'Awakening the Buddha Within'

SUNY Orange hosts exhibit of sacred paintings and photographs by Robert Lewis Hoover Middletown — Orange Hall Gallery on the Middletown campus of SUNY Orange will host an exhibit of works by Robert Lewis Hover entitled “Awakening the Buddha Within,” now through Feb. 7. “I consider myself a modern traditionalist,” Hoover said in the college’s press release announcing the program. “I borrow from the past, yet tread new ground. My hope is to capture the ordinary and reveal its beauty. To flush God out into the open, the visible.” He is the art teacher at the Goshen Intermediate School. Because of his influence and work ethic, his students produce wonderful artworks on the many different themes to which Hoover introduces them. He is a resident in the section of the Town of Crawford called Searsville. A reception at which the artist will be present is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 14 from 1 to 4 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. Many of Hoover’s works are large-scale. Even though they dominate a room, they also envelope the viewer in the calm of their beauty. “I am a self taught painter,” Hoover said. “My teachers have been the great masters that came before me. I wear my influences on my sleeve.” Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., plus on Sundays, Jan. 15 and 29 from 1:30 to 5 p.m. This is a presentation of Cultural Affairs. Call 845-341-4891, e-mail cultural@sunyorange.edu or visit online at www.sunyorange.edu/culturalaffairs for more information.