Max Goldstein and Maya Ferrandiz
When more than 70 artists open their private studios and appear in group venues across South Orange and Maplewood on Sunday, two 15-year-olds will be among them – the youngest artists ever to exhibit in the SOMA Artists Studio Tour.
Both Maya Ferrandiz, a painter, and photographer Max Goldstein are Columbia High School freshmen who are passionate about their work and say they’re thrilled to be joining the established and talented artists on the 13th annual self-guided studio tour celebrating the creativity and diversity in the two towns.
“There are so many talented artists here,’’ said Goldstein, who took photography classes with two photographers also featured on this year’s tour – Jeremy Moss, who taught at the Baird, and CHS teacher Jon Fisher. Both helped him bring more sophistication to his work, he said. “It’s great to be a part of it.”
Ferrandiz agrees. “It’s exciting to be a part of the tour with so many great artists, “ she said. “I consider myself lucky to be in a community that is so supportive of the arts.”
Both Ferrandiz and Goldstein have grown up in families with artists to inspire them. Ferrandiz will be showing with her mother, Jocelyn Fine, a painter and art teacher. Her grandmother also is an artist. Goldstein’s aunt and uncle are photographers, and his late grandfather explored a range of art mediums, including photography.
“I love the idea of being in a show with my mother,” she said. “We often paint in the studio that we share together. When she told me she was doing the tour this year I wanted to be there with her and show my work next to her.”
Both teens started making art when they were very young, and each discovered they had an eye for it.
Ferrandiz’s work, shown at The Woodland venue in Maplewood, uses mostly acrylics and spray paint and is rooted in pop culture and graffiti art. Her influences include Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and CHS art teacher Bisa Butler, whom she said helped her develop as an artist and encouraged her to show her work. Her work has also been selected for inclusion in the Inspired Minds exhibit at SOPAC, which is also on Sunday’s tour.
Goldstein, who is showing at JESPY House on Milligan Place, shoots mostly in New York City and at home in South Orange and Maplewood. He recently traveled to Barcelona and Amsterdam, expanding his repertoire of cityscapes.
“Things I see in the world, patterns stand out to me, particularly the way light hits certain things,’’ he said.
Ferrandiz and Goldstein, aren’t the only high school students on the tour. At the Columbia High School gallery, the work of the CHS AP Art class will be on display and other high school artists are included in the Inspired Minds show at SOPAC.
The self-guided tour is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, June 5, 2016. While most artists open their studios to visitors for the tour, several group venues were set up for the event, including those where Ferrandiz and Goldstein can be found:
The Woodland Group Venue, 60 Woodland Road, Maplewood
Featuring Oksana Berzinsh, Billec, Amanda Burns-Elhassouni, Mary Jean Canziani, Irene Dunsavage Maya Ferrandiz, Jocelyn Fine and Julie Martini
JESPY House Group Venue, 111 Milligan Place, South Orange
Featuring Liz Demaree, Max Goldstein and Jennie Traill Schaeffer
To see a map of all group venues and open artists’ studios and bios of featured artists visit www.studiotoursoma.org.
