to work for various entities within the toy industry and have recently collaborated with Playmates Toys to design a Billie Eilish action figure.My impetus is to work on personal projects and encourage the notoriety of other designers within the toy industry. My innovations include creating Intellectual property such as a fantasy character named Chuki, with its line of plush and collectible figurines. As well as releasing Chuki NFTs in the near future.
Created by Kathy Cunningham
Kathy Cunningham
Kathy Cunningham is an artist/art educator who has lived in West Islip for 30 years. She retired from teaching art for 31 years in the North Merrick Public Schools. She also taught art at Taipei American School, Taiwan. She has been published numerous times in School Arts and Arts & Activities magazines and was a member of the American Press Association. She has taught teacher workshops, and has had several workshops at the West Islip Public Library and other Suffolk County libraries. Besides showing at Art by the Falls in Babylon Village, she also has exhibited at the Nathaniel Conklin House; the Carriage House at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum; the Southampton Cultural Art Center; the Huntington Arts Center; Emma Clark Library, Setauket; and the East Islip Arts Council. She has had several one-person shows at the West Islip Library. She is a member of the Babylon Village Arts Council. When not doing art work, she can be found running, at the library, or at the Bay Shore YMCA.
Created by Christina Kling
Christina Kling
My name is Christine Kling. I live on Long Island, NY with my husband and three children. Going to the beach and walking along the shoreline looking for beach glass and shells has always been a favorite passion of mine. I recently got into the hobby of collecting seaweed and creating unique pieces of art with it.
Each piece I have created is different and beautiful in its own way. I hope you enjoy my artwork as much as I love making them!
Each piece I have created is different and beautiful in its own way. I hope you enjoy my artwork as much as I love making them!
Created by Frank Duffy
Frank Duffy
Bio comin"Inspiration comes best from either the salt air…or listening to the sounds of the city..."Artist Frank Duffy works in pen, ink, colored pencils, watercolor and acrylic. He captures art of your estate, country cottage or your quaint beach bungalow. He uses Photoshop image treatments, alterations or adjustments Art and images can be printed on canvas for family sharing soon!
Melissa Maiello - Summer Days at Robert Moses
Melissa Maiello
In my artwork, I have always explored the idea of visually representing my memories. No matter how much time passes, I still feel a deep personal connection to these memories and have had difficulty separating from them over the years. I constantly struggle with change, hesitant to accept that a period of my life has ended and a new beginning has come. As we move on, pieces of our experiences start to blur together, while other small parts stand out. I have been particularly interested in how sceneries and specific details from certain environments can hold a multitude of memories. I fight a battle everyday as I struggle to hold on to my past and often find myself rummaging through old photos and illustrating the details that strike me the most. The drawings are never photo realistic, rather the image I create becomes a transformation of my present mood, as well as a blurry representation of the memory in my mind.
E. Lisa Samperi
“As an artist, I like to capture a special moment and make it last forever in my paintings.”I retired from the William Floyd School District where I taught art to middle and elementary school students for thirty years. I am now a working freelance artist doing portraits of people of my customers. I also paint and sell landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes at various galleries in the Long Island area. My passion for painting is a lifelong one.The use of oils convey the illusion of light and atmosphere in my portraiture. The deep, rich and vibrant colors in oil give me full freedom to capture the beauty of the subjects that I paint.
Stephanie Small
Stephanie Small is an American artist based in Long Island, New York. Picking up art from a very early age, her journey pursuing art began after attending NYSSSFA over one summer, which led to her attending Parsons School of Design in New York and Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta for graphic and advertising design. After 15 years of working in the finance industry, she turned to art as an outlet for creativity and burn out during the pandemic.
Today, Stephanie is determined to be more active in the industry that she loves. She is appearing at many art festivals, applying to various opportunities and has her art available online. Stephanie is an active member of several local art councils and organizations, and is planning a solo exhibition in the near future.
Artist Statement:I explore texture, color and the interaction of paint- the finishes, fluidity, viscosity, transparency, opaqueness, iridescence and color shifting - all while building and mixing in the moment on the canvas or paper. I have mostly worked in a single layer but recently started to explore painting in multiple layers. I love to experiment with how the paint colors, textures and finishes interact and overlay.
I am mostly influenced by human emotions, astronomy, science, and nature - the ocean, sky and plants. My art is open to interpretation of each individual viewer. I want my art to speak to something within each person and make a personal connection.
Today, Stephanie is determined to be more active in the industry that she loves. She is appearing at many art festivals, applying to various opportunities and has her art available online. Stephanie is an active member of several local art councils and organizations, and is planning a solo exhibition in the near future.
Artist Statement:I explore texture, color and the interaction of paint- the finishes, fluidity, viscosity, transparency, opaqueness, iridescence and color shifting - all while building and mixing in the moment on the canvas or paper. I have mostly worked in a single layer but recently started to explore painting in multiple layers. I love to experiment with how the paint colors, textures and finishes interact and overlay.
I am mostly influenced by human emotions, astronomy, science, and nature - the ocean, sky and plants. My art is open to interpretation of each individual viewer. I want my art to speak to something within each person and make a personal connection.
Created by Robbin Turpin
Robbin Turpin
After growing up in Babylon, N.Y. and many years of studying and creating, I think about my process of creating Art. With a transition into a conscious flow towards an increasing awareness, I find myself naming spirituality to be the foundation of my actions. It holds everything together for me. As I look, listen, and feel with focus on spirituality and inner peace, I express through drawing, painting, and writing.As an Artist, I hope to help people FEEL and live 'Moments of Calm', while my Art inspires and enriches our lives. artbyrobbin@hotmail.com.
Shawn Uttendorfer
Shawn Uttendorfer is an art educator in the public school system as well a painter. He is currently developing a series of works on paper. Shawn holds an MA from Long Island University (Post) and a BFA from the School of Visual Arts. He has participated in solo and group shows at the School of Visual Arts, the Art League of Long Island, the Islip Art Museum, the Hillwood Gallery (Old Brookville, NY), several area libraries, the Conklin House, and the Babylon Citizens Council of the Arts. His work hangs in the permanent collection of the New York Institute of Technology. He has executed several mural commissions, including for the Bay Village Diner in Amityville.
Connection and unity are two underlying themes that Shawn discovered throughout society and religion’s use of design language. These two concepts remain the idea and tone in all of Shawn’s work. His exploration of the historical role of Celtic knot imagery, its complexity, and its spiritual influence on culture and religion has led to a deep fascination, and to discover a strong connection between Arabic, European and Asian design, all of which influenced, and in turn were strongly influenced by, Celtic culture.
Connection and unity are two underlying themes that Shawn discovered throughout society and religion’s use of design language. These two concepts remain the idea and tone in all of Shawn’s work. His exploration of the historical role of Celtic knot imagery, its complexity, and its spiritual influence on culture and religion has led to a deep fascination, and to discover a strong connection between Arabic, European and Asian design, all of which influenced, and in turn were strongly influenced by, Celtic culture.
Alyson Uttendorfer
Allyson Uttendorfer is an artist and art educator currently working at Half Hollow Hills High School East. She received her BFA and BA in Fine Art and Art History from Stony Brook University and continued on to receive duel Masters Degrees in Art Education and Instructional Technology from Adelphi University and LIU Post. Uttendorfer supports the community through her role on the Babylon Village Arts Council Board as Vice President and her involvement in the Girl Scouts and PTA Reflections Program. Uttendorfer worked at the Heckscher Museum of Art for five years serving as the Director of Education. She remains on the Museum's Education Committee and is an educational consultant and program partner. She has been a visiting artist for their Summer workshops and taught art class there and presented at their Superintendents’ Day Conferences to hundreds of art professionals. Uttendorfer was awarded an ASSET teacher of distinction award and the HHH PTSA's Outstanding Achievement in Advocacy Award for her work helping others. She has exhibited her photographs at the Conklin House, Babylon Public Library, Webster Bank and other local exhibitions. Uttendorfer also does freelance graphic design and photography.
Gena Vaccarello
Gena Vaccarello is a retired foreign language teacher who is both artist and poet. Gena creates using acrylic, oil and watercolor. Her style of painting ranges from realistic to whimsical. Gena has written and illustrated her first children’s book titled BALENA, THE WHALE THAT WENT GREEN. It is a story which tells a tale of how Long Island came into existence while addressing environmental issues. Gena is also known for her rock painting referred to as ON THE ROCKS BY GIGI. Ms. Vaccarello says, “My art is the visual extension of my soul!"
Robert Waters
Much of my photography is associated with my interest with the natural world. I’m not sure which came first, though. I’ve long been fascinated with the nature…the sheer beauty of a landscape, the complexity and symmetry of animals and plants and even the amazing intricacies of microscopic life. John Muir said it well, “… into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul”. For me, interacting with nature is restorative. It’s relaxing and enjoyable, and when you successfully photograph that momentary glimpse of a scene, rewarding.
Recently, my photography has mainly involved New York and New England landscapes with other travel shots and event photos (airshows and fireworks) mixed in. Previously, I focused almost exclusively on birds, and still seek out Snowy Owls and Bald Eagles when they’re around.
My interest in photography started in college when I took a course in Scientific Photography offered by the Physics Department. I borrowed a 35-mm camera and almost exclusively shot with Ektachrome slide film (the only color film the Department had available, for free). For a final project, I took advantage of research I was doing on fruit-flies for a genetics course and photographed various life-stages of the bugs through a stereo-microscope. I was hooked. The microscopic world was mesmerizing. Little did I know at the time however, it wasn’t done with me. After graduate school I took a job in the environmental field monitoring marine water quality in the bays and harbors around Suffolk County (NY). When not on a boat, it wasn’t long before I found myself behind a microscope again, this time enumerating and photographing various phytoplankton (micro-algae) species, including the infamous brown and red tides. The job lasted for over 30 years before I decided to move on to being a full-time grandpa.
Over the years I purchased a number of relatively inexpensive cameras for travel and family photos (3 kids and now 4 grandchildren). Once retired, I became interested in bird-watching but wasn’t satisfied with just seeing; I needed a photo. So I picked up a decent digital SLR (Canon 7d with a 300-mm f/2.8 lens) and ventured off in search of birds to photograph. My equipment now includes Canon 7dmii, 5dmiii and R6mii camera bodies, 300mm and 70-200mm telephoto lenses, 16-35mm and 24-70mm wide angle lenses and a variety of tripods, filters, etc.
Recently, my photography has mainly involved New York and New England landscapes with other travel shots and event photos (airshows and fireworks) mixed in. Previously, I focused almost exclusively on birds, and still seek out Snowy Owls and Bald Eagles when they’re around.
My interest in photography started in college when I took a course in Scientific Photography offered by the Physics Department. I borrowed a 35-mm camera and almost exclusively shot with Ektachrome slide film (the only color film the Department had available, for free). For a final project, I took advantage of research I was doing on fruit-flies for a genetics course and photographed various life-stages of the bugs through a stereo-microscope. I was hooked. The microscopic world was mesmerizing. Little did I know at the time however, it wasn’t done with me. After graduate school I took a job in the environmental field monitoring marine water quality in the bays and harbors around Suffolk County (NY). When not on a boat, it wasn’t long before I found myself behind a microscope again, this time enumerating and photographing various phytoplankton (micro-algae) species, including the infamous brown and red tides. The job lasted for over 30 years before I decided to move on to being a full-time grandpa.
Over the years I purchased a number of relatively inexpensive cameras for travel and family photos (3 kids and now 4 grandchildren). Once retired, I became interested in bird-watching but wasn’t satisfied with just seeing; I needed a photo. So I picked up a decent digital SLR (Canon 7d with a 300-mm f/2.8 lens) and ventured off in search of birds to photograph. My equipment now includes Canon 7dmii, 5dmiii and R6mii camera bodies, 300mm and 70-200mm telephoto lenses, 16-35mm and 24-70mm wide angle lenses and a variety of tripods, filters, etc.
Some pieces created by Jonathan Zamet
Jonathan Zamet
Myself - I was born and raised in England. My parents ran a ladies' clothing store. My father had been trained as a Savile Row tailor and was also an accomplished cabinet maker and a capable upholsterer. I studied history at Oxford University and then, after a spell in financial jobs in London, came to the US to pursue a doctorate in American History at Columbia. But, I guess, craft was in my genes and not to be denied. I took a pottery course at Riverside Church across the road from Columbia and haven't stopped since!
My work - The pots are made of stoneware clay, occasionally porcelain, and fired in an electric kiln to about 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. Most are meant for everyday use. Some are made on the potter's wheel, others from rolled out slabs of clay. I love the plasticity of clay. I enjoy the processes of making pots by hand and leaving my "fingerprints" as it were on the finished piece. I aim for a style which combines elegance with strength and movement with rest. Ideally, each piece should be easy on the eyes and comfortable in the hand.
My work - The pots are made of stoneware clay, occasionally porcelain, and fired in an electric kiln to about 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. Most are meant for everyday use. Some are made on the potter's wheel, others from rolled out slabs of clay. I love the plasticity of clay. I enjoy the processes of making pots by hand and leaving my "fingerprints" as it were on the finished piece. I aim for a style which combines elegance with strength and movement with rest. Ideally, each piece should be easy on the eyes and comfortable in the hand.