Millerton artist’s exhibit gets to the core of things

MILLERTON — The setting couldn’t be any more picturesque for the upcoming exhibit of artist Mark Liebergall’s work, which will be held the weekend of July 16 and 17 at the home of Henry and Alison Stolzman. The Stolzmans live at what was once the Millerton Apple Orchard on Skunk’s Misery Road in Millerton; Henry Stolzman is an architect and designed the home that itself is a showpiece encased in glass.“It was a good place for it,” he said, adding the couple bought the 100-acre property 11 years ago in preparation for their retirement. At the time there were 6,500 apple trees; there still remain roughly 1,000 that grow wild and about 100 that are cared for. “We wanted to maintain that sense of the orchard.”The design of the home is prairie style; it sits on a big open field facing south and every room leads out to a large deck. Both Stolzman and Liebergall said it was the ideal space for the show.“To me, the fascinating and unique thing about all of this is to be able to see Mark’s work in a real residential setting and not on a gallery wall or a church basement or in a studio,” Stolzman said. “It’s in a real residential setting, which you never see [with art shows]. There are even pieces in the dining room and bedroom, and you can appreciate the art throughout the house in a setting that is airy and spacious.”“To see work in a residence where people would actually live with the work on a daily basis and see how it fits in a living space is incredibly rewarding because you want your work to add something to people’s lives when they’re living there, and not just have it sitting on a gallery wall,” Liebergall said. “It’s nice to have people really enjoy the work, and to have it in a house makes people happier or sadder — hopefully happier. It’s just a wonderful experience.”“The problem is he wants to see his work all the time, and we can’t get him out of there,” Stolzman joked.“That’s right, I sneak in over there,” said Liebergall.“It’s not a problem at all,” assured Stolzman good naturedly. The pair also own numerous pieces made by the artist. “It’s one of the benefits.”There will be about 60 pieces on display, from paintings to sculptures to drawings. Most of the art on exhibit will be from Liebergall’s recent work. Some of the more unusual pieces include his shaped paintings, which came about after he unrolled stored paintings a couple of years ago that had become stiff and wavy.“I thought to myself I was going to have to iron or steam them, and then someone said they liked them with the waves and then [my wife] came down and said the same thing and that gave me the idea [to keep them that way and do so intentionally], so I started shaping these painting after I painted them,” Liebergall said. “Now they’ve grown into shaped paintings and sculptures. I’m very excited. [My wife] Dianne said there’s a lot of serendipity in this work. She’s right. It’s all serendipity.”“I’d rather say exuberance,” said Stolzman, complimenting the artist for his creativity and ability to work in different mediums.“I saw his work before I met him and I hadn’t realized I was choosing work from the same artist because the media were so different,” Stolzman said. “It’s wonderful to have an artist work in a lot of different ways.”The exhibit, entitled New Works, New Settings, is planned for Saturday, July 16, from noon to 5 p.m., and Sunday, July 17, from noon to 4 p.m. Those who attend may also tour the home and stroll the grounds of the Stolzman’s property; their address is 182 Skunk’s Misery Road, Millerton. For more information, call 518-789-0608 or email markalanliebergall@yahoo.com.