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Giulio's Presents a Feast for the Eyes

Drop by Giulio’s restaurant in Downtown Tappan for some of the best Italian fare in Rockland, and between courses feast your on the paintings of local artist Sue Barrasi. 

Ms Barrasi’s works will be adorning Giulio’s walls through the spring. “I’m thrilled Giulio’s requested to hang the show. The restaurant itself is a work of art,” said Ms Barrasi. 

That’s not an exaggeration. Ms. Barrasi’s works are elegantly framed by the 19th century Victorian restaurant’s recently refurbished decor. 

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Her landscapes and still lifes seem as though they were created specifically to compliment the soft tones and bucolic ambiance of this Rockland County iconic culinary destination. Over 15 paintings documenting excursions to Italy, France and Spain hang along with many depicting the breathtaking vistas of our own Hudson Valley.  Maples on Rockland Lake, the sun glowing on the Tappan Zee bridge or the blues of the Hudson can be enjoyed as you sit by the fireplace and enjoy superb cuisine served by Giulio’s delightful staff.  

A crazy and creative 2011 has turned into a 2012 that promises to be a banner year for the artist, a Bronx native 
and longtime Tappan resident.  As 2011 drew to a close,  Ms. Barrasi learned she had been awarded an Art in Residency at the Art Student’s League Vytacil Campus in Sparkill to complete a series of oils entitled “Daydreams”.  Days later,  she was awarded an individual Artist  grant awarded by the Arts Council of Rockland to execute a series of landscapes of those similar vistas originally painted by the  Hudson River School.  The exhibit “Rockland Renaissance” will capture the natural beauty of Rockland County while simultaneously bringing awareness to America’s first art movement. This exhibit is slated to open in November 2012 at Harmony Hall in Sloatsburg before touring the county.

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Ms. Barrasi holds numerous memberships including the National Association of Women Arists,  Portrait Painters of 
America and Oil Painters of America.  She holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts and has studied with David Leffel 
and Sherrie McGraw at the Arts Students League on a Merit Scholarship. Her works have been  displayed at Lincoln
Center,  the Salmagandi Club, the National Arts Club and the Springfield  Museum of Fine Art in Massachusetts. 
Trained as an illustrator Ms. Barrasi has been commissioned to design postage stamps, men’s apparel,  book and 
magazine covers, corporate logos and backdrops for Off-Broadway productions. Her works has been collected by
individuals and institutions including the Tappan Library,  Dennis McHugh Piermont Library and Giulio to her clients list. 

This month she has donated a painting for the Rockland Center of  the Arts 2012 Artist Fundraiser event,  is exhibiting a portrait at the members’ show at the Hopper House in Nyack and participating in  a juried show at the Randy Higbee Gallery in California.  Ms. Barrasi is especially excited about participating in a group exhibition at the new Artists in the Parks  Gallery located in the Bear Mountain Inn. 

“I’ve been a member of Artists in the Parks (AIP) for about a year now. We are a plein air group raising awareness and funds for the Palisades Parks Conservancy to support their conservation, preservation and education initiatives. This gallery is very exciting,  we now have  a place to call home and exhibit our works  year round! Lita and Bruce Thorne along with  the board of AIP have  worked long and hard to secure this gallery which will provide a permanent venue for the valley’s artists.” 

The opening reception for the new AIP gallery  will be February 24 from 6:00 - 8:30 at the Bear Mountain Inn.

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