Month: October 2025

Come to Beverly’s Exciting Open Studio 2025: Food, Flowers & Fun!

The annual RiverArts® Studio Tour is almost here — and I’m thrilled to be part of it once again!

About the November 8th/9th Exhibition

Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 8 (11am–5pm) and Sunday, November 9 (11am–3pm), and join me in Ardsley for a weekend of food, flowers, and fun.

In partnership with RiverArts® 2025 Artists Studio Tour
📍 The Lofts at 423 Saw Mill River Road, Building A, 3rd Floor Club Lounge, Ardsley, NY

Come take a bite out of life (and yes, an Oreo — gluten-free too!)

🍰 First Paintings – The Main Event

My paintings celebrate joyful memories of desserts and everyday delights — cakes, cookies, pies, berries — often half-eaten to capture the sweet nostalgia they bring. With vibrant color and playful realism, each piece invites you to linger and smile.

Additionally, I’ll show a few early “pre-dessert” works to answer one of the most-asked questions: “What did you paint before desserts?”

Kid-friendly show → Bring your children and grandchildren!

🥂 Then Food and Gifts

Again, thanks to Ginsberg Development Corporation (GDC) and The Lofts, we’ll have the spacious 3rd-floor lounge — with shelves, light, and room to show more art than ever. And yes, there will be food!

  • Saturday (2–4): Cheese, charcuterie, wine + non-alcoholic drinks
  • Sunday (12–2): Bagels, cream cheese, Danish, mimosas + more

Plus, Oreos for snacking — maybe your bite will appear in a future painting.

Holiday gift shopping? I’ll have note cards (including Riviera’s slanted birthday cake), small drawings, prints, and panel paintings available.

🌸 In Addition, Flowers

Now in my 6th year of ikebana, I’ve begun weaving its harmony and balance into my painting practice.

  • A video will feature some of my favorite Sogetsu Ikebana arrangements from weekly classes.
  • I’ll display at least one live arrangement — For me, ikebana is like painting with flowers.
  • Small floral paintings (Lotus, Orchid) and floral note cards will also be on view.

🤝 Finally, Fun & Community

Equally important, you’ll find like-minded people here.

Also expect the unexpected. I’ll be sharing some of my experiments with AI in art — and I’d love to hear what apps and tools you’ve tried too.

🗺️ Specifically: Tour Maps & Logistics

Over 80 artists across the Rivertowns (Hastings, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow) are opening their doors.

📍 I’m #19 on the map (Ardsley section)… currently in the middle of Saw Mill River Road. Oops! My neighbor, talented still life painter Linda Friedlander, will also be showing in Building C (#18) — just a short walk 2 buildings away (at the most southern building at The Lofts). A two-for-one stop!

Go to RiverArts.org for the Interactive and printable map. One of my favorite pages shows a thumbnail artwork from each artist to help plan your day.

Directions and Entry

The Lofts complex sits right on the border of Ardsley/Hastings. Use 423 Saw Mill River Road or 5 Mill River Lane in your GPS to get to the red-trimmed building at the northern end of the complex. Parking is available in front, or at the southern end in the rather hidden lot next to the maintenance shack.

The Lofts is located about 30 minutes north of Manhattan by car. The complex is located on the west side of Saw Mill River Road, one mile south of the Lawrence Street exit (#16) off the Saw Mill River Parkway.

Hopefully the building door will be open. If not, type Beverly into the directory to reach me so I can buzz you in. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor.

Taking the train? Catch the MetroNorth Hudson Line from Grand Central Terminal to Hastings-on-Hudson → then taxi/Lyft to The Lofts.

🎉 Why Come?

In summary, this is always a joyful, party-like event with art, food, conversation, and connection. Whether you’re a foodie, flower lover, or curious about art, please stop by the weekend of November 8th and 9th, and share in life’s sweetest surprises.

Bring your friends, family, and curiosity. Please feel free to share this event on social media. See you soon!

Finally, if you have any questions, 📧 contact: beverlyshipko@mac.com
📸 Instagram: @beverlyshipko,
Facebook: Beverly Shipko, Artist

P.S. In addition to the main Tour weekend, there are two Preview Shows. 

Sunday, October 26 from 3-5pm at Hastings Village Hall Gallery, 7 Maple Avenue (for artists from Hastings, Dobbs Ferry and Ardsley). I will have a vending painting in this show.

Sunday, November 2 from 3-5pm at Shames JCC, 371 S. Broadway (for artists from Irvington, Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow)

Watch My Talk: Discover A Magnificent Menagerie in Art

Did you miss my October 7th art history talk at the Scarsdale Library? If so, you can now watch the full recording below, A Magnificent Menagerie: Animals in Art.

Join me for a delightful journey through art history’s most memorable creatures. You may never look at animals in art the same way again!

Featuring Animals in Art Through the Ages

From prehistoric cave bulls to Tang Dynasty ceramics, animals have always inspired artists. Later, in the Middle Ages, they appeared in illuminated bestiaries. Moving forward, we see them in Degas’ racehorses and Jamie Wyeth’s pig. Today, they even show up as beloved stars of Instagram feeds.

Across time, animals have been featured not only in paintings but also in sculpture, architecture, children’s books, advertising, movies and more. Often, they serve as symbols, companions, and sources of joy.

Special thanks to David for suggesting this meaty topic, and to Claudette who encouraged my first talk on A Bite-Size View of Food in Art at the Scarsdale Library. I appreciate your support and inspiration.

Finally, thank you to the Scarsdale Library for hosting this event and supporting the arts in our community. It was a joy to share this talk in such a welcoming space. Plus the library features a large format screen so we can see details. In addition, the large screen allows for multiple images, stimulating a visual dialog.

You can also view my talk from the library website.

I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the fascinating role animals play in art across cultures and centuries by watching today.

Explore Exciting Animals in Art: Join My Upcoming Talk

Calling all animal and art lovers!

You are invited to my upcoming hybrid art talk on “A Magnificent Menagerie: Animals in Art” at the Scarsdale Public Library on

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 – coming up fast!

4:30pm – 5:30 pm.

Light refreshments following

This is my third art talk to the Scarsdale Library community. Previously I spoke on Food in Art and Flowers in Art. While my personal focus has been on painting food, and more recently making Ikebana flower creations, I have returned to many other subjects, including animals, periodically. And I am thrilled to be revisiting to my art history roots once again with this exciting journey through a magnificent menagerie of animals in art – both fantasy and real!

Registration Requested

Click here to register to come In-Person or attend Online. It’s especially important to register in advance if you’re attending virtually to receive the zoom link an hour before the presentation begins. And it will begin on time. Registration closes 3:00pm on Tuesday, October 7.

Bring a bit of an appetite since Bonnie, my younger daughter, is serving light refreshments. A rough head count will help her plan quantities of “bites” and drinks.

And how could we not serve food? It’s a long standing tradition at any Shipko event.

Bring Your Family and Friends!

The more, the merrier. Please feel free to invite your friends and family – especially animal lovers both kids and adults – by forwarding this email with the link. This is a public event.

Hope to see you this Tuesday, October 7th at 4:30!

Transportation

The Scarsdale Public Library is located at 54 Olmsted Road, in Scarsdale, NY right off Boston Post Road in Southern Westchester Country. For those who plan to drive, parking is plentiful in the library lot and on the nearby side streets. Because of the positive response to this talk, and other simultaneous library events, parking could be more challenging than usual. Please allow extra time to park.

For non-drivers from NYC, the Scarsdale train station is on the Metro-North Railroad’s Harlem Line from Grand Central Station. The station is fairly close (1.6 miles or 5 minutes) and easily accessible by taxi, Lyft or Uber.

Questions?

Finally, for additional information, please go to the website at scarsdalelibrary.org or call (914) 722-1302. You can always contact me directly at beverlyshipko@mac.com or 914-954-7779.

Now the question for me is how is to organize and condense a massive amount of material on this epic topic. We’ll be covering a lot of ground, from prehistoric times to the present. I hope you’ll let me know how I did afterwards…

As always, I am looking forward to seeing you on October 7, and ushering in the fascinating world of animals!