To the SUNY Orange community, Giuseppe Baez was the IT Coordinator at the Newburgh campus for a dozen years starting in 2007. Very knowledgeable in his field, he carried out his responsibilities in a quiet, gentlemanly manner. He mentioned once that he had some of his original drawings that he might bring to hang in his office.

Little did anyone know including himself, it seems, that when retirement presented him with large stretches of time, he gradually turned to what had given him so much pleasure and satisfaction some forty years ago - visual art. With the encouragement of his wife Rachelle, he set up his easel and found and added to his favorite brushes and pencils, purchased canvases and paper, redesigned a room in his home as his studio… and let his natural creativity take over. The title of the show Rediscovering Myself tells it all.

In a relatively short time, he has amassed a very large collection of paintings and drawings that he describes as “experimental.” His styles vary from surrealism to straightforward realism. A few pieces in the show were done using the method of pointillism. Many demonstrate his skills in perspective. Quite often a recurring theme of umbrellas appears in various forms in his paintings. Also, many checkered floors and backdrops create a three-dimensionality in his paintings and drawings. His portraits are very expressive and introduce viewers to his subjects directly.

With the exception of his works in pointillism and pencil drawings, the most obvious aspect of his works is color, color, color! One might think that so much color would clash and cause confusion of the viewers’ eyes. Not so…they complement each other and enrich the experience. Come and enjoy and be inspired.

Rediscovering Myself ~ a solo show by Giuseppe Baez ~ is on exhibit August 7 through September 28, 2024 in the Mindy Ross Gallery, Kaplan Hall. The end date is, in fact, the evening of the screening of the Manhattan Short Film Festival.

The Reception celebrating Giuseppe Baez and his show will take place on Friday, September 6 from 4:30 to 6:30pm in the Mindy Ross Gallery and lobby area. Classical guitarist Joy Zelada, a native of Peru, will play music from Latin America.

The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are 8am to 9pm, Monday through Thursday, and 8am to 6pm on Fridays. Free parking is available in the college garage entered at 73 First St, Newburgh.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Giuseppe Baez was raised in Puerto Rico. From an early age, he had an interest in art. As a teenager, his talents were tapped for creatingall the posters and banners for school events. During this time, he sharpened his skills at several art schools that he informally attended. Then, as an older teenager, he moved to Madrid and attended El Circulo De Bellas Artes. At age 21, he stopped painting and moved to New York City, got his AS degree from New York City Technical College, and later a BS from SUNY Empire State College. He subsequently worked in the field of information technology for forty years.