New art exhibit celebrates ‘Family and Fauna’ at Sea Cliff Arts Council

The Sea Cliff Arts Council’s latest exhibition, “Family and Fauna,” features the works of Sea Cliff couple Kay and Rick Vickers, two retired clinical psychologists with a passion for painting. The dynamic duo’s paintings feature portraits and capture family moments, by Kay, and natural scenes from around Sea Cliff and New York state, by Rick.

According to the couple, neither of them are trained artists, although Rick’s mother taught him how to oil paint as a boy. Kay meanwhile had never been taught, but since they’ve both fallen in love with the world of painting and artistry.

“Rick painted when he was young and he picked it up since we retired,” Kay said. “I also had no background, zero, and I’ve been painting for the last 15 years and found that I had abilities when I never knew I did.”

Both work in the medium of oil painting, although Kay initially got started doing pastel paintings of various topics. Both eventually found their mediums; Rick prefers pieces that highlight wildlife and the natural world, while Kay focuses on portraits, particularly of family members and important scenes from their lives.

“What I like painting are things that have an ephemeral presence,” Rick explained. “I do a lot of nocturnes (paintings of night scenes) and I like to paint the wildlife that I see, just because it’s beautiful.”

“Maybe partly because I’m a psychologist, I found myself drawn to people and their expressions,” Kay said. “To me, when I capture the person that I know, when I start capturing that person’s features and sense of themselves, I start getting the kind of love that I feel for them emotionally and that keeps me really involved with the painting.”

The couple has each had their own artwork on display at different public shows, with Kay displaying her works with the Art Guild of Port Washington and the Manhasset Art Association, while one of Rick’s pieces is part of the permanent collection at the Roscoe O&W Train Museum in upstate New York. This is the first time the couple has ever displayed their artwork together, however, and they described how thrilled they were to get the chance to do it in their hometown.

“I very much wanted to have this show because we’ve been living here for 50 years, and my children have grown, they’re married and have children now,” Kay continued. “So to me I was giving a gift back to the village, saying ‘Many of you know Luke and Leah, and I’d like you to know how their lives have gone through my paintings of them.’”

“It was a pleasurable experience, nice just to have a family gathering and to meet neighbors and new people, making new acquaintances in Sea Cliff,” Rick added. “It was a fun day.”

Their work will be on display at the Sea Cliff Arts Council until July. For more information on the Arts Council and their work, visit Cymbals-Mackerel-74jf.SquareSpace.com.