“Joys and Blessings” by Annette Margulies (above) is among the works on display in “Embracing Change,” opening Thursday at the Oyster Point Hotel. MaryAnn Goodwin, whose “End of Season” is below, is one of two local painters spotlighted in a show at the Monmouth Arts Council

Debuting with a public-welcome reception between 7 and 9 p.m. — and staying up on the walls and walkways of the riverfront hotel’s lobby and atrium through late August — the exhibit of paintings is the latest offering from curator Gerda Liebmann, the Swiss-born multimedia specialist who coordinates the ongoing series of art installations at the riverfront hotel.
It’s also one of several art events going on in and around Red Bank in the days ahead; take it around the corner for more.
The theme of change can be said to directly key into the life stories of the four artists featured at the Oyster Point, each of whom came to settle upon Monmouth County as her adopted home. Both Annette Margulies (a member of Shrewsbury’s Guild of Creative Art) and Brooklyn-born Edy Ottesen have been active on the Greater Red Bank Green scene in addition to the art community of Boca Raton, Florida Self-described Chicago girl Tyrrell Masse and native New Yorker Leona Tenebruso-Shultes have also relocated Shoreside, with Tenebruso-Shultes (affiliated with the Red Bank-based Art Alliance) explaining that “as someone who has divided her life between city and shore, my artwork is generally inspired by the energy of city life and the essence of nature.”
“The paintings of these four artists range significantly in style,” says Liebmann of the group show that boasts more than 30 abstract and contemporary pieces. “The distinctive paths of their lives and their individual inspirations lend vibrancy, depth, and illumination to the overall viewing experience.”
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served at the July 21 reception, and free or valet parking is available in the hotel’s lot at the foot of Bodman Place, off Riverside Avenue/ Route 35 North.
********

********

“Surface Meets Depth” brings together the vivid works of two Monmouth area painters — Patricia Arroyo (famed for her colorful carnival creations featuring Asbury Park’s grinning mascot “Tillie”) and MaryAnn Goodwin — for an installation that remains on the MCAC walls through the remainder of the summer. The artists are expected to be present and accounted this Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; more on their work can be seen in the latest issue of the Arts Council’s X.it digital magazine.
********
Normally dormant during the summer months, Monmouth Street’s Art Alliance of Monmouth County opens its doors for a special summer-season installation this Thursday, July 21. Entitled “Ways of Seeing,” it’s a group show that spotlights the work of four local favorites — Dawn DiCicco, Nancy Karpf, Colleen Lineberry and Karen Starrett — with a free public-welcome reception that runs from 7 to 9 p.m. this Saturday, July 23. Exhibit remains on display through August 10 during regular gallery hours (12 to 4 p.m.), and the Art Alliance inaugurates a new season of monthly exhibits beginning in early September.