Painter,
illustrator and educator Glenn Tunstull has a pre-occupation with
sky, water
and light. It may well be what drew him to the Hudson River Valley after years
of living in New York City and abroad. The change of seasons so evident in the
Valley is the muse for his landscapes, both abstract and real, reminiscent of
Georges Seurat’s pointillist masterpieces. Since moving to upstate New York in
2002, Tunstull has painted every season, capturing the splendor of fall foliage
along the Taconic, the blanketing of pristine snow from his studio window atop a
hill in Claverack and the bucolic beauty of Hudson in spring and summer. While
there is much to capture at home, Tunstull’s love of art knows no borders. His
settings, thus far, have extended from the pastoral elegance of Surrey,
England, to the energetic and breathtaking colors of Bahia and Rio De Janeiro,
from the beautiful and historical grandeur of Paris to the far-flung flourishes
of Australia, Bali, Italy and Japan. For
more than a decade Tunstull has exhibited annually on Martha’s Vineyard, building
a recognizable body of work and a faithful following of fans and collectors. Tunstull
teaches fashion drawing at Parsons School of Design and Marist College; and his
legacy as a fashion illustrator is documented in The HistoryMakers, an African
American history collection, and WWD
Illustrated: 1960s-1990s, by Michele Wesen Bryant.
Jelani Bandele
is a writer, author, educator and business strategist, living in Brooklyn, New
York. Fashion, beauty, art and
entertainment have been her areas of interest for four decades as she moved
from lending her talents to the iconic Fairchild and Billboard Publications, to
entrepreneurial endeavors in healthcare, public relations, management and
creative advisement. Once called the
mayor of Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill/Fort Greene neighborhood by friends and
colleagues, Bandele penned Plenty: The
Ultimate Guide to Life & Leisure in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene in
2003. In 2016 she co-authored two books
covering some of her favorite subjects: The
Art of Dressing Curves with Susan Moses and From Fashion to Fine Art with Glenn Tunstull. She is currently working on a legacy project
to promote the contributions of African American fashion, beauty, art and
entertainment professionals.
Bandele
Has been honored for community service by the New York State Assembly and The
Council of The City of New York, and media service by The Black Alumni of Pratt
Institute.
Glenn Tunstull and
Jelani Bandele met at a party
in Clinton Hill in the 1980s. They became fast friends and learned their paths
had crossed many times, from the hallowed halls of Fairchild Publications to
Parisian adventures and shared colleagues. Over two decades Tunstull has
entrusted Bandele to tell his story, as a writer, a publicist, and as his
business strategist since 2013.