Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.
art show

Art show celebrating the works of Delores Levy opens at The Fountains

Art show celebrating the works of Delores Levy opens at The Fountains

The first art show opening of the year at The Fountains in Millbrook on Thursday, Jan. 22, presented a retrospective of the works of Delores Levy, drawing the interest of Fountains residents and visitors alike. Ellen O’Shea, Fountains art program leader, at right, presented Levy with a bouquet. Also attending the opening and joining in the celebration were Levy’s daughter, Lynn Carson, and son, Bruce Levy.

Photo by Leila Hawken

MILLBROOK — Selections from a lifetime of creativity and an artist’s skilled depictions of scenic localesare on display at The Fountains in Millbrook. A retrospective view of the works of Delores Levy, 93, the new exhibit opened on Thursday, Jan. 22, drawing a significant turn-out of residents and friends.

Nearly 50 art enthusiasts attended the opening, marveling at Levy’s sensitive use of color and the varied subject matter within the collection of framed paintings, mostly watercolors, that were selected for the show. The exhibit will remain in place for one month.

Ellen O’Shea, art teacher at The Fountains, said that she had proposed the showing in December. It had developed from there as she took Levy’s portfolio home and made careful selections, seeing to the framing of a few to complete the exhibit.

“It was a pleasure to go through your portfolio,” O’Shea told Levy, presenting her with a bouquet to open the exhibit, a bouquet replete with Levy’s favorite yellow blooms.

“She’s magic; she’s fun to be around,” said Levy’s friend Joan Burgess of Millbrook, who attended the event. Within the two years of their friendship, Burgess said that Levy had painted a portrait of her dog, Sebastian, a painting that she displayed on her phone to the amusement of attendees. Burgess added that Sebastian himself is a popular canine figure along the sidewalks of Millbrook with his expansive welcoming personality.

A Fountains resident for the past four years, Levy was born in East Islip and raised in Oakdale, New York. Her interest in painting began in college, according to her daughter, Lynn Carson, who attended the event along with other family members. Levy’s career was in social work. She moved to Longboat Key in Florida upon her retirement, continuing to paint scenes in that locale.

“You should see how funny the house looks with so many hooks for paintings on the walls,” Carson said, adding that her sister, Karen Martin, is also an accomplished artist.

“There are a million things to say,” commented Deborah Slocum, Executive Director at The Fountains who attended the opening. “Delores is such an inspiration and so humble about her talent.”

Leila Hawken
art show

Latest News

State denies Shepherd's Run solar farm

State denies Shepherd's Run solar farm

New York State's Office of Renewable Energy Siting denied an application from Chicago-based Hecate Energy LLC that would have resulted in a 42-megawatt solar farm across 700 acres in Craryville, a hamlet in the Town of Copake.

Photo by Nathan Miller

COPAKE — New York State denied Hecate Energy LLC’s application for a more than 700-acre solar project, pointing to two factors: floodplain and community protection issues, and identification of and protection of wetland resources in this rural hamlet.

Jason Zehr, interim executive director of the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission, issued the decision on Wednesday, Oct. 14, five days before the clock was to run out for the state to approve or deny the Chicago-based company’s application.

Keep ReadingShow less
renewable energy

Lelah M. Somers

Lelah M. Somers

DOVER PLAINS — Lelah M. Somers, 97, a longtime Dover Plains, New York, resident, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Ferncliff Nursing Home in Rhinebeck, New York. Lelah was born on July 3, 1929, in Pawling, New York, to the late Byron and Lelah (Watts) Brill. Lelah grew up in Pawling and on Nov. 22, 1946, in Pleasant Valley, New York, she married James F. Somers, Sr. Mr. Somers passed away on Sept. 3, 1970. Lelah worked for New York State as a therapy aide for thirty-years and as a senior companion for New York State for thirty-two-years, with specific care provided to the mentally disabled.

She enjoyed taking care of the mentally disabled, was a wonderful mother to her four children, always putting her family first. She is survived by her son, James F. Somers, Jr. and his wife Donna of Dover Plains; two daughters, Doreen Monica of Wingdale, and Frances “Fran” Horton of Dover Plains, who was also her caregiver for many years; seven grandchildren, Debbie, Margie, Leah, Stephanie, Deirdra, Benji and Jimmy and several great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews, and her step-son, Kenny Elliott. In addition to her parents and husband, Lelah was predeceased by her daughter and son-in-law, Carol “DeeDee” Maile and Gil Maile, her son-in-law, Stephen Monica, and her son-in-law, Benny Horton as well as her companion of over forty-years, Andrew “Mac” McAlravey and her siblings, Ferris Brill, Eleanor Barryann, Richard Brill, William Brill and Barney Brill.

Keep ReadingShow less

The Millerton News - October 15, 2026

The Millerton News - October 15, 2026

Download directly

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

The art of getting into art school

The art of getting into art school

Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day returns to Poughkeepsie.

Provided

For a young artist considering college, the question isn’t simply whether the work is good enough. It’s which work to show, which school might be the right fit and even whether a creative life can lead to a sustainable career.

On Friday, Oct. 16, hundreds of aspiring artists will have the opportunity to explore those questions at Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day, presented by The Art Effect at the MJN Convention Center in Poughkeepsie.

Keep ReadingShow less
education

A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

A colorful life together at Atelier Valla

Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.

L. Tomaino
I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.
— Justine Valla

Husband and wife Victor and Justine Valla share a lavender and pink studio, Atelier Valla, across the driveway from their pink house, nestled into a hillside in Salisbury. The colors, said Justine, “were inspired by Monet’s house at Giverny.”

Creating art has been a lifelong pursuit for both.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community

David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

David Ruchman’s “Acquired Taste”

Filmmaker David Ruchman

Bleacher and Everard Photography

In a region known for its vibrant but geographically scattered arts community, discovering something new can require a little effort. The same might be said for finding a new place for an extraordinary meal. While the Northwest Corner, Berkshires and Hudson Valley have no shortage of creative talent, opportunities to experience it — whether on a stage, in a gallery or on a plate — aren’t always just around the corner.

In David Ruchman’s short film “Acquired Taste,” that challenge becomes the premise for an unlikely friendship between Nick, an aspiring young food critic living in an area with limited dining options, and a gruff New York City master chef.

Keep ReadingShow less
film
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.