Log Jam Kicks Off Summer Saturdays At Blue Point Brewery

Transformed natural beauty, eclectic musical stylings, and free beer were mixed up at The Blue Point Brewery Saturday afternoon.

The Brewery kicked off its Summer Saturday Series yesterday with the Log Jam, which celebrated recent works from local sculptor John Cino including his newest work, "Nereid", which took nearly a year to complete.

The Log Jam drew crowds of art enthusiasts of all ages who spent the afternoon socializing, perusing Cino's work, and sampling the different beers offered by the brewery. The Electrix performed an eclectic mix of soulful rock and reggae music which is the type of music that Cino likes to sculpt to.

Cino, a Patchogue resident and a Vice-President of the Patchogue Arts Council, has been sculpting since his days as a student at Stony Brook University in the late 1970's. His sculptures are inspired by the intricate rhythms and melodies of the music that he listens to while working.

"The music is full of rhythms with convoluted and intricate rhythms playing off of each other," said Cino. "I really like that music, and when they're playing I think up sculptures."

His latest work, "Nereid", was inspired by one of his favorite songs.

"This one [began] as one of their songs. They were playing a tune, and I saw the tune and I said, 'okay, I want to have the sound of the bass, and then the high notes dancing around the bass,'" said Cino. "So that was the derivation of this sculpture. I don't think it ended up being as close to my original vision as possible, which always gets me back into the studio to make more things."

Cino constructed "Nereid" with logs that were pulled from the Patchogue River, which borders his studio. The logs were provided by the captain of a barge; the captain had the logs on his vessel and had offered them to Cino. The Log Jam marked the anniversary of that date last year.

"[The captain] had a tugboat, so he tugged them across the river and brought them right up near the edge of the studio and we yanked them out of the river," said Cino about that day. "It was a fun day and it was about a year ago, so this is the anniversary of what we call the Log Roll."

"Nereid" will be transported to Adelphi University within the next two weeks. The sculpture will be displayed on campus for the next two years. Other works that were displayed at the event will be returned to his studio.

The Blue Point Brewery has been a supporter of the local art scene over the past few years, hosting events like the Log Jam at the Brewery and sponsoring Alive After Five and The Great South Bay Music Festival.

"[The Brewery is] a really great place for people to meet and share ideas," said Cino, who currently teaches art at Nassau Community College and St. Joseph's College.

Added Blue Point Brewery President Pete Cotter, "We've always supported the arts in Patchogue. This is what separates this town from others on Long Island, and we're going full speed ahead."

For more information about John Cino's sculptures, visit his website: https://sites.google.com/site/johncinosculpture/.