Elise Freda & Kevin Dartt at AFA.

AFA
Hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday 12-5pm
514 Lackawanna Avenue, Scranton, Pennsylvania 18503 USA

Kevin Dartt currently lives and works in Rochester NY working out of his grandfather’s wood working studio. He recently graduated with a Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Binghamton University where he also received his undergraduate degrees, dual diplomas in mechanical engineering and fine art. Dartt describes his work and process, “For me, engineering and sculpture go hand in hand with these different thought processes feeding off each other. Sculptural ideas will give rise to engineering problems and vice versa. Every time I make a sculpture I think of how enjoyable and useful my engineer degrees are because of the endless capabilities of using both art and engineering. Making sculpture is a passion but also cathartic for me when confronting social issues. I think people must confront today’s problems in order to come to terms with it before working on a solution. People can do this in many ways but for me it is the act of making an object. To put my time and energy into something that I feel will fully convey a message.”

Elise Freda is working on a series of paintings and works on paper, in wax, oil, acrylic and mixed media that mixes language, line and nature.  “This has been a long, developing interest of mine.  Living in the Catskills, my home and studio in Callicoon, New York is surrounded by nature; and I find there the lines, shapes, colors, atmosphere and spaces that I use as a jumping off point for my work.”  Today Elise blends her studio time as a painter with her real estate career at the family business, Matthew J Freda Real Estate in Callicoon.  “My husband Joe, a writer, and I converted a barn four years ago and that is my home, studio and sanctuary.”  Freda’s upcoming shows include a solo show in October 2012 at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance on Main Street in Narrowsburg, NY where she was the gallery director from 1993 – 2005.