Paintings by Bernardsville resident Keiko Matsuura as well as some by her teacher Mark de Mos, a resident of Morris Township, will be on display in an exhibition titled Art As A Second Language at Bernardsville Public Library during the month of May. The opening reception is Monday, May 9 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The public is invited to come and enjoy the exhibition.
A native of Japan, Ms. Matsuura came to the United States in 2004 and moved to Bernardsville in 2006. Since arriving in Bernardsville, she has focused her energies on her art, studying English in Bernardsville Library’s English-As-A-Second-Language program, and sharing her talents as a library volunteer. She took her first watercolor lesson in the fall of 2006 with Mark de Mos, “a wonderful teacher and an award winning artist.” “I was hooked right away on his lesson which showed me how water and color can run freely together on the paper, magically creating exciting colors.” Still under the spell of watercolor magic after the lesson, she couldn’t wait to start painting by herself
One of her first paintings, “Summer Day in Madison”, was accepted into the New Jersey Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition in 2009. In 2010, she received Best of Show in the Annual Juried Art Show at Bernardsville Public Library, the Award of Excellence in the New Jersey Watercolor Society Associate Member Show, and the Century Link Award in the Skylands Juried Art Exhibit. Her recent painting, “Texting in the City,” was accepted into the North East Watercolor Society International Exhibition 2010, and “H&M on 5th” was accepted into the New Jersey Watercolor Juried Exhibition 2010. In 2011, she received the Award of Merit from the Essex Watercolor Club. She was recently accepted as an elected member of the New Jersey Watercolor Society.
Ms. Matsuura also works as a volunteer in the children’s area at Bernardsville Public Library. She loves creating paper art work and uses her talent for their craft programs, including many origami and watercolor classes. Her summer book displays, mostly made out of paper or recyclable materials, have been a big hit at the library for the last three years. She received Volunteer of the Year Award from the library in 2009.
Mark de Mos, whose paintings will round out the show, has worked in pen and ink, etching, watercolor, oil and pastel. His work is influenced by John Singer Sargent, and he strives for a dynamic realism that is painterly and not photo realistic. A signature member of The Allied Artists of America (NYC), Hudson Valley Art Association, New Jersey Watercolor Society; The Garden State Watercolor Society, Pastel Society of New Jersey and North East Watercolor Society, he has appeared as a juror of selection for both the North East Watercolor Society and the New Jersey Watercolor Society, and has received eleven awards from these organizations as well as two awards from the Salmagundi Club (NYC) in national non-member shows. His work has also appeared in two “best of watercolor” books put out by North Light Press, and in “Splash 8” and “Splash 9” as well as “Watercolor Secrets,” selected artists chosen from the Splash series.
In 2005, he was the founding president of the Pastel Society of New Jersey. He teaches watercolor and pastel at the Center for Contemporary Art, for the Livingston Art Association and Lakeland Arts in Denville. He is affiliated with the Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery in Bernardsville
The library show is on view in the Community Room during regular library hours unless a meeting is in progress. For further information, please call the library at 908-766-0118.
*Painting by Keiko Matsuura: "End of Summer: Washington Square"
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