Vincent Ceglia

"I am not interested in an image that can be captured by a camera. I must have an emotional response to my work. My painting is purely improvisational since I move into it without a sketch or any preconceived idea."
-Vincent Ceglia

Painter Vincent Ceglia worked as a graphic designer and illustrator while also teaching at numerous locations. He has taught at Mercer County Community College and at his privately-run summer painting workshops on Lake Maggiore in Italy.

Ceglia described his work as semi-abstract. He worked in a variety of media, including assemblages of found objects, collage, and ink drawings, but he is best known for his watercolor and acrylic landscape paintings. Ceglia is most noted for his use of a strong, jewel-toned palate. His work, which was primarily produced from memory, is a mix of planned and spontaneous application of color. He recognized both the need for control, and the importance of accidents in his art.

Ceglia lived in and around Bucks County after moving to Yardley in 1953. He established the Lambertville House Gallery in 1956 and the Yardley Art Association in 1957. He found inspiration and solitude in Bucks County, just as he did in Italy.

Ceglia's works is in the permanent collection of the Michener Art Museum.

Education and Training
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, 1944
Brooklyn Museum School, Brooklyn, New Jersey, 1949
Private Study with designer and illustrator David Stone Martin
Private Study with lithographer William Dickerson

Teachers and Influences
Pablo Picasso

Connection to Bucks County
Ceglia was a Bucks County resident from 1953-1954 and 1959-2012. He lived in Yardley and Washington Crossing, as well as Lambertville, NJ. The artist exhibited locally at Phillips' Mill, New Hope; Coryell Gallery, Lambertville, New Jersey; Upstairs Gallery, Lahaska, Pennsylvania; and at the Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Ceglia founded the Yardley Art Association in 1957 and the Lambertville House Gallery in 1956. He was the 1992 recipient of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce Artist of the Year. Additionally, Ceglia participated in many Bucks County artist events.

Colleagues and Affiliations
His wife, Corinne Ceglia; Randolph Bye; Joseph Crilley; and many others

Major Solo Exhibitions
Western Electric Educational Center Gallery, Princeton, New Jersey, 1981
Galleria D'Arte, Arona, Italy, 1981
Coryell Gallery, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1982
Nassau Club, Princeton, New Jersey, 1982
Hahn Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1979, 1983
Il Mercante Gallery, Milan, Italy, 1984
Studio Palazzi, Milan, Italy, 1984
Palazzo Communale, Ispra, Italy, 1984
Bargeron Gallery, Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, 1988
Retrospective Exhibition, Trenton City Museum, Trenton, New Jersey 1986
Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 1990
Riverrun Gallery, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1994
Gregg Conference Center, American College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, 1995

Major Group Exhibitions
Butler Institute of American Art, Butler, Pennsylvania
New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, New Jersey
Newark Art Museum, Newark, New Jersey
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
National Academy of Design, New York, 1979, 1984, 1994, 1995
Phillips' Mill Annual Art Exhibition, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1979, 1995
Philadelphia Watercolor Club, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985
Collettiva Arti Figurative per il 36 della Liberazione, Rome, Italy, 1981
Studio Palazzi Gallery, Milan, Italy, 1984
Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1985, 1988
High Art/Low Vision, The Light House, Inc., New York City, 1995
Objects of Desire: Treasures from Private Collections, Michener Art Museum, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 2005-2006

Major Collections
Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania
Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Bucks County Art Collection, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Sol Feinstone School, Newtown, Pennsylvania
Rider College, Trenton, New Jersey
The George School, Newtown, Pennsylvania
Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey
D'Ascenzo Jewelry Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mercer County Community College, Trenton, New Jersey
Palazzo Communale, Ispra, Italy

Teaching and Professional Appointments
Trenton Junior College, Art Faculty, 1960-1968
Instructor, School of Industrial Arts, Trenton, New Jersey, 1960
Mercer County Community College, Professor of Visual Arts, 1970-1985
Art Consultant, Edison College, Trenton, New Jersey, 1970 -1973
Instructor, Summer Workshops, Lake Maggiore, Italy, 1976-1985

Major Awards
Dana Prize for Watercolor, Philadelphia Watercolor Club, 1979
Gold Medal, Nemi Regional Group Exhibition, Nemi, Italy, 1980
Zimmerman Award, 64th Philadelphia Watercolor Club Exhibit, 1981
Best of Show, 66th Philadelphia Watercolor Club Exhibit, 1983
John Geiszel Cash Award, 9th Annual Watercolor Exhibit, Philadelphia Sketch Club, 1988
Artist of the Year, Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce, 1992
Watermedia Award, National Academy of Design, New York, 1994
Schweitzer Prize for Watercolor, National Academy of Design, 1994

Affiliations and Memberships
Salamagundi Club, Philadelphia Watercolor Club, Philadelphia Art Alliance, National Society of Art Directors
Philadelphia Sketch Club
American Watercolor Society
Established Lambertville House Gallery, 1956,
Director of the Lambertville House Gallery, 1956-1966
Founder and Director, Yardley Art Association, 1957
Director, Newtown 275th Anniversary Exhibit, 1960