Figure in a Stony Landscape, 1985
Bernarda Bryson (1903–2004)
Etching on paper
Collection of David S. & Constance J. Herrstrom 

Bernarda Bryson Shahn produced a body of work with hooded figures in stony landscapes. In paintings and works on paper, she explored the Goddess of Malta theme in the 1980s, based on the ancient figures and temples built on the Mediterranean island nation of Malta.

In a Dark Forest, 1984
Bernarda Bryson (1903–2004)
Etching on paper
Collection of David S. & Constance J. Herrstrom

After a multi-decade career as an illustrator and following the death of her husband, Bernarda Bryson Shahn returned to creating fine art and became recognized in her own right. Critics described her work as simultaneously realistic and mysterious in style.

She was inspired by the human figure, references to classical mythology, and mystery. 

Field of Tall Grass, c. 2012
Sheila Linz (b. 1953)
Oil on canvas
Collection of David S. & Constance J. Herrstrom

Sheila Linz has lived in Roosevelt since 2001. Through the Roosevelt Arts Project she runs Assifa Space, an art gallery, in her home, one of the original Kastner/Kahn-designed buildings. Her appreciation of her surroundings, specifically the preserved green space with its birdsong and hawk flights, finds its way into her artwork. The field in Linz’s painting is near the Roosevelt cemetery.

Cornfield, 1967
Stefan Martin (1936–1994)
Print and Woodblock
Collection of the Notterman Family

Stefan Martin is celebrated for his woodblock prints and also for the wood carvings themselves. As a friend to local pediatrician, Dr. Rebecca Notterman, he carved woodblocks for her family’s annual holiday cards. This block depicts a cornfield on their farm.

Dr. Rebecca Notterman’s husband, Joseph Notterman, grew up in Roosevelt and was one of the original Jersey Homestead settlers. As a youngster he was Ben Shahn’s paper boy, delivering The Jewish Daily Forward.

Assunpink Fall Summer Fields, 2014
Lucretia E. McGuff-Silverman (b. 1954)
Acrylic on canvas board
Collection of Lucretia E. McGuff-Silverman 

One of the aspects that makes Roosevelt a desirable place to live is that it is surrounded by the bucolic Assunpink Wildlife Management Area and its nearly six miles of trails. Roosevelt artists like McGuff-Silverman and Sheila Linz (whose work hangs nearby) have painted scenes from the 6,300 acres of forest and watershed.

Assunpink Winter Fields, Early Thaw, 2015
Lucretia E. McGuff-Silverman (b. 1954)
Acrylic on canvas board
Collection of Lucretia E. McGuff-Silverman

A Roosevelt resident since 1990, Lucretia E. McGuff-Silverman is entranced by the natural world surrounding her and the play of color and light in the trees. She depicts the verdant place Roosevelt is today, surrounded by preserved land.