Zelda Burdick's passion on display in Roosevelt Eleanor Gallery to host opening reception from noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 11 BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer The late artist Zelda Burdick drew her interpretation of the hustle and bustle of city life while she was teaching in New York City in the 1950s. ROOSEVELT - There was no limit to her art. Oils, pastels, charcoal, pen and ink, and pencil drawings ranging from classic portraiture to abstract modernism comprise some of the body of work of the late Zelda Burdick. Also fascinated by natural materials, she spent extensive time making paper and sculpting throughout her career as an artist. According to her sons, David and Barry, Zelda's life and art were filled with passion. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she explored many mediums, developing an amazing diversity of styles over a span of 70 years. Starting on Nov. 11, the Eleanor Gallery in Roosevelt will host the second showing of Zelda's work since she passed away in 1997. Although she never lived in Roosevelt, she spent a lot of time in the town with the numerous artists who lived there, according to her son, David, who has resided in Roosevelt for the past 15 years. His parents lived in New York City before moving to Watchung in the early 1940s. He said Roosevelt reminds him of the Watching of his childhood. David's father, Abe (1911-2000), who began his career as a labor organizer and who was investigated by Sen. Joseph McCarthy, had a political fervor that mirrored Zelda's creative genius, David said. Abe later joined his wife to create Zelbur Ceramics Studios, which was first located in Watching and later at 330 E. Second St. in Plainfield. Under the Zelbur banner, Zelda conducted classes and exhibited artwork, and Abe manufactured clay slip and color glazes. She often signed her work Zelbur, according to David. David remembers his mother as "a good person, but a lousy cook." He said he also remembers how his mother used to retell a certain story about him to friends. "She said when I went and started school, I got very indignant with her one day and said, 'I'm not going to pose for you anymore. None of the other kids have to pose for their mothers.' " Although he didn't appreciate her art then, David said he does now. "I'm beginning to appreciate her art more and more because it brings them - my mother and my father - back to me in little pieces," he said. David said he decided to showcase his mother's artwork at the Eleanor Gallery because "I thought it would be nice to do something she would really appreciate." Her leadership in the artistic community could be seen through her endeavors as the art director and one of the founders of The Printmaking Council of New Jersey (1973-1983), a member and corresponding secretary (four years) of Artistic Equity of New Jersey, a New Jersey State evaluation panelist for grants and fellowships (1981), a member of the Women's Caucus for Art/New Jersey, a member of the International Association of Hemp and Paper Artists conference in Barcelona, Spain, and a member of the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists. Her artwork has been exhibited in public and private collections all around the world, according to her son. Zelda studied art in New York at the Pratt Institute in New York City, the National Academy of Art and Design, the Brooklyn Museum, the Greenwich House, and the New School. A keen observer, Zelda also traveled the world exploring new art techniques, David said. Her papermaking expanded into earth imagery created from common and unique things she found outside, such as day lilies, a dented pot at the side of the road, grasses, flax and artichokes. Moving beyond her canvasses, she began making paper for her pastels, incorporating glass into clay sculptures and illustrating books she wrote on handmade paper. Some of the work in the show at the gallery dates back to the early '30s. One of David's favorite pieces in the show is a painting his mother created to complement a poem his father wrote about the death of his brother, Moshe, who was a member of the Lincoln Brigade and was killed in Spain. According to a note Abe wrote about the poem and the painting, "Moshe My Brother" was written at the memorial to those who fell fighting fascism, following the end of the civil war in Spain. Upon visiting the memorial, which was built into a cave in the side of a mountain, Abe and Zelda saw a dripping ceiling and water-catching buckets. "Zelda painted the 40-foot cross on top of the memorial mountain," Abe wrote in the note. "Her feelings are expressed by the teardrops of the cross falling into the memorial." David called the painting one of his mother's "more striking" works. "You have to stand back and stare at it," he said. "The more you look at it the more you see." The gallery will distribute copies of Abe's poem. Burdick said he has also reasonably priced his mother's artwork for the Eleanor Gallery showing because he would prefer to see people have his mother's artwork than to see it collecting dust in his home. The Eleanor Gallery will present "The Art of Zelda Burdick" Nov. 11-26 with an opening reception on Nov. 11 from noon to 5 p.m. The show will continue on Nov. 12 and then on following Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. through Nov. 26.