Laura Renée Meyerson:
Lasting Impressions of Hoboken

Hoboken first captivated Laura Renée Meyerson on a jogging run from Jersey City, where she moved after graduating college to be close to her new job in New York City. It wasn't long before she found an upper Washington St. apartment loaded with historic details (such as early 1900s etched-glass panels on sliding pocket doors) and fell in love with the ever-present reminders of Hoboken's history that greet her every time she leaves her apartment: the old soda sign over Schnackenberg's door, the faces over the windows on some old brownstones, even the traditional diner interior at the Malibu.

These details made a lasting impression on the young artist, who has been painting in oils since age 12. She has traveled the world for her job in fashion industry marketing, but she enjoys painting Hoboken more than any other subject. Her affection for her adopted hometown is evident in the paintings included in her new show, "Lasting Impressions of Hoboken, Paintings by Laura Renée," on view in the Upper Gallery of the Museum from March 28 through May 9.

Her subjects include her favorite local storefronts, people dining in outdoor cafés, the veteran waitresses in the Malibu, and the iconic red phone booth by the entrance of the bar Scotland Yard. Most of her paintings include people. She's drawn to settings that have meaning for her, especially if there's a contrast of old and new. Like the artists who inspire her, Edward Hopper, Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet, her brushwork is very emotionally expressive, which helps to draw the viewer into the scene. Hard edges are softened under her brush, and the colors are very rich and saturated. She prefers painting in oils, on canvas, board, wood, and glass.

Her work has struck a chord with the owners of the Right Angle frame store, 320 Washington St., where her paintings are on display, and she's made a fan of a Hoboken City Councilperson, who bought two of her paintings exhibited at a solo show at the Sovereign Bank in Hoboken last year. Meyerson also displayed her work at Fast Frame on Washington St. during the 2009 Hoboken Studio Tour, and with the hob'art group in the "Hid (in) Hoboken" show at Eureka Gallery and during the Paterson Art Walk, as well as in a group show at the Allentown Art Museum, among others. Samples of her work are on view at www.laurarenee.com.

Meyerson studied painting from middle school on, serving as president of the Art Honor Society in high school in Manalapan, N.J., and earned a B.A. in Studio Arts from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., in 2004. She now mentors local high school students in art, has painted a mural for the playroom of the Pediatrics Department at Hoboken University Medical Center, and continues to study with the Art Students League of New York.