Art
Long Island City artist ready
to showcase her work at
Astoria’s Q.E.D.
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
What will change society faster than
politics? There are those who believe it
might be art, freedom and creativity. It
seems that belief is an important part of
artist, activist and Queens native Eileen
Coyne’s raison d’etre.
If you’re curious, you can view her
intriguing masterpieces at Q.E.D.’s new-est
art installation celebrating her work
— which has been described as truly
beautiful and often quite powerful —
at the free opening night reception,
scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 15, from
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The collection will remain on view
and for sale through the end of June at
27-16 23rd Ave. in Astoria.
Since its opening, Q.E.D.’s gallery has
featured rotating works from local artists,
including photographers, painters, as well
as experimental artwork.
“As a woman-owned and operated
venue in a male dominated industry, it
gives me great pleasure to highlight the
work of a fellow woman artist. I’m espe-cially
thrilled to have Coyne’s pieces that
evoke a powerful message of feminism,
strength and perseverance,” said Q.E.D.
creator Kambri Crews, a Queens resident.
Coyne, who lives and works in Long
Island City, has exhibited extensively in
Queens, most notably at the non-profit
arts advocacy organization LIC-A’s The
Plaxall Gallery, as well as at The Factory
(both of which are showcasing her work
now), The Local Project, Citibank and
Astoria’s Chateau Le Woof. Her work has
also been featured in the Huffington Post
and resides in many private collections.
“As a painter, I am most interested in
capturing the emotional complexity of
humanity. I also use my art as a means
18 JANUARY 2019 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
to advocate for social issues that matter
deeply to me,” she said.
“Art has been a therapeutic tool for
me since childhood. Growing up in an
Irish, working-class family in a slowly
deteriorating steel town in Western Penn-sylvania,
I was intrigued by the social and
racial diversity in my community.”
The activist/artist received her art
education in Queens, at The Bridgeview
School of Fine Arts. She is a proud
member of LIC Artists, Inc. (LIC-A). It
is there that she found a supportive
and diverse community of professional
Queens-based artists and was an artist-in-
residence at their Plaxall Gallery home
in 2018.
Photos courtesy of Eileen Coyne
“While other art forms entered my
life at various stages, most notably
dance and theatre, painting people
remains my greatest form of expres-sion,”
Coyne said. “My time in the
theatre allowed me the opportunity
to work in Europe where I was intro-duced
to the German expressionists.
I am inspired by the work of Soutine,
Schiele, Kokoschka, Beckmann and
Lucien Freud to name a few. I admire
their unique ability, with heavy use of
paint, to dissect the human psyche
on their canvas.
“In this unprecedented political climate,
I see my work evolving to reflect more
poignantly my social and political beliefs.”
/www.qns.com
/www.qns.com
