Fall Events at West End Gallery
WHO:
Bruce Baxter of Genesee, PA
Trish Coonrod of Ithaca, NY
Gina Pfleegor of Corning, NY
All three painters are represented by West End Gallery in Corning, NY.
There is also a Special Showcasing featuring handmade flameworked glass bead jewelry created by Becky Congdon of Honeoye, NY.
WHAT:
Fall Spotlight Exhibit featuring
Bruce Baxter, Trish Coonrod, and Gina Pfleegor, all oil painters. Also Showcasing Becky Congdon, featuring her handmade flameworked glass bead jewelry.
WHEN: Opening Reception
Friday, September 5th from 5-7:00pm
Music performed in the Upstairs Gallery by harpist, Meredith Kohn Bocek
Exhibit on display: September 5th – October 9th, 2025
WHERE:
In person at West End Gallery – 12 West Market St. Corning, NY and Online: www.WestEndGallery.net
Exhibit will debut online by 11am on Opening Day
BONUS EVENTS:
– Saturday, September 13th from 11am-1pm Oil painting demonstration with Trish Coonrod
– Saturday, October 4th from 11am-1pm Oil painting demonstration with Gina Pfleegor
West End Gallery is excited to announce the opening of its Fall Spotlight Exhibit featuring Bruce Baxter of Genesee, PA, Trish Coonrod of Ithaca, NY and Gina Pfleegor of Corning,NY. There is also a Special Showcasing featuring handmade flameworked glass bead jewelry by Becky Congdon of Honeoye, NY.
There will be an Opening Reception on Friday, September 5th from 5-7pm. Meet the artists, enjoy live music performed by harpist, Meredith Kohn Bocek, and savor tasty treats by Old World Cafe while mingling with fellow art lovers and community members. This is a family friendly event. Anyone who has not yet visited the Gallery is highly encouraged to attend this event, which is free and open to the public.
Bruce Baxter of Genesee, PA
Artist’s Statement: “I paint because I need to express things about the visual world that only painting seems to satisfy. I am often inspired by the way light falls on objects both living and non-living. If I can capture on canvas a gesture or strike a mood based on a visual experience, I may have a successful painting. I don’t try to render photo-realistically what I see but rather interpret and translate it into a work of art. I use oil paint on canvas, paper or panels. Brushes are my main tools, but I also use a palette knife, fingers and Q-tips. The meaning of each painting is not something I can verbalize. A good painting causes the viewer to react in his own way to what excited me when I made the painting. My hope is that you enjoy what I have created with my painting tools.” ~ Bruce Baxter
Trish Coonrod of Ithaca, NY
Trish Coonrod is a still life painter living in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. She earned a BFA in painting from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MFA from the New York Academy of Art in New York City. She has been exhibiting her work at West End Gallery since 2013, and is also represented by galleries in Virginia, New Mexico, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Oklahoma.
Artist’s Statement: “One of the great things for me about living in Ithaca is that I’m able to have a studio; I’ve been rather prolific here. I worked on a series of paintings based on toys and things that I associated with childhood, and I was working from photographs as I had been since graduating from the Academy. I’m interested in natural forms because of their idiosyncrasies and gestures that can move the composition and create drama. The fact that they are in the process of decaying means I need to work quickly, and I enjoy the intensity of focus needed to finish a painting within the week or so that I have before the fruit is no longer fresh. Still life painting is like meditation and gives me the opportunity to look at things very carefully. I enjoy creating a three-dimensional space that the viewer might be drawn into so I can share with them some of the things that I see.” ~ Trish Coonrod
Gina Pfleegor of Corning, NY
Gina graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1998 with a Bachelor of Art in Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Science in Communication. In 2000, she decided to pursue her Master of Arts in Education at Elmira College while also starting a career as an illustrator. She began teaching art at Hammondsport High School shortly thereafter as well as illustrating material for dozens of magazines and various promotional materials. Her first illustrated children’s book, entitled I Like Gum (written by Doreen Tango Hampton), was published in 2007 by Shenanigan Books. For the next several years, she went on to have dozens of children’s books and educational materials published by McGraw Hill, the Brown Publishing Network, and many more.
In 2013, Gina had an artistic change of heart and began a new journey as a photorealist painter working primarily in oils. She has won several notable awards, including the Four Columns Award at the Arnot Regional Exhibition on two occasions and she was a finalist in the international Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize competition. She is currently represented by West End Gallery in Corning and continues to thoroughly enjoy where this artistic journey takes her.
Special Honor: Gina Pfleegor will be the Cover Story of Mountain Home Magazine’s September 2025 Issue. Be sure to check it the story written by Karey Solomon out in September when the issue is released: https://www.mountainhomemag.com/
Artist’s Statement: “In my more recent series of paintings, I found myself drawn to a subject I know well, that balance of feeling strong yet feminine as a woman in our society today. Attempting to depict a sense of authenticity regarding what this can often feel like, I used symbolism to show that we can be both without sacrificing the other. Sensual can be strong, determined can be vulnerable, and sometimes warriors wear gowns into battle.” ~ Gina Pfleegor
Becky Congdon of Honeoye, NY
Becky Congdon is a professionally trained glass flamework artist. She uses a torch to melt rods of glass. Each bead/object is decorated with layers of glass, stringers, latticinios, goldstone, foils, etc. She enjoys capturing these decorations in clear glass. Her work expresses her love of nature in her grape theme beads, flowers, aquarium and fish beads. Becky has been working on/off with glass since 1997. She has degrees in mechanical engineering and computer science. She has always loved glass. However, this major life change came when she had the great opportunity to work in Corning, NY and was “smitten” by glass. Her first date with her husband was at a hands-on open house at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY. She left the “engineering-faith” so to speak to use the artistic side of her brain full-time in 2006. She now has her own studio in Honeoye, NY (the lovely Finger Lakes region) where she pursues her art. She currently teaches at various studios.
Artist’s Statement: “I am never bored with glass. I enjoy the vibrant colors and depth you get with glass. Working with glass gives me immediate satisfaction and training in patience. It is both technical and artistic, which satisfies both the left and right side of my brain. Glass is an adventure! Arrivederci!” ~ Becky Congdon
We will also be hosting two Oil Painting Demonstrations with Trish Coonrod and Gina Pfleegor! Painting Demos are free, open to the public, family-friendly, and wheelchair accessible.
Upstairs Gallery: In addition to the Bruce Baxter, Trish Coonrod, Gina Pfleegor exhibition and the Becky Congdon showcasing in the Main Gallery, there will be artwork by more than 30 exceptional artists on display in the Upstairs Gallery on the second floor.
Exhibit on view: Friday, September 5th – Thursday, October 9th, 2025
Enjoy In person and Online: In person at West End Gallery – 12 West Market St. in Corning, NY and online at www.WestEndGallery.net. Exhibit will debut online by 11am on Opening Day.
Pre-sales: Pre-sales are permitted.
Special Previews: Please call to inquire about exclusive in-person and online previews. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook facebook.com/WestEndGalleryCorning to get a sneak peek!
Admission: All events are FREE and open to the public. Families are encouraged to visit.
Accessibility: Main exhibits are wheelchair accessible, and our website has AudioEye Accessibility Certification.
Gallery Hours: The Gallery is open Monday-Saturday from 11am-5pm. Private appointments are available for additional hours. Please call in advance to schedule a private appointment: 607.936.2011