Byram artist recognized as one of NJ’s greatest

Artist David John Rush has been painting for as long as he can remember. If it meant missing a meal to finish a project, that was just fine.

“I started drawing at a very early age. Two, I believe. Carrying a pad and pencil wherever I went, I would rather draw than eat. I sat at many a cold meal just to be able to draw,” said Rush, a resident of Byram Township.

“It's getting close to 60 years now. Art is my life and will be to the end. Hopefully, my paintings will endure long after.”

Rush recently learned he’d be included in the new book, “New Jersey Artists through Time” by Tova Navarra. Published by Fonthill Media late last year, the 300-page book celebrates the legacy of New Jersey’s artists and craftsman through the states’ 350 years of existence.

“It really is a life achievement and a pivotal moment for me. After working at my craft all these years, you can imagine how gratifying it is to be recognized by the author as one of New Jersey’s premier artists,” Rush said.

Rush continues to paint every day and exhibit his artwork throughout the state. His painting, “Cape May Sunset” was recently selected for the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park’s 14th Annual Juried Exhibition titled “Profiles of New Jersey…Your Vision.”

His latest endeavor, an exhibit titled “The Contemporary Work of Artist David John Rush,” will be held from Feb. 1 through Feb. 28 at the Morris County Library, located at 30 East Hanover Ave. in Whippany. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and closed Sundays. For more information, call 973-285-6930 or visit http://mclib.info/.

For each exhibit, Rush uses photographs of his paintings and lays them out to select a pattern for the viewer while making sure to take into consideration the size of the showcase.

“That way, it takes the viewer from a beginning point to the end with some sort of regularity. I like the show to have a little pattern to it so that it holds the viewer for a while and then it lets them go to something new. It’s all about being visual,” said Rush, the first professional instructor at the Roxbury Art Association in 1967.

“People can expect to see images that will have multiple faces. In other words, the paintings will change after being viewed a few times. More information will emerge to the viewer, giving them another group of thoughts on what they are actually seeing.”

Rush graduated from The Famous Artists School in Westport, Conn. under Norman Rockwell, Albert Dorne, Peter Heik and Rudy DeRenya. He also received a BFA from the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art.

Like most artists, he needed to find a way to pay the bills while pursuing his passion. Rush taught Color and Visual Organization and Industrial Design at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art starting in 1965 before becoming an adjunct at Montclair State and Williams Paterson.

He later became head of the Graphic Design Department at Sussex County Community College and taught evening classes at the Mount Olive Adult School. After 44 years, he’s still teaching there.

“In the art world, you have to make a living somehow and so the academic paintings, the landscapes and the still lifes is what pays the bills so you can devote yourself to the direction you want to go in which is more serious. My chromatic paintings are the serious side of my life. I enjoy solving color problems that involve chromatic painting. Chromatic structuralism has always been forefront in my quest. One painting leads to so many more questions that need to be answered,” said Rush, whose artwork appeared in “The Godfather” and “Purple Rose of Cairo.”

“But like so many people before me like Willem de Kooning, a great abstract painter. He was a house painter and a sign painter before he got involved in art. No great artist ever started out as a great artist. So they have to do something to make a living. That’s why I continue to teach because it’s a source of income and of course I love the students but it’s something that you have to do.”

Help the Homeless

Penny is a pretty tortoiseshell female kitty in need of a home. She is a sweetie and loves to find any available lap for a snuggle. She gets along well with other cats and is very friendly with people.

To meet Penny or for more information, contact Claudine at 973-886-1485 or email her at Doggie54@optonline.net.

Cedar Knolls student earns honors

Michael A. Mastellone of Cedar Knolls received academic First Honors at Boston College by making the University’s Dean’s List for the Fall semester 2015. Mastellone, a freshman, is majoring in Finance and Marketing in the University’s Carroll School of Management.

TransOptions Model Car Challenge Winners

264 students took part in the 9th annual TransOptions Hydrogen Fuel Cell (H2) Model Car Challenge in Dec. The purpose of the H2 Challenge is to promote technology in education and foster student interest in STEM learning.

The winners were:

Speed: 1st Place – "Speed Racer," Larry Dwyre and Jack Bondi, Morris Knolls High School; 2nd Place – "Fast as Lightning," Daniel Banas, Nick Shrope and Jake Sharp, High Point High School; 3rd Place – "Rocket," Luke Drugac and Austin Erickson, Morris Knolls High School.

Progress Journal: 1st Place: "Sparkly Sparkly Rainbows," Josh Martin, Ethan Cheung, Alice Gao and Yousuf Elkhoga, Union County Magnet School; 2nd Place: "Fast Catz," Julia Esposito, Justin Flores, Justin Liebl and Zack King, High Point High School; 3rd Place: "JAG," Jaime Allen, Alexandra Levoyer, Gemma Parente and Jennifer Jorgenson, Morris County Vo-Tech.

Craftsmanship: 1st Place: "HyDrive," Adel Setoodehnia, Daniel Pattahil, Ben Liang and Eric Matrone, Union County Magnet School; 2nd Place: "The Bum Battalion," Owen Plante, TJ Costello, Nathan Henry and John Pentaleri, Mountain Lakes High School; 3rd Place: "The Honey Wagon," Ryan Gold, Shane Crothers and Paul Ell, High Point High School.

Engineering: 1st Place: "Fast as Lightning," Daniel Banas, Nick Shrope and Jake Sharp, High Point High School; 2nd Place: " Hydro 5," Hunter Gallo, Startdust Home School Academy; 3rd Place: "New Providence 2," Johnny Shapazian, Saad Khan, Colin Forbes and Jeffrey Blitt, New Providence High School.

Leslie Ruse: 973-428-6671; lruse@GannettNJ.com.