Thank you for making us the 2022 Best Art Gallery on Long Island!
We’re located at 162 Main Street, in beautiful downtown Northport. In this installment please find:
– Exquisite Local Art for Sale by our Fireflies
– Special Exhibitions: “Honey I Shrunk the Art!” and “Reflections”
– Call to Artists: BIG INK
– Classes: Nuno Felting, Acting, Calligraffiti, Jewelry Making, Illustration
– 3-day Workshop with Watercolor Master Fabio Cembranelli
– Featured Guest: LI’s Best
– Featured Firefly: Michelle Schroeder
Clockwise from top: a hopeful illustration from Firefly Helen Murdock-Prep, a beautiful pieced-together mirror by Firefly Rebecca Bahr, The Northport Dock by Firefly Jo-Ann Corretti, bicycle by Firefly Steve Caputo. Below: a tranquil sailboat by Firefly Kirk Larsen, mermaid by Firefly Darnel Tasker.
The Sun is Out! Come Savor our Village and Get Your Art On!!!
Our Fireflies work like busy bees to create, to teach, to make life sweet! Come find that perfect thing to brighten your world or someone else’s.
Located at 162 Main Street, Northport
We’re open:
Tues – Thurs, 11am-6pm
Fri and Sat 11am-8pm (late!)
Sunday 11-5
Now on view in our upstairs Darcy Arts Center*: Honey I Shrunk the Art
Artists from throughout the region have sent us a treasure trove of tiny delights. Catch them before they leave!
The show is on view April 30-May 29. All works are for sale.
Artwork by Dan Welden
Up Next: "Reflections" by Dan Welden and Greg Corn
Join us for a very special exhibition of works by world renowned Printmaker Dan Welden and Sculptor Greg Corn.
The show will be on view: June 11-July 15
A reception will be held: June 18, 5-7pm
All works are for sale. Additional pieces may be found at The Omni Gallery, 333 Earl Ovington Blvd, Uniondale from April 25 to August 27, with a reception August 7 at 7:30pm.
*Please Note:There is no handicapped access to our Darcy Arts Center as it is located on the second floor of the historic building that houses our gallery.
BIG INK is Coming! We Can't Wait!!!
This August will mark the third time we get to host BIG INK and its incredible large-scale printing press, “The Big Tuna.” It’s a fantastic event for participants and onlookers alike. Those who participate must be prepared to carve a woodblock at least 24″ x 36″.
The call can be found on our website. Please read it carefully and note that the print dates have changed to August 20-21! No prior printmaking experience is necessary.
Artists of all skill levels are encouraged to apply. First, you submit a design. Accepted work is evaluated on the applicant’s ability to complete the project based on the complexity and scale of the proposed carving.
Collaborations are welcome. If accepted, your application fee will go toward the printing cost. You then get two months to carve, the thrill of the printing party, and the satisfaction of seeing your work hanging in our upstairs Darcy Arts Center for a late-summer exhibition.
It’s a great time!
Nuno Felting with Firefly Oksana Danziger to Benefit Ukraine Charity
Felting is a user-friendly technique that is simple to learn and create with. Popular projects include decorative pillows, quilts and jewelry. Here, Firefly Oksana Danziger will teach the technique, leading you to bring home a beautiful felted flower!
THIS FRIDAY: May 20, 3-5pm
To Register: Email Firefly Oksana Danziger: danzigeroksana@gmail.com
Oksana is a Russian of Ukrainian descent who cares deeply about the the ongoing war. She tells us she will donate all proceeds from this next class to benefit the Kharkiv Regional Charitable Foundation “Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, which is now dedicated to evacuating refugees from the war zone and collecting humanitarian supplies.
Acting Out! with Firefly Helen Murdock Prep
Come join Firefly Artist and Theater Educator Helen Murdock-Prep for lots of fun exploring the wonderful world of acting in this workshop featuring Improv, Monologues and Scenes.
When: Tuesday, June 7th; 6:30p-8:30pm
Course Fee: $50
To register, please email Helen at hmurdock@optonline.net
Calligraffiti with Firefly Helen Murdock-Prep
Folks have had so much fun with Helen learning this fine art of beautiful handwriting. Here’s another chance to learn!
When: Wednesday, June 8, 6:30p-8:30pm
To Register: Please contact Firefly Artist Helen Murdock-Prep: hmurdock@optonline.net. The class fee is $50.
Jewelry Making Classes with Firefly Rachel Kalina
Learn to craft your own jewelry! You can see Firefly Rachel Kalina’s beautiful work at instagram.com/thewoodandwatch. She has more than two decades of experience and has taught students across Long Island. She looks forward to working with you!
Metal Stamping
When: June 15, 6:00-8:00pm
Class Fee: $74
Learn to hammer a short quote, song lyric, or special name onto metal. Fee includes all materials and tool usage.
Beginner Metalsmithing for Adults
When: June 22 and June 29, 6:00-8:00pm (this is a 2-session, 4 hours total course)
Class Fee: $215
A great place to begin metalsmithing! Design and create a pendant or earrings in copper or brass. Cut shapes from sheet metal with a jeweler’s saw. Add texture, patina, and/or metal stamp patterns. Professionally finish your work to be comfortably worn. Fee includes all metal sheet, wire, and findings are included as is tool usage. Note: There are no torches in this class. However, it is a prerequisite for any future soldering or stone setting classes.
For More Info and to Register: Email Rachel Kalina at rachelkalina@gmail.com. Classes are open to adults ages 18 and older. Masks are preferred.
Intro to Illustration with Firefly Renee Reichert
Join Firefly Teaching Artist Renée Reichert in exploring “What is Illustration?” through the art of professional illustrators. Elements of design, color theory and the relationship between images and text will be discussed. Students will create their own illustration using their choice of media and style.
“What is Illustration? with Firefly Renée Reichert
When: July 30th and August 6th, 9:30am-12:00pm
Course fee: $100 for the two sessions
To Rgister: Email Renée Reichert at reneereichert@icloud.com
Award winning artist and illustrator Renée Reichert is known for lush velvety pastels which often take on both a narrative and a fantasy quality. Her work has been exhibited in The Society of Illustrator’s Annual Exhibition, Spectrum 8: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art and can be seen in numerous private collections. She is the illustrator of the children’s picture books This is the Wind and The Cat Came Back.
Up Next in our Watercolor Masters Series: Fabio Cembranelli's "Intuitive Approaches to Watercolor"
Firefly Jan Guarino is an ever learning watercolorist and teacher with a passion for bringing the best in her craft to teach at the Firefly. These intensive workshops are incredible. In this next installment, Fabio Cembranelli will come to us from São Paulo, Brazil to guide artists in developing loose and intuitive watercolor techniques, enhancing their own personal approach. Join us!
Fabio Cembranelli: Intuitive Approaches to Watercolor
When: Tues-Thurs July 19-21, 10am-4pm
Workshop Fee: $525 for the three-day session
To Learn More and Reserve Your Space: Visit our website
A renowned Brazilian artist, Fabio teaches all over the world. Nowadays his work is focused on plein air painting, observing and studying nature firsthand at inspiring outdoor locations. This workshop will include a number of demonstrations and promises to touch on a number of valuable aspects, such a composition, light and shadow, color mixing and other techniques. It will provide deep insight into how the artist achieves his unique and luminous floral watercolours
Featured Firefly: The Student Artists of LI's Best
Ok, These high school students from throughout Long Island are not Fireflies — YET — but they’re absolutely amazing. We got to give three of them scholarships! Those talented winners and a number of honorable mentions WILL be coming to our Darcy Arts Center this June.
Heartfelt to congrats,to our 2022 Firefly Artists “Next Generation” Scholarship Recipients: Justine Blaine, Yuyu Liu and Zhezhong Yu!!!
The works are technically proficient and deeply profound. Do check our this Long Island’s Best show in its entirety at the Heckscher Museum if you can. It was really hard for them to select works for that show and next to impossible for us to choose our own winners.
They give us high hopes for the future!
Photo provided by Firefly Michelle Schroeder: “Healing happening—-one day at a time”
Featured Firefly: Michelle Schroeder
Among treasures in our gallery are works of Firefly Michelle Schroeder. She’s the one who makes those AMAZING handbags out of old LP record albums. She also happens to be central to the community of art teachers that stretches across NY State, including some very special connections with our own robust community here at and around our nurturing gallery.
Michelle is a wonderful person who can often be found rallying good energy for some important cause. While very near to our hearts, unlike the rest of our Fireflies, she is not so local to Long Island.
Actually, Michelle is a High School Art Teacher in Buffalo. Like so many, she is reeling herself right now, but even moreso giving it her best to share information, to help those in need, and to provide her deeply shaken students healing, one day at a time.
We wish she didn’t have to do it, but we are grateful that she does. We love you, Michelle.
About the Firefly Artists
We are located at 162 Main Street in beautiful downtown Northport. Our galleries are open:
Tues-Thurs 11am-6pm
Fri-Sat 11am-8pm
Sun 11am-5pm
Over the past decade, The Firefly Artists has had the great privilege of displaying a stunning variety of work by hundreds of Long Island artists through our Main Street locations and pop-up galleries in the community. We boast some extraordinary talent, while maintaining a very down to earth and supportive atmosphere that is unique to Long Island.
We were established in 2011 to create a gallery setting for local artists. The goal was to create a space where artists could meet, collaborate, and sell their beautiful creations.
In 2020 we expanded our gallery by creating the Darcy Arts Center on the second floor of our building. This beautiful gallery space is rich in natural light and dedicated to special exhibitions and art workshops featuring world renowned instructors.We are eager to continue to be an outlet for local artists, offering a place to create, grow and connect to customers.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check our website for all the latest updates!
Thank you for your support!