Art By the Falls Artists
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Carissa Arena (Art Partnership Program)
Carissa Arena is a junior at Babylon High School enrolled in the Portfolio art class. She has been taking advanced art classes since eighth grade and has participated in various art programs and workshops outside of school since elementary school. She has also showcased her artwork in exhibitions such as Apples and Arts, the NYSSBA virtual show, SCALA, and special events like the art display at The Pizzeria in Babylon.
As a member of the National Art Honor Society, she is passionate about her craft, and her favorite medium to work with is acrylic paint. She draws inspiration for her paintings from her interests—music, favorite movies, and personal experiences—translating them onto canvas in a way that allows others to glimpse her thoughts. For her, art is more than just a hobby; it is a calming, enjoyable, and deeply expressive form of communication—one that speaks louder than words ever could.
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Katherine Orifici (Art Partnership Program)
Katherine Orifici is a Junior at the Babylon Jr. Sr. High School. She has taken art classes since she was young, showing her creativity to the world both in and out of the classroom. She has continued her love for art throughout school, taking the Studio 1 Art Class up to Studio 3, learning various techniques and mediums, as well as studying art history. She is now taking the Portfolio Art course at her school, where she is learning under Mrs. Cheryl Schweider. As an art student, her works have been featured in the SCALA High School art shows held in Babylon’s Town Hall, as well as being featured in the Babylon Village Apples and Arts Festival for the past 2 years.
She is an active member of her school’s Art Honor Society and has made herself a part of many activities, including painting Memory Portraits for young, underprivileged children in India, and painting one of the many large murals in the Gilgo Beach tunnel this past May.
As an artist, Katherine loves to express herself through color and is often both inspired by nature, observing the actions of people around her, interpreting emotions and putting them all into art. Although she loves painting, she also finds joy in experimenting with different mediums such as cray-pen, chalk pastels, and watercolors! She is extremely proud and excited to be featured in this experience, and hopes you enjoy her work!
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Lori Allen-Bauer
I have been a photographer long before I picked up my first camera. I have always been fascinated in viewing subjects from different points of view, unusual angles and in different lighting. I seek out interesting details in textures, patterns and colors.
When I have a chosen subject or an object that I would like to photograph, I create a composition of it in my mind. I try to show others what it is that I see. I then use my camera to record my interpretations and experiences. Finally, I utilize digital software to enhance and reinterpret my images.
When I have a chosen subject or an object that I would like to photograph, I create a composition of it in my mind. I try to show others what it is that I see. I then use my camera to record my interpretations and experiences. Finally, I utilize digital software to enhance and reinterpret my images.
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Jerome Burdi
I am a Long Island Artist and have been painting for over 50 years.I have lived on Long Island my entire life and am proudly married with two children and three grandchildren.At a young age, I was tutored by Norma Reese.I work primarily in oils on various substrates.My art leans towards Impressionism.Large format landscapes bring me joy to paint.My influencers are Monet and Van Gogh.
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.
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Chrissy Gallo
Chrissy is a native Long Islander who has had a passion for art from an early age. She creates colorful acrylic paintings, specializing in small detailed pieces. Her heart is dedicated to creating inviting artwork and her adorable dog Bane.
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Jenny Handler Art
Hello, my name is Jenny Handler and I am a mixed media, abstract expressionist, specializing in charcoal and pastel sketches as well as acrylic paintings. I have been painting all my life but have been pursuing it more professionally in the last two years. My themes can range from spooky to sad (peep those happy and frown faces), some messy and some clean. Working with unfamiliar tools, techniques, and textures inspire most of my work. All artwork is original and self taught. You can also catch my scenic items and backdrops at the Cultural Arts Playhouse of both Syosset and Merrick, Long Island.
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Paige Hillebrand
Based in New York, Paige Hillebrand is an artist who has been honing her skills for as long as she can remember. Residing with her family on Long Island, she has found herself with a particular artistic interest in creating art surrounding animal portraits, narratives, and the abstraction of color. She has had her art exhibited within several museums and events on Long Island, such as at The Heckscher Museum of Art within the Long Island's Best exhibition in 2022. Now a student in college, Paige spends much of her free time continuing to enhance her skills and express herself through her artwork.
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Rosie Hudson
Rosie's paintings are primarily acrylic on canvas, though her creative practice spans a wide range of mediums, including collage and clay. Deeply inspired by nature and introspective thought, her work reflects a profound love of God and a unique sense of humor, often woven subtly into her subjects. Rosie holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Anthropology, a background that informs her thoughtful approach to art and human connection. Her favorite pastimes-cloud gazing and swimming in the Great South Bay-feed her imagination and ground her spirit. Through her art, Rosie hopes to connect meaningfully with her community and contribute to a more peaceful, compassionate world.
Sal Ingoglia
I am a portrait artist. My focus and intention when doing a portrait is to really capture the essence of the person or animal. My aim is to feel the portrait alive when I am finished. I take great pride in having the eyes be soulful. I take time to get myself in the right place to capture their essence. My specialty is having the eyes bringing the portrait to life. I want my customers to feel great everytime they see their portrait I created for them. I use pencil and charcoal when I do a realistic custom hand portrait. I also do watercolor portraits and other watercolor art. If there is something you would like me to create please let me know. I take custom orders. Send me a picture of what you want to be drawn or painted or tell me an idea you have.
I deliberately decided to be a portrait artist. Through reading spiritual books and studing Abraham Hick I decided I was going to focus my my to being a portrait artist. It started right after I was drawing and painting with my children I realized I wasn't so bad. At age 38 I wanted to prove I could accomplish this by what I had learned. I always loved the idea of creating your own reality. Well in one year I accomplished drawing portraits pretty well. This same focus and tools I used worked wonderful in other areas of my life.
Contact: www.jbellarts.com
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Tara Kawas
Tara Kawas is in an experimental stage of her artistic journey, not wanting to be confined by specific labels, materials, or styles. She typically creates torn magazine collages by combining a variety of colors and textures, and paints with watercolor, gouache, and acrylic. Sometimes she leans more towards realism, while other times her artwork is more expressive. Tara is inspired by the natural world. Her wide array of subjects can range from oysters and crabs, to fruits and fungi.
Recently, she has been participating in group shows, exhibiting her work at local art galleries. In her free time she also paints windows and murals for local businesses.The artist was born in Queens, New York, but currently resides on Long Island. This is her 9th year as a Visual Arts teacher for the Department of Education. In college she received a BFA in advertising design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and later earned two degrees in art education, a BFA from LIU Post, and a MSEd from the Queens College University. Tara has always considered herself an artist, but only started to take her art career more seriously in the last coupleof years.
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Galina Lampert
I am Galina Lampert, a freelance Artist and a member of The Art Students League of New York, the former member of The National Association of Women Artists and the Long Beach Art League. I live on Long Island, in Syosset, a place surrounded by beautiful nature with amazing sunsets, pure air and friendly neighbors. The Oyster Bay and Long Beach environment provides inspiration to me for many creative and artistic projects. I often include scenes from the neighborhood when painting and designing with digital imagery & photography. I studied Graphic Design at the School of Visual Art and Fashion Institute of Technology.
As a member of AQA, the Alliance of Queens Artists, and a photographer, I participated in a number of exhibits, including those at the Great Neck Public Library, Fleet Bank, and Queens Mall during the period 1999-2001. Since 2004 I have been attending oil painting and Mixed Media classes and participating in art shows at The Art Students League of New York. From 2002 through 2013, I exhibited my works at City Island Art Galleries; Freeport Recreational Center; The Long Island Museum of Art, History and Carriages; The Art Guild of Port Washington; the 8th Annual NOHO NY Art Walk; and Manhattan Borough President’s Office; Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery at the Lafayette Street, Gensler Offices (Rockefeller Center). In April 2013 I participated in the Benefit for Homeless from ASL.
As a member of AQA, the Alliance of Queens Artists, and a photographer, I participated in a number of exhibits, including those at the Great Neck Public Library, Fleet Bank, and Queens Mall during the period 1999-2001. Since 2004 I have been attending oil painting and Mixed Media classes and participating in art shows at The Art Students League of New York. From 2002 through 2013, I exhibited my works at City Island Art Galleries; Freeport Recreational Center; The Long Island Museum of Art, History and Carriages; The Art Guild of Port Washington; the 8th Annual NOHO NY Art Walk; and Manhattan Borough President’s Office; Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery at the Lafayette Street, Gensler Offices (Rockefeller Center). In April 2013 I participated in the Benefit for Homeless from ASL.
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Janet Lawless
A Long Island jewelry designer that loves to create unique jewelry inspired by the past and made for today. - Infused with the positive and healing energy of beautiful gemstones and crystals, my one of a kind pieces incorporate rare vintage amulets, lockets and pendants, that I have collected here and there over the years - Each piece will tell its own story and vibe.
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Howard Leeds
New Hyde Park, NY | Mixed Media Artist
Howard Leeds doesn’t just collect stamps—he repurposes history. Based in New Hyde Park, NY, Howard is a self-taught mixed media artist who builds bold, layered collages using vintage postage stamps pulled from his personal archive, the hands of fellow collectors, and inherited collections of his clients. Each piece reassembles fragments of the past into visual stories that speak louder than words ever did.
His work has recently turned heads in club and gallery spaces, where his textured, time-warped pieces have sparked strong reactions and stirred conversations. With a background outside the traditional art world, his approach is instinctive, hands-on, and unapologetically his own. No formal training. Just years of observation, collecting, and hands-on experimentation. The result: work that’s unfiltered, deeply personal, and unlike anything else on the wall.
When he’s not in the studio, Leeds finds clarity on the water with a fishing rod in hand or gives back to his community as a Merit Badge Counselor with the Boy Scouts of America—guiding the next generation with the same attention and care he brings to his art..
To see his latest projects or to get in touch, find him on Etsy at https://NoteableCreationsLLC.Etsy.com or follow him on facebook @note.able.creations.LLC, or on Instagram @NoteableCreationsLLC.
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Gina Massaro
Long Island native, Gina Massaro, believes in whimsy, fairies, and the idea of never growing up. Always a dreamer, she finds inspiration in the skies and nostalgia from her childhood. Now a mom to 3 young kids and a small zoo, she tries to find time to paint and write between school pickups, diaper changes and dog walks.
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Audrey McHugh
I am a published poet. My last book, Tree of Metamorphoses, was published in 2022 by WiPF & Stock Resources. My poetry reflects my interest in nature, wildlife and threats to our environment. I have just finished another which will be published soon. I have lived in Babylon Village for 40 years.
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Joe McHugh
Joe McHugh is a photography enthusiast who recently relocated to Babylon after more than 30 years living in New York City. He enjoys creating sublime images from urban chaos and revealing the man-made world’s subservience to nature.
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Meghan Taylor
Meghan Taylor is an award-winning painter and illustrator with a penchant for animals and nature; and a special soft spot for the underappreciated. Based out of New York, she is inspired by the wondrous nature in her own backyard and around the planet: from pigeons and dandelions to warthogs and peacocks. Nature is full of unceasing inspiration. Meghan's art gives space to explore and cherish these hidden treasures of our world.
Meghan is expert in both oil paint and pen, ink & watercolor, using an expressive painterly method to render the realism and energy of her subjects. Meghan’s work has been exhibited in shows nationwide, and is in private collections around the globe.
In addition to art-making, Meghan spends time looking at birds, making kombucha, and volunteering at a wildlife rehab clinic and with shelter cats. She donates a portion of her profits to organizations that help animals.
Shop Art: www.meghantaylor.comInstagram: @meghantaylor_art
Meghan is expert in both oil paint and pen, ink & watercolor, using an expressive painterly method to render the realism and energy of her subjects. Meghan’s work has been exhibited in shows nationwide, and is in private collections around the globe.
In addition to art-making, Meghan spends time looking at birds, making kombucha, and volunteering at a wildlife rehab clinic and with shelter cats. She donates a portion of her profits to organizations that help animals.
Shop Art: www.meghantaylor.comInstagram: @meghantaylor_art
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.
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Jennifer Uihlein
Jennifer Uihlein has a diverse background spanning corporate communications, photography, journalism, documentary filmmaking, electronic news gathering, sports videography, and media management. As an independent documentary filmmaker, she has directed and edited two award-winning films, focusing on social issues and historical/personal narrative preservation. Her documentaries have been screened across the United States, in New York, and even in Australia.
Despite her success, documentary filmmaking wasn’t always her passion. “I once dreamed of moving to Hollywood and becoming the next breakout director,” Uihlein recalls. “It wasn’t until a professor introduced me to cinéma vérité and the works of Chris Marker, Frederick Wiseman, and the Maysles brothers that I recognized the artistic and storytelling potential of documentary film.” Her dedication to the craft has earned her multiple awards, as well as a grant from the National Board of Review.
With a strong foundation in storytelling and a keen visual eye, Uihlein naturally expanded from videography into photography and photojournalism. Her work has appeared in Newsday (print and online), Patch.com, The Long Island Press (print and digital), and Antun Publications. Recently, she collaborated with Kristina A. Holzweiss, providing reference images for Scholastic’s I Can Make book series.
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
Art has always been at the heart of who I am—as both a creator and an educator. For the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of teaching art at Half Hollow Hills High School East, where I strive every day to inspire students to find their voice through creative expression. I hold a BFA and BA in Fine Art and Art History from Stony Brook University, along with dual Master’s degrees in Art Education and Instructional Technology from Adelphi University and LIU Post.
My journey in art education began at the Heckscher Museum of Art, where I found deep inspiration through collaboration with passionate educators and leaders in the field. That experience continues to shape my work today, as I remain actively involved with the museum as an educational consultant, committee member, and visiting artist. Whether teaching summer workshops or presenting at professional conferences, I am committed to sharing the transformative power of art with both students and fellow educators.
In addition to my work in the classroom and museum, I serve as Vice President of the Babylon Village Arts Council, where I focus on expanding access to the arts within the community. Through successful grant writing and initiatives like the Babylon Village Art Walk, I aim to make art a visible and celebrated part of everyday life.
Contact info: @uttendorfer_artbvacuttendorfer@gmail.com
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Jim Zabatta
I have been making Art all my life. If I wasn’t coloring and drawing I was making things from cardboard and wood. My sister Judy Youshock was an established artist in Scranton PA. After she pasted I started painting with acrylics in her memory. Today I paint mostly Landscapes after taking classes with Matt Ali Kan in Valley Stream.
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.