Longyear Gallery Upcoming News and Events

NEIL DRISCOLL’S “57 NEW PAINTINGS”  and LESLEY A. POWELL’S “JUX TA POSITION”
LONGYEAR GALLERY, MAY 29^th – JUNE 28^th, 2026
OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY, MAY 30^th from 3-5 p.m.

Longyear Gallery of Margaretville is pleased to announce the opening of two new concurrent featured artist solo exhibitions, Neil Driscoll’s “57 New Paintings” and Lesley A. Powell’s “Jux Ta Position,” accompanied by a Longyear Members’ Group Show. Opening on Friday, May 29^th, these exhibitions will run through Sunday, June 28^th with the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 30^th from 3-5 p.m. 

Neil Driscoll’s solo show “57 New Paintings” continues with the figurative abstractions that have been a part of his previous work. Roads, bridges, cats and dogs, and various folk serve as the framework for the painting compositions. These paintings stress line, or color, or a combination thereof. According to Driscoll, “The large number of paintings—57–is a result of my having retired a few years ago, allowing more time for painting, exploring new color and, hopefully, being more critical of those finished images.” 

Neil Driscoll’s early art studies were at the Memphis Academy of Art and the School of the Chicago Art Institute. His work has been shown at the Roxbury Arts Group, Gilboa Museum, West Fulton Hall, and in Cooperstown.

Lesley A. Powell’s new solo exhibition “Jux Ta Position” explores this artist’s journey from choreography to the canvas, where the spatial drama of figures on stage transforms into composed forms, images, and colors on paper and canvas with her    background as a choreographer profoundly influencing her artistic practice. As Powell notes, “Just as the placement of dancers and elements like costumes, lights, and sets create nonverbal narratives in a performance, my artwork articulates its own silent language. Rather than telling a linear story, my compositions, which are grouped in three series, “Juxtapositions in Silence,” ”Juxtapositions of Bull, and “Crisscrossed Juxtapositions,” open a space for layered emotional expression and poetic juxtapositions between figures, nature, and abstract forms.

“Juxtapositions in Silence” reveals the artist’s journey from exploring the human form to canvas with the spatial drama of figures on stage transformed into composed forms, images, and colors on paper and canvas. “Juxtapositions of Bull” combines the images of people falling, reflecting Powell’s travels in Nepal and her visual expression of dealing with our times, springing from Powell’s original drawings of people falling from a mechanical bull, a metaphor rich with tension, uncertainty, and vulnerability. Capturing the raw expressions of those in mid-fall, the artist channels a sense of helplessness that resonates powerfully in today’s world. “Crisscrossed Juxtapositions” reflects Powell’s use of collage as a liberating technique that has expanded her creative horizons. “Through layering images and color in innovative ways,” says Powell, “I have created dynamic compositions that draw the viewer into complex visual relationships. Sometimes complementing these collages are delicate prints on rice paper, an element that introduces a new sense of translucency.” The entire exhibition reveals Powell’s fascination with crisscrossing space and how backgrounds, objects, and figures converse visually within a composition. 

Lesley A. Powell’s lifelong interest and involvement in various forms of art and choreography have most recently involved a continuation of her art studies at the National Academy of Art and the Arts Students League with Kamila Talbot for watercolor and with Frank O’Cain.

Future summer 2026 Longyear Gallery exhibits include two concurrent featured artists solo exhibitions by members Irina Grinevitsky and Alan Powell opening on Friday, July ^3rd and running through Sunday, August 2^nd, with the opening reception on Saturday, July 4^th from 3-5 p.m. These exhibitions will be followed by two concurrent featured artists solo exhibitions by members Anthony Margiotta and Deborah Ruggerio, opening on Friday, August 7^th and running through Sunday, September 6^th, with the opening reception on Saturday, August 8^th from 3-5 p.m.  All solo exhibitions are accompanied by a Longyear Gallery Members’ Group Show.

Longyear Gallery is located Downstairs in The Commons, 785 Main Street, Margaretville. The gallery will be open from 12 a.m. – 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. For information, please see Longyear Gallery’s website, email the gallery at info@longyeargallery.org, or call 845.586.3270 during gallery hours.