It takes a village…
The WSA’s annual library show, currently on exhibit at the Wellesley Free Library until November 30 is the first in person show the WSA has had for nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This show was made possible through the efforts and support of many people. First, the WSA owes a debt of gratitude to the Wellesley Free Library for their ongoing support of this highly anticipated show each year. In particular, we have appreciated the guidance of Elise MacLennan and Cara Rothman who ensured the pandemic guidelines were followed to allow this show to be viewed safely. Our show judge, Pat Walker, was also able to see the artwork in person, which we all know is important to fully appreciating each piece. The WSA would also like to recognize the 45 member artists who participated in the show, including those who came to help hang the show, Ken Northup, Linda Porecca, Dottie Laughlin, Yale Nicolls and Nancy Treves. Finally, the WSA would like to extend a huge thanks to videographer Paul Falcone who created the video here that shows highlights of the library show. The show can also be seen on Instagram @wsartists and you can see the award winners and read the judges comments by visiting the WSA Award Winners Gallery.
wanted to be different”, Teresa recalls, “art, however, kept calling me”. In high school Higgins found her creative outlet in both theater and art. She attended the University of Maryland where, with a plan to teach speech and theater, she majored in education, with specialization in speech and theater and minored in English. Her roommate was majoring in art and “was carving balsa wood sculptures while I was reading Shakespeare and agreed to share her art supplies with me”. She encouraged Higgins to move to Boston and take graduate art classes at Massachusetts College of Art.
Upon moving to Boston, Higgins taught English at Boston Latin while taking landscape and portrait painting courses at night. She moved to the painter’s paradise of Marblehead and while teaching speech and theater by day, she developed her painting and exhibited with great success. She eventually moved back to the Boston area and found new inspiration in her son. “I had this beautiful little boy…children are so wonderful to paint.” She moved to Natick where she was able to create a third floor studio in her home. There she began focusing on pastel portraits of children.
Higgins has been a member of the WSA for several years and was a past member of the Copley Society and Pastel Society of America. She believes, “If you are blessed with a creative gift, its important to develop it. It will always energize you, lift you up and bring you peace”. 
Despite the engaging objects he paints, Bruckner is more focused on style than on subject matter. His mosaic tile illusion provides cohesion to his pieces and provides harmony. The confetti-like background exudes fun, happiness, and exhilaration. His unique style is in many ways influenced by his time spent living in Los Angeles and Miami.
Coming next for Bruckner is a solo show at the Natick Mall in November 2020. He has just finished nine paintings, many inspired by some of the pioneers of the Pop-Art movement such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Jeff Koons, and Robert Indiana. “I paint anything that makes me happy or I think would make other people happy when they see it. As a Pop Artist, I love to paint popular things using my signature style, whether they be famous people, iconic places, or lovable characters, words, or abstractions. There is a lot of variety in my artwork ranging from paintings of Oreo Cookies and Hershey’s Kisses, to, Madonna or Marilyn Monroe, to Boston’s Citgo Sign and the Last Vegas Sign, to paintings of colorful puppy dogs and Hello Kitty. Observing the first time a collector sees my artwork in their home is something that thrills me. It’s an inspiring reminder of the transformative impact a painting can have on the overall look of a room and the pleasure it gives people.”
His children are now grown and his son just bought his first sailboat at age 26. About 3-4 years ago, Barnard’s painting took off once again. He remains self-taught and continues to develop his own style and techniques. He recently painted a water scene for his daughter and her husband who are running a medical business in Nigeria. His art continues to evolve and take on more meaning. Currently he is working on a series of landscapes with hidden features dealing with the progression of life and death. Water Over the Dam, painted after the passing of his mother, is a compilation of scenes, including the church in England where he went as a child, the South Natick Dam where he now loves to kayak and an image of a man on a bench with his head in his hands. This piece was awarded Honorable Mention in a WSA show.
In high school, she had a very influential art teacher who hoped that she would attend an art school for college. Erickson thought this might limit her too much so she attended the College of the Holy Cross as a math major. Art, however, was calling to her again. She had a difficult decision because she was accepted to Syracuse for their art program but had already fallen in love with Holy Cross; she stayed at her beloved school as an art major focusing on graphic design. After graduating, Erickson did a tutorial in painting and printmaking with a professor at Holy Cross and realizes now, “they really created a graduate program for me”.
Erickson continued on at the Danforth in an advanced watercolor painting workshop taught by Elizabeth Magilligan. The group had become very close after years of painting together and when Magilligan stopped teaching they formed their own painting group meeting in a hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. The group, eventually called the Watercolor Connection, has painted together weekly for the last 12 years. To Erickson, “painting with my group is sacred time.”