The Atrium Gallery at the Bergen County Y, a Jewish Community Center in the township has announced that it will present paintings by Lissanne Lake of North Bergen. The show opens Sunday, April 29 with a reception in the artists’ honor and will continue through Wednesday, May 30. Lake will make remarks at the opening reception at 11:30 a.m., with light refreshments to follow. The event concludes at 1:00 pm.

Lake’s paintings have appeared on the covers of several Skirmisher Publishing LLC books, including their d20-system books Nuisances (2005), Experts v.3.5 (2005), and Warriors (2003).

Telling stories through painting, Lissanne Lake calls herself a natural illustrator who loves to incorporate strong colors and themes of antiquity and paradox for a dramatic, photo-realistic effect. Her recent work utilizes representation of living figures and objects, both realistic and decorative, in combination with still-life subjects.

“Art,” says Lake, “is one of the few ways I feel we have to extend the brevity of the human lifespan and potentially touch the future.” She seeks “to celebrate the juxtaposition of the transient and the eternal,” as is evident in the current show.

Lake has been a full-time illustrator for nearly 20 years. After earning her bachelor’s of arts degree in illustration from Jersey City State College in 1978, she worked in the advertising business before returning to illustration and fine arts. Since then, her work has appeared on more than 100 book covers and product packages and in magazines and other publications.

Lake’s work has been displayed in various gallery shows across the country, including at the Olympia & York juried show in New York. The artist has won numerous awards and citations for Best-in-Show, including from the prestigious Worldcon. Her recent solo exhibitions include the Nutley Library and at Independence Bank in Hoboken, New Jersey. Lake frequently participates in group shows throughout metropolitan New York and New Jersey. She has continued her training in art doing portrait painting of live models and does regular demonstrations in acrylic technique for interested students.

Much of Lake's published work has appeared on the covers of role-playing game books, magazines, and similar products. In 2001, she published a tarot card deck in collaboration with author Raymond Buckland.

The Atrium Gallery is open during regular YJCC hours. For more information, call (201) 666-6610, ext. 222.