Emerging Artist Spotlight | Maria Gavrilov

Emerging Artist Spotlight: Maria Gavrilov
January & February 2026 at the Reboli Center

Maria Gavrilov

We are excited to introduce our audience to Maria Gavrilov, a remarkable local high school senior and our featured Emerging Artist for January and February of 2026. Gavrilov’s immense talent in illustration, drawing and painting is catching the eyes of art enthusiasts, educators, and curators alike. As she prepares to apply to top creative universities and art schools, the future looks incredibly bright for this young artist.

Maria has already made her mark with her debut book, A Sailboat for a Star, which she both wrote and illustrated, a testament to her creativity and versatility. The Reboli Center’s Lead Assistant Curator, Pamela, was profoundly impressed with Gavrilov’s work after meeting the young artist and her mother at Studio 268 of Setauket, NY. Pamela immediately expressed to The Center’s Director that she had discovered an upcoming local talent and was eager to feature her work in one of our Emerging Artist Spotlights along with coordinating the possibility of selling Gavrilov’s book in The Center’s Design Shop.

Gavrilov Solo Show

Recently, Maria held a solo exhibition at Studio 268, where she studies under Acclaimed Artist and Director Mary Jane Van Zeijtz. Her work blends nostalgia and conceptual depth, with select pieces beautifully capturing the innocence and joy of her own unique childhood memories. Her pieces also often reflect the nuanced struggles of teen life, a powerful exploration of the challenges facing her generation.

Maria Gavrilov is truly an artist to watch, her potential for a successful career in illustration or other creative fields is undeniable. She is also the president of the National Art Honor Society at her High School, and a very talented musician. We are honored to showcase her work at The Reboli Center this January and February and can’t wait to see where her journey takes her!





Emerging Artist Spotlight | Christie Jones

The Reboli Center for Art and History is proud to feature Christie Jones as our Emerging Artist Spotlight for the months of September and October 2025.

A passionate environmentalist and innovative painter, Jones creates stunning, meditative works that marry artistic expression with climate consciousness. Based in Patchogue-Medford, she uses sustainably sourced, non-toxic paints made from earth and mineral pigments—many of which she creates herself—as part of a deeply rooted commitment to ecological stewardship.

Currently the Caumsett Artist-in-Residence, Jones is producing a body of work that captures the colors and textures of Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, using handmade paints derived from materials sourced within the park (pending collection permissions), as well as other natural pigments she regularly uses in her practice. Her goal during the residency is to visually archive the park’s natural palette, fostering deeper public connection to the land through a harmonious blend of color, texture, and place-based storytelling.

Jones’s artistic journey is shaped by personal experiences that echo throughout her work. The daughter of a shellfisherman, she grew up witnessing firsthand the effects of over-clamming, red tides, and water pollution on Long Island. These early encounters with environmental fragility deeply inform her art, as do her experiences with wildfires during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic while living in California.


Her studio practice includes a unique oyster shell recycling initiative, where she repurposes discarded oyster shells from local restaurants to create vessels for her handmade watercolors. For every paint color sold, Jones donates and plants an oyster in local waters, a remarkable project that has led to the planting of over 2,500 oysters, each helping to filter and restore marine ecosystems.

Jones has exhibited widely across Long Island and beyond, with recent showings at Guild Hall, Gallery North, MOCA LI, and The Other Art Fair in Brooklyn. In 2024, she was awarded The Nature Conservancy’s Andy Warhol Visual Arts Grant. After returning to college following a 14-year break, she graduated from Suffolk County Community College with highest distinction in Spring 2025, and is currently completing her B.A. in Studio Art: Sculpture & Ceramics at Stony Brook University.

We invite you to discover the work of this thoughtful and inspiring emerging artist in our Design Shop throughout September and October 2025.

Emerging Artist Spotlight | Elizabeth Wright

Featured work by Elizabeth Wright

EMERGING ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Elizabeth Wright | July & August, 2025

The Reboli Center for Art and History is delighted to feature Elizabeth Wright as our Emerging Artist for July and August, 2025. Wright is a talented 16-year-old student at Ward Melville High School with a passion for vibrant and expressive art. Her current body of work reflects years of dedication and exploration through school art programs, summer art camps, and, most influentially, classes at Studio 268 on Main Street in Stony Brook.

Featured work by Elizabeth Wright

Working across a variety of media, including watercolor, oil paint, collage, and pen, Wright enjoys experimenting with both color and texture to bring simple images to life. Her portraits are characterized by bold choices, whether through thick, textured oil paint or vibrant painted cutouts. Each piece represents a step in her artistic journey, capturing the ongoing learning process that shapes her style and voice.

Emerging Artist Spotlight | Lyla Petroske

Lyla Petroske, A Moment with a Stream, Pastel on Paper, 24''x36'', $1,950

The Reboli Center for Art and History is proud to present an Emerging Artist Spotlight featuring the work of Lyla Petroske, a talented local artist currently studying at the Stony Brook School. As a high school junior, Lyla is already making waves in the art world, honing her skills at Studio 268 with renowned instructor Mary Jane van Zeijts, as well as strengthening her figure painting at The New York Studio School in Manhattan, NY.

Lyla’s work reflects her deep connection to nature and her love for the people in her life. Her featured piece, A Moment With a Stream, is a soft pastel rendering of a serene scene from the Adirondack Mountains. The work captures a moment she shared with her family during a memorable hike, drawing inspiration from the invaluable time spent with loved ones. In her own words, Lyla says, “The invaluable time associated with this scene is what makes it worthy of depicting at all.” This sentiment echoes the philosophy of Vincent van Gogh Lyla noted, who once said, “There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people,” making Lyla’s work not just a depiction of nature, but a tribute to those she holds dear.

Lyla's piece will be on display as part of the Emerging Artists Spotlight from March through April, 2025, in The Reboli Center’s Design Shop. This is an incredible opportunity to witness the work of an artist already making her mark in the local art scene.

About The Reboli Center for Art and History
Located at 64 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY, the Reboli Center for Art and History is a 501(c)3 certified nonprofit gallery dedicated to showcasing regional artists and preserving the history and culture of Joseph Reboli and the surrounding areas. The Center offers a serene and welcoming environment to enjoy contemporary art and explore the rich history of our community. With free parking and ADA-compliant facilities, we aim to provide an enriching cultural experience for all visitors.

Gallery Hours
Tuesday – Saturday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Closed Mondays

Admission
Free (Donations are appreciated)