Meibohm Fine Arts | 11/27-12/31 | East Aurora, NY

Tricking the Eyes

Masters of Illusion – The Art of Trompe l’Oeil will be on view this December at Meibohm Fine Arts.

This year Meibohm Fine Arts will once again present Masters of Illusion – The Art of Trompe l’Oeil featuring work by the accomplished group of artists from western New York, founded by John Yerger (1935-2017). The gallery says, “This supportive group led by Joan Horn relies on one another in developing the tools and patience necessary to complete these intricate ‘fool the eye’ paintings.”Maria Laurendi, Joy to the World, oil, 7 x 5"

Among the artists with work on view are Susan Abbott, Lucette Banas, Leslie Fornalik, Joan Horn, Maria Laurendi, Coni Minneci, Bruce Morrell, Marilyn Morrisey, MaryBeth Orrange, Susan Z. Ott, Michael Prezioso and Judy Winklhofer.

The artwork in the exhibition ranges in subject matter, but it's all done in the high detail that makes viewers do a double take. In Paper Birds, Morrell paints birds on different cards and pictures and stamps as well.Coni Minneci, Travel Story II, oil, 10 x 10"

Minneci’s painting Travel Story II is one of two oil paintings inspired by her husband’s great-aunt Mary. “She had given me a train travel case that she used while on vacation,” Minneci says. “I used objects and the train case itself in the two Travel Story artworks. The one with the palm tree has the actual keys to her train case—the lock with a tiny telephone attached. I put together some imagery that reference her and her adventurous spirit.”Bruce Morrell, Paper Birds, oil, 6 x 7½"

Leslie Fornalik, Cookies, oil, 7 x 5"

There are several holiday-themed or wintertime works in the show including Horn’s Grandma Sally’s Snowman, with a handmade snowman ornament made by her grandmother-in-law that hangs on her tree every year, and Laurendi’s Joy to the World with sheet music and the holiday tune outlined. Another one is Fornalik’s work Cookies, which is “intended to evoke the nostalgic memories of baking; to tap into the feelings of holiday magic,” says the artist. “This painting depicts my mother’s handwritten recipe card and cookie cutter with years of patina from use.”Joan Horn, Grandma Sally’s Snowman, oil, 7 x 5"