Gallery Forty-One in Owego presents ‘Illustrated Stories’

The Exhibition Room at Gallery Forty-One will be showing the work of Philadelphia artist Brigida Michopulos DiGenova. The show “Illustrated Stories” will run Oct. 2 – 31. The show will open with a reception Friday, Oct. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. and in conjunction with Owego’s First Friday ArtWalk.

Brigida, a child of the 60’s was born to a family of classically trained musicians. From an early age, she showed she had inherited family talent with expectations of becoming an accomplished pianist. Soon she dreamed of other things. She wanted to paint! By 1990 she had received her diploma at The Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana.

With a special talent for drawing buildings and architectural landscapes she began working for an Italian architectural firm where she flourished with urban projects working in many cities throughout Italy. Although she painted in her spare time, she dreamed of a full time career painting her original work. After winning several art competitions painting in oil and tempera, she realized her dream was a reality.

Looking at Brigida’s work one notices an enchanting sense of poetry that enraptures her images of modern cities. Her compositions reference the classical architecture that are the creative elements that structure her work. Her illustrations take you to secret places of magical fantasy where one seems to be entering Lewis Carroll’s down the rabbit hole, but they are of Brigida’s imagination. Her unique characters, little animals and bees in forest settings are captivating and whimsical, melting landscapes of reality and fantasy together.

Her enchanting artwork and special display of cards, in the mediums of pencil, tempera and oil, depict carefully-drawn animal fantasy elements, perhaps with tiny echoes of Alice in Wonderland. The variety and richness of her architectural renderings, combining models from classic antiquity with modern artistic concepts can be seen in this well-balanced show.

Some of her most notable work is inspired by her father, Enrik Michopulos, DR. Professor Musicology e Violinist and lutist who lives in Parabita, Italy. Brigida illustrated a fox playing one of Enrik’s violins in a fable he had written for his daughter. Like father like daughter, Enrik’s violins and Brigida’s paintings and illustrations have won awards in the United States and abroad.

Brigida was awarded first place in the 2013 Morristown Art League Music in Art Competition.

She now resides in the United States with her husband and paints to her heart’s content.