MATTHEW ZAPPALA High Street Gallery Please click images above for full view. Both Jackson Pollack and the noted printmaker, Marvin Bileck, share responsibility for Matthew Zappala's exhibit of horse collages. Marvin Bileck, professor emeritus of Queens College, inspired his student, Zappala, in printmaking. Pollack's drip technique released the equine images from Zappala's subconscious. The horse collages originated from an automatic drawing, using the drip technique, on an etching plate. What began as a single print of a pair of horses emerged through experimentation with collage and white paint, as a herd of exuberant horses prancing through an imaginary landscape. A lifelong teacher himself, Zappala, now retired, devotes full time to the studio. This is his first exhibit in Portland. To Marvin Bileck, An Acknowledgement After two years in college, I was disillusioned with the quality and substance of my art teachers, and my interests seemed different from my fellow students. In my sophomore year, while they were composing still lifes or figure studies, I was painting odd surrealistic flowers. One afternoon in the studio, working at my easel, I became aware of an unknown professor who quietly wandered through the class, he did not speak to or disturb the other students, but then stopped in front of my painting and said simply, "I like that." It was a time in one's life when a kind word could have a most profound effect. I asked who he was, and was told that this teacher was Mr. Bileck. The following semester, I registered for his Imagery course. In this class, you learned to open your eyes and explore whatever interested you. Everything was part of the mix, from performance art to constructions of childhood toys. Finally, I had a teacher who responded to my art, and encouraged me to develop my own possibilities. After graduating, I continued at Queens College in the MFA program, and was Mr. Bileck's assistant in the etching studio. It was not uncommon for him to work late into the night with students on their projects. Beyond his wealth of knowledge and reverence for the drawn line was his absolute love of art. He left a legacy of students who are thankful he had the faith and intuition to guide them down their own paths. Matthew Zappala resume High Street Gallery Congress Street Gallery current exhibits contact home