Wilton Library is pleased to present the diverse works of five area artists in its November art exhibition “Five Guys,” opening on Friday, Nov. 3 with a reception from 6-7:30 p.m. The exhibition showcases the paintings of Daniel Angeles (Danbury), Bill Fulton (Wilton), Ed MacEwen (Wilton), Norm Siegel (Norwalk), and Dennis Stevens (Norwalk).
Their mediums are primarily oil and watercolor, with subject matter ranging from portraits and landscapes to animals, and more. The opening reception is free and open to the public.
“This is the first time we have hosted an all-male exhibition at the library. Our concept is to feature only male artists as a companion show and bookend for the all-women exhibition that graced the library’s walls this past Spring,” said Ed MacEwen, Art Chairman of Wilton Library. “In my eyes, Daniel Angeles, Bill Fulton, Norm Siegel, and Dennis Stevens are the artists whom I have admired the most in all of my years curating the library’s art shows. It is my honor to participate in this exhibition with them. And since there are only five of us in this show, we will be able to present as many as 10 paintings each, so that the public can get really get a sense of our talent, our style of painting, and the subjects that dominate our work.”
The artists come from a range of backgrounds:
Daniel Angeles — For Angeles, at first glance, his artwork is recognized by rich pigments, light hearted narratives, and detailed illustrations. What some don’t realize is that hidden beneath the surface they will find many layers of paint, along with deep-rooted emotions that chronicle his life in a sort of illustrated journal. He embeds his personal stories and experiences into each painting but he obscures them in a whimsical format to allow the viewer the opportunity to discover the meaning for their selves. He asks viewers to open their heartsand minds to these underlying layers, in hopes that they will be surprised to find a deeper, unexpected connection to the work.
Bill Fulton — Fulton resides in Wilton with his wife. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Tyler School of Art in 1977, Fulton moved to New York City and pursued a career in interior building and renovation. After 35 years, he has made a commitment to return to the craft for which he was trained. For the last 10 years, Fulton has devoted himself to painting. Painting landscapes, still lifes, and portraits, he has developed an idiosyncratic realism that is influenced by artists such as Chardin, Hopper, Chase and Velazquez. His style makes bold use of color, composition, and subject matter to achieve a unique pictorial atmosphere.
Ed MacEwen — MacEwen has been a resident of Wilton for more than 45 years. Since his retirement in 1996 from GTE Corporation as vice president of corporate communications and president of the GTE Foundation, he has volunteered for several organizations throughout Fairfield County. MacEwen served on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of Wilton Library from 1996 to 2002, and he has served as art chairman of Wilton Library since 2008. In this volunteer position, he has curated more than 200 exhibitions for the library featuring artists from the Fairfield County area. He also designed and painted seven murals that can be seen throughout the library in collaboration with his daughter and granddaughter. MacEwan earned a Bachelor of fine arts from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master’s Degree in communication from Fairfield University. He studied watercolor painting with the late Jim Minnicks, who was a retired faculty member of the Silvermine Guild in New Canaan. MacEwan has exhibited widely in the region and many of his paintings are in private collections. He and his wife, Jan MacEwan, are founding members of the Wilton Singers and they are both very active volunteers in the library’s Book Sale team. MacEwan plans to retire as the library’s Art Chairman at the end of 2023.
Norm Siegel — Siegel was influenced by art at an early age and put his energies into an advertising design elective taught by Rudolph de Harak at The Cooper Union. This led him to a successful “Mad Men” art director career. After many years in big agencies, he left to open a creative boutique in Southport with former NBC creative director, Steve Lance. One of their proudest accomplishments was to help launch The Discovery Channel in 1989. In his off time to escape the stress and politics of ad agency reality, he indulged his love of aviation by becoming a member of the American Society of Aviation Artists and the U.S. Air Force Art Program. Many of his paintings have homes in various aviation museums as well as the Pentagon. Plus he had the opportunity to fly in many of the hottest and iconic aircraft. Though rarely still active today as a free-lance art director, (who in their right mind is hiring an octogenarian art director these days?) Siegel decided to once again pick up the brush and return to the style of painting that his 19th century brain is “wired” to paint. Interestingly enough his advertising career seems to have meshed with his painting career. Just like creating an ad or commercial, what he paints has to have a concept — sometimes literal, sometimes graphic, sometimes humorous and satirical, sometimes social and sometimes political. Siegel has been fortunate to have his work exhibited at the Salmagundi Gallery in NY, the New Britain Museum of American Art, Billis Gallery in Westport, Kershner Gallery at the Fairfield Public Library, the Westport and Wilton Libraries, and Bendheim Gallery in Greenwich; be featured in solo shows at the Newton Roux Gallery in Westport, the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport and WorkPoint in Stamford; and recently his painting “Garden of Hope” is now at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Dennis Stevens — Born in a tiny town in Iowa, the son of a sheep shearer and housewife, Stevens graduated from Drake University earning a degree in commercial art, advertising and illustration. His work is traditional, representational and narrative in nature. Each painting has a story. Some stories are obvious, some are subtle and take time to unearth. His hope is that each person will find their own story in his paintings that will delight them time and time again. Stevens has held art director/creative director positions at LOOK Magazine, Lennen and Newell Pacific, Needham Harper and Steers, Doyle Dane Bernbach and Young and Rubicam. He has lived in Iowa, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, Chicago and New York. Stevens has been honored with many painting, advertising, and illustration awards. He lives and works in Cranbury in the town of Norwalk.
The exhibition runs through Thursday, Nov. 30. A majority of the works are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the library.
Wilton Library hours are Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. The library will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 23 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
For more than 128 years, Wilton Library has served as the cultural and intellectual center of Wilton with the mission to inform, enrich, connect, and inspire our community. The library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Rd. in the heart of Wilton Center. For more information, visit the Wilton Library website or call 203.762.3950.