Mark Retacco with “Space Pup Ozzi,” based on his Wire Fox Terrier Ozzi. Photo by Mark Uriarte

(BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- The Berkeley Branch of the Ocean County Library will host a reception featuring South Toms River artist Mark B. Retacco on Thursday, April 20 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Retacco's art will be on display in the Branch's meeting room throughout April and May. 

“My paint brush takes me on a journey of happiness, despair, and self-discovery,” Retacco said. “At times, I just glide along, losing my fears, without boundaries or inhibitions! It is my sanity and independence from this world. My superpower is my uniqueness. Your superpower is your uniqueness.” 

Exhibitions of Retacco’s works will also take place in June at OCL’s Lacey Branch, in August at the Toms River Branch, and in September at the Barnegat Branch.

Retacco’s extensive career includes work for 20th Century-Fox, Paramount Studios, and Turner Classic Movies. In 1995, he received recognition from President Bill Clinton for his painting Blind Venus Goes to the White House, which now resides in the Clinton Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. Retacco’s work was featured on MTV’s Real World Boston House in 1997. 

In 2011, Retacco presented writer, broadcaster and Asbury Park native Wendy Williams with his painting Wendy Williams Statue of Liberty. He anchored and hosted programs for the Ocean Happening online magazine, and taught art at Creighton School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

In 2013, Retacco received a proclamation from the Office of the Freeholder (now Commission) Director of Ocean County, extolling his “dynamic creativity” and “unmatched passion for advancing the arts community of Ocean County.” Two years later, he led a walking tour of historic downtown Toms River under the auspices of the Toms River Business Improvement District..

The exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public, requiring no registration. The exhibit can be viewed during normal Branch operating hours. For more information, visit the Berkeley Branch, 30 Station Road, Bayville, or call (732) 269-2144.