Bio – Berenice Pliskin

Artist Statement

My love of color and light and the spontaneity that the silk painting medium provides, gives me the unique opportunity to fully express myself. It persuades my imagination to retrieve new images and transfer them onto the silk surface. The impression left by the resist and the dyes leads me to further invention. The idea that I never know what will be coming next is a powerful incentive to my work.

 I sometimes draw from my life experiences, and memories and work directly onto the silk. At other times I develop a set of imagery and work in watercolor and collage before using dyes. The medium is always playful and unpredictable. 

My basic interest is the rendering of color onto a two dimensional surface and the developing of ideas and imagery which work as an abstraction even though my work is figurative.

 I owe a debt to Henri Matisse, whose paintings I have loved since childhood. Other strong influences include Romare Bearden, Jasper Johns, Elizabeth Murray, Stuart Davis and prehistoric cave paintings.

Selected Juried Exhibitions:

Solo exhibit: Mamaroneck Artists Guild: “Taking the Silk Road in Larchmont, NY”
A collection of silk paintings October 22-November 15, 2024
Artist’s Talk: Saturday October 26th 3-5pm

Solo Exhibit: Rye Arts Center Gallery “Works of Berenice Pliskin” a collection of silk paintings. March 6-April 19th 2024, Artist Talk April 13th 2pm

Three paintings from the”Latino and Latina Day Laborer” series will be displayed in the Conference room of the International Labor Organization in NYC from June 24th -September 30th 2019. The ILO is an agency of the United Nations.

Group Show: Fiber Now: Textile Artists on the Cutting Edge:  Rye Arts Center Gallery: March 14th-April 27th, 2019

Rye Art Center, Rye NY,  Group Exhibit  “Figurative Interpretations” 2/24/18 – 3/10/18

The Gallery at Eastern Hay, Pawling, NY, Group Exhibit “Spring Fever”  3/11/16 – 4/16/16

Wilton Library “The Winter Show”-Six Women Artists, 1/15/15-2/27/15

Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY, A Group exhibition to celebrate Hispanic History Month, including eight paintings of the Latino Day Laborer series, September 7, 2013-September 29, 2013

White Plains Library Museum Gallery, An Exhibit of art and photography Berenice and Bob Pliskin, “Silk and Paper” Oct. 14, 2012 – Nov.16, 2012

ArtsWestchester, White Plains, NY “A Spin On Green” June- July 2011

The silk painting “At the Opening”, has been chosen to be on exhibit at The Katonah Museum of Art, from February 28th – June 13th 2010. She is the present featured artist of the Katonah Museum Artist association.

Hiram Halle Memorial Library, Pound Ridge NY Solo Exhibit March 8th – April 18th, 2009

Katonah Museum Tri-State Exhibit, “Contemporary Confrontations”.
Nan Rosenthal: Juror, Curator of Modern Art Metropolitan Museum of Art 1/25/09

Katonah Museum Artist’s Association Juried Exhibition at the Sculpture Barn, New Fairfield CT, Oct 12th-Nov.2nd 2008

A. I. R. Gallery, Generations “08, NYC, June 2008

National Association of Women Artists, NYC, 5/12/08-7/17/08

Katonah Museum, Day Laborer series to accompany immigration conference 10/12/07

Katonah Museum Artist Association 9/07-3/08

The Blue Hill Cultural Center, Pearl River NY, National Association of Women Artists, member exhibit: June-Nov. 2007

Biennial Exhibition at A. I. R. Gallery, NYC March 6-31, 2007

Juror: Connie Butler, Curator of Drawings and Prints, Museum of Modern Art

HVCCA, The Peekskill Project, Invitational show, Sept. 16 – 17, 2006

Westchester Biennial, Juror: D. Domenick Lombardi April 2 – June 18, 2006

Katonah Museum Tri-State Exhibit Juror: Benny Andrews, May – June 2005

Solo exhibit, Flat Iron Gallery, Peekskill, NY May, 2005

Smithtown Township Arts Council, Fiber Exhibit, July 2004

Katonah Museum Artists Assoc. W.C.C. Gallery, Juror, Dede Young, June 2004

A. I. R. Gallery, Generations .04, Invitational show, NYC March 2004

Union Station, Kansas City, Mo. Banner, June 2003

Katonah Museum Artists Assoc. NWCA, October 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005

Academy Art Museum, Easton, Maryland, September 2000

Westchester Community College Gallery,”Intimate Angles“ Oct. 1998

Grassroots, Hastings-on Hudson, 1994

Bronx Museum

Numerous Private Collections

Publications:

Express News: Sept.2012, featured Article
“Know Your Neighbor”, Berenice and Bob Pliskin, White Plains, NY

Spring 2009 Featured Artist for Katonah Museum Artist Association Newsletter, “Visions”

February 2009: Pound Ridge & Bedford Record Review Newspaper, Featured Artist “Taking the Silk Road in Pound Ridge

Peinture Sur Soie: A French magazine for silk painters, featured artist double page spread of Latino Day Laborers, July 2007

The Journal News: “Art Knows No Borders”, July 23,2006 The NY Times,Featured Artist, Review of Westchester Biennial, May7, 2006

The New York Times: “Living In” October 2005

The Peekskill Star: ”Spotlight” Pliskin’s Artwork Selected” June 2003

The New York Times, Westchester Section: Featured Artist Nov. 2001

Women’s News ,”Hello Peekskill Goodbye Soho” June 2000

Hudson Valley Magazine Artists Profile, “Taking the Silk Road” Aug. 2000

Longman Inc: Top 20 ESL Word Games Beginning Vocabulary Development Authors: Marjorie Fuchs, Berenice Pliskin: 1991-present, Barnes&Noble, Amazon.com

Longman Inc: Aventuras, Beginning Spanish, Text Book Authors: Brenda Stephens with Berenice Pliskin: 1989

Longman Inc: Top 24 French Word Game Hits– Masters for Beginning French Author: 1988

Longman Inc: Top 24 Spanish Word Game Hits– Masters for Beginning Spanish Author: 1987

Doubleday & Company, INC: A Trainload of Fun– A Doubleday Activity Book Author & Illustrator: 1981

Grosset & Dunlap: Cinnamon House Press: Dinosaur Activity Book Author & Illustrator: 1978

Grosset& Dunlap: Cinnamon House Press: Ringmasters Puzzles Author & Illustrator: 1978

Scholastic Magazine: Science World Magazine, Contributing Puzzle Editor Cartoonist & Puzzle Constructor 1970 – 1978

Commissions & Corporate Collections

“Diptych 1”, “Diptych 2”, “Night Heron”, “Spider Web”
 Ginsburg Development LLC, Chapel Hill, Peekskill, two silk paintings

Honors:

“Who’s Who of American Women”
 Surface Design Association Award-winning silk painting, “Digital Delights”

2003 
Westchester Arts Council Arts Awards 2002: Education/Community Award
 for a significant contribution to the arts, “A Community Mosaic 9/11”

Art Organizations:

SPIN, Silk Painters International
National Association of Women in the Arts, Juried Member
Katonah Museum Artist Association
Textile Study Group of NY
 Surface Design Assoc.

Education:

M. F. A. Painting, Lehman College, New York 
High School of Music & Art