The Animal Kingdom

 This exhibition celebrates the diverse beauty and complexity of animals, both wild and domesticated. Whether the muse is a majestic lion from the savanna, a beloved pet dog, a colorful parrot, or a serene goldfish, these creatures inspire creativity, revealing the rich diversity of creatures that inhabit our planet.

Ranging in style, media, size, and technique, Emily Nomer, Jacqueline Oster and Susan Siegel offer an eclectic view of the Animal Kingdom. Together they illuminate our shifting understanding of the forces that shape the natural world and our understanding of our own place in it.

Emily Nomer has worked for the last thirty-plus years in the design business; she owns a company designing and manufacturing one-of-a-kind furnishings for architects and designers, and has worked with some of the most notable names in the field. She is a visual artist and has spent far longer painting and drawing her own visions. Her colorful, patterned, and crowded compositions bely a strong sense of order and structure; she refers to the compositions as ‘organized chaos’. Her works have been featured in the windows of Tiffany & Co.’s Fifth Avenue flagship store; used by SONY USA in a product promotion; and turned into a textile by a major design industry company. She holds a B.A. in Classical Greek from Vassar College and an M.A. in the same from the University of London, which she attended on a Maguire Fellowship. In 2018 she completed her MFA in Painting and Drawing at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Jacqueline Oster was born and raised in the New York City borough of Queens. After graduating from The Fashion Institute of Technology she worked in the city for various advertising agencies as a Graphic Designer, Layout Artist and Art Director. Eventually she relocated to upstate New York where she raised a family and continued to work as a Freelance Graphic Designer. Over the years, from her home based studio, she has continued to satisfy the advertising needs of many diversified tri-state area clients.During COVID she revisited her love of illustration and has begun to add watercolor illustrations to her portfolio.

Susan Siegel creates multi-disciplinary work that engages our connection to the natural world. Siegel holds an MFA from the New York Academy of Art in New York City (2010) with an emphasis in traditional oil painting. Her work has been exhibited in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, including the Glass Gallery at Mana Contemporary, Sotheby’s and Flowers Gallery. Her work has been featured by New American Paintings, Hi-Fructose Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. In 2012 Siegel was the recipient of a studio residency at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts. Recently she was awarded the Merit Award at the Silvermine Arts Center’s Paper 2019 exhibit curated by Jennifer Farrel, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  Siegel lives and works in the Hudson Valley.

Opening Reception:

Saturday, May 3, 2025 5-7 pm

On display through June 1, 2025

Hours: Weekdays 9-4pm; Saturday/Sunday 9-7pm

Host or Publisher Gallery 40