November Artist of the Month – Meet Lynda Davis Jeha
Lynda Davis Jeha can barely recall a time when art was not a part of her life. This keen interest began while watching her father paint. Her father was an engineer who did not truly enjoy his work until his brother gave him a set of oil paints to bring life to his projects. Now, in his nineties, he has never stopped drawing or painting. Davis Jeha and her dad continue to share a very special relationship in which their art plays an important role.
As a child growing up on a lake in a small town in Central Massachusetts, Lynda recollects, “nature was always my muse” and it remains so today as she finds inspiration in natural environments all over the country. She has had the opportunity to both travel and live in many spectacular habitats. Davis Jeha’s passions have always pulled her in two different directions: Science vs Art, but she has managed to find a lovely harmony between the two. After college she worked in marine research and returned to formal education in her late twenties to attain a degree in environmental science.
Through her environmental work, Davis Jeha has lived in Alaska and the Dominican Republic and she always had her sketchbook or paints and canvas at her side. She considers herself a colorist and likes to capture the “feeling of color…using geometric shapes and color studies.” Of utmost importance to this artist is that her pieces “evoke a reaction…positive or negative” from the viewer.
As an aside, she notes that her skills are quite opposite to those of her father for whom precision came naturally. Despite these differences they appreciate each other’s talents and a special moment for Davis Jeha was recently having her father see her work at an international juried show in San Diego.
In addition to her two dimension works of art, Lynda has spent a great deal of time creating jewelry, metal making and sculpting with metal. She took a silversmith class at age 15 and has worked as a silversmith in Maine and a costume jewelry designer in Brookline. Now adding color in the form of semi-precious stones this artist has a renewed interest in sculptures that adorn.
Last but certainly not least, Davis Jeha has a great love for teaching art. At Wellesley College, she is dedicated to teaching adults and children in non-traditional methods. She focuses on bringing out an individual’s unique talents rather than on how the end product appears. This artist, while mainly self-taught, has taken classes at Mass Art, the Museum School and Simmons College. She has won several awards for her work and has sold many pieces around the country and internationally.
There is no doubt that portrait painting presents numerous challenges for the artist who works to capture the nuanced expressions unique to the individual who sits before them. Renowned portrait painter Richard Whitney has made a career of doing just that, and it has been quite a journey. Over 60 people filled the Wakelin room at the Wellesley Free Library to see the live portrait demo with Mr. Whitney. The sitter for the afternoon demo was Lian, a poised young woman who proved to be the perfect model. As Mr. Whitney began to lay in the portrait, the audience was treated to a slide presentation of some his notable portraits complete with details about the subjects. One of the most striking of these portraits was one of Whitney’s father, in which he said he sought to capture his gentleness and kindness. The portrait, titled “Dad” captured that and so much more as witnessed by the audience’s reaction.
Helen Turner has been painting for a mere seventy years. She began after transferring to Wayne State University in Michigan and thought it was time to start studying something new. She had been studying business at Fischer College but decided to major in Art and Science at Wayne. She moved back to Wellesley after graduation but never put down her paintbrush. 
Upon her return home, Turner studied with Artist Deborah Bates and currently studies with Maris Platais. Bates introduced Turner to acrylic painting, which is now her preferred medium. An avid gardener, Helen continues to paint florals and landscapes, often with birds and other animals. All of her sons are great admirers of both their mom and of her artwork. She often includes her grandchildren in nature scenes as well as “anything her sons ask for.” Painting has been a cherished part of Turner’s life, allowing her both to pleasantly “get lost for hours” and to share the beauty she creates with her loved ones.
drew a crowd of over 5o people. The evening’s program opened with a special visit from Sue Webb, Director of (SPIN) Stray Pets in Need and the Animal Control Officer for Wellesley, who gave a brief overview of this local program which supports the care and adoption of stray animals. The WSA also collected donations of pet food and blankets for SPIN from many attending the program.
Yale Nicolls grew up on the water in Darien, Connecticut to a family of art lovers. Both of her parents had painted earlier in their lives, but Yale mainly recalls their interest in acquiring fine art. As a child she spent a good deal of time in the smoke-filled rooms of auction houses where her mother often left with treasured pieces of art which now line the corridors of the Nicolls’ home. While she had no formal training until later in life, Yale fondly remembers making carvings from Ivory soap when she wasn’t swimming or playing tennis.
Nicolls had a great deal of success on the tennis court and met her husband Jim at a national match at Longwood at age 15. While she dated other people during college, it was always Jim who kept her interest with his prolific correspondence. She attended University of Southern California where she played tennis and then transferred to Barnard graduating with a degree in Philosophy. She and Jim reunited, married and finally settled in Wellesley. Nicolls taught tennis along the way and racked up 20 years as a professional at the Wellesley Tennis Association. Five children and a lot of Play-Doh sessions later, Yale’s interests in Arts and Crafts was renewed.
Nicolls joined the WSA in 2004 and has served on the board as secretary, then president and now secretary again. She saved the WSA from dissolution when she first took over as president and served in this capacity for a total of 8 years, including years when she co-presided with Bobbie Suratt. Nicolls has now mastered acrylic painting working with Maris Platais. It is no surprise that one of her favorite subjects is the ocean, especially the coast of Maine, though all of nature is an inspiration for Yale. Their beloved dogs and capturing each one’s distinctive personalities on canvas provide endless motivation for this artist.
England Watercolor Society as well as the Rhode Island Watercolor Society and still paints regularly with the Watercolor Connection in Natick. She has exhibited in a number of juried National and Regional Shows. A new award has just been established by the WSA in honor of Nicolls in recognition for her years of service and leadership. The “Yale Nicolls Award for Interpretation of the Natural World” will be awarded annually at the WSA Fall Library Show.
Dayle Bodnar’s artistic talent was quickly identified at a young age. When she was eleven, her mother asked the high school art teacher to give Dayle lessons after school. While she felt “very young” and sometimes out of place, her ability was clear. In the Bodnars’ sun-filled family room, hangs a beautiful oil painting of a bird. Bodnar recollects, “I painted that when I was twelve.” It hung in her grandmother’s home until her passing. 
Artist Vasilia Laskaris’ years of drawing and painting are inextricably bound to her love of family, friends, acquaintances and the dwellings and landscapes they adore. Growing up she was inspired by her father who was a mural painter, and began her studies at Mundelein College, now Loyola University of Chicago. She recalls, ” a teacher there told me to keep on painting,” and that she did. She completed her post-graduate work at the Art Institute of Chicago and became certified as an Art Specialist.
Liz Gorman grew up in Wellesley and has always been interested in the arts. While majoring in Art at Skidmore College, she concentrated on large abstract oil paintings. After graduating she enjoyed a long career at Houghton Mifflin Publishing and continued developing as a strong draftsman.
