The WSA is happy to announce that rising WHS seniors Katie Gallico and Evelyn Harrison were awarded the Annual Art Achievement Award in early June. In addition to the award Katie and Evelyn will be participating in the WSA’s Annual Library Show in November.
In 2017, the WSA reinstituted the Annual Art Achievement Award, which is a cash prize that is given to a Wellesley High School student who demonstrates both merit and dedication to their art studies.
Cathy is currently working on a 30” X 40” painting inspired by a spring walk at Garden in the Woods, Framingham. There were many vibrant layers of beautiful colors on that particular day. This painting will become part of a show called “Views of Framingham” that is supported by a grant from the Framingham Cultural Council through the Mass. Cultural Council. The eight painters at Howard Street Studios, most of whom are WSA members, are taking part in this rotating venue exhibit from late summer into the winter. Proceeds from sales of their art will support community based nonprofits. June Artist of the Month
Meet Cora Ainge
When did you start painting and what do you love about it?
It wasn’t until my early 30s that I first picked up a paint brush. In an attempt to survive being cooped up with young kids during a particularly harsh Boston winter, I grabbed some cheap paint, brushes and canvases at a craft store one afternoon. As I sat with my boys at the kitchen table painting, I was surprised by how relaxed I felt and how quickly the time had passed. I remember putting my kids to bed that evening and rushing back to the kitchen to paint again. I loved it and painted hours into the night without realizing it.
My dad had tragically died 3 months prior in a car accident at the age of 58. Still very much buried in grief, I found myself turning to the little painting station I’d set up in the kitchen. Each evening after my kids were in bed, I’d quietly paint and began to realize it was giving me a much needed break from the sadness of losing my dad so suddenly. The process of painting had a way of sucking me into a state of flow that was incredibly healing.
As time went on, my love for painting grew strong. I was so thankful for YouTube because I felt like I could learn how to paint just about anything – all I needed was my iPad, painting supplies and a cup of tea. I did every demo I could find!
It wasn’t long before I was deeply in love with painting and I remember how the world around me had turned into a palette of paint. I couldn’t help but look at trees and sky without color mixing in my mind. I began to appreciate color (and the world around me) in a whole new way – there were suddenly so many fun little color puzzles around me, all the time!
The joy of color theory was one thing, but what I was completely mesmerized by, was light. Like a moth to a flame, I obsessed over the powerful effect light had on what I was painting. Playing with light is how I learned to infuse my paintings with mood and atmosphere. Not to get too annoyingly “artsy” here, but once I figured out how to paint light, I started to actually feel, dare I say a bit of “emotion”, when I looked at my paintings (ew gross, sorry). But, it’s true! Sometimes the most simple wisp of light can take a painting from stale to serene and that’s what draws us in!
After some time, and through much trial and error, I began to churn out original paintings. I’d hang paintings on my walls and soon I was painting for friends and family. Like most artists starting out, I remember being absolutely floored when complete strangers were willing to give me real money in exchange for my art. What?! I don’t think the shock of that will ever wear off. After some encouragement from loved ones, my little LLC was born and I couldn’t be happier.
What do you like to paint and what are you currently working on?
I paint a lot of flowers and landscapes (golf courses, in particular), but what I’ve really been loving to paint lately are ballerinas. I had a solo show of ballerina paintings last year and I loved painting them so much I’ve started working on a second series.
Strangely enough, however, some of my most enthusiastic buyers are golfers. I saw there was a hole in the golf painting market when I noticed how giddy my golf-obsessed husband and his buddies would become when chatting about their golf outings. But what I didn’t expect was that most of my golf paintings would actually be purchased by women who came to know my work because they saw my flowers or ballerinas – turns out a lot of them are also married to golf nuts and golf paintings make great gifts. Works for me!
Follow Cora on Instagram @coraaingeart
The WSA is happy to welcome new exhibiting member Sheila Davis. She is a representational painter inspired by the New England coast. Her paintings capture the atmosphere and light that make these areas so inspiring for artists. Not only does Sheila paint herself, she has enjoyed a long career teaching art. To see more of her artwork visit her WSA artist page. Welcome to the WSA Sheila!
May Artist of the Month
Meet Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy has had multiple chances to expand his universe in his 71 years and continues on his 53-year-old artistic journey to this point in his life. He grew up in Texas and after high school, he attended art school at Texas Tech University, studying painting, drawing, and printmaking. Life took him in a different direction after his graduation, however, and Michael pursued a career in education, believing he was being pointed toward a world of teaching and working with students. After a successful career as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, director, assistant superintendent and superintendent, Michael turned to working with schools across North and South America as a national leadership coach, trainer, planning facilitator, and consultant. He has been fortunate to have continued his consulting work for 15 years.
In spite of his important work with school leaders, Michael never lost his love of design and art in architecture, nature, and abstraction. So, after a move to the Boston area and with the support of his family, he was able to rearrange his life, retire, and expand his personal world to involve the production of paintings, drawings, and prints to showcase his emotions and thoughts. He was also fortunate to have found the Wellesley Society of Artists as an important part of his work, and he currently is the vice-president of the WSA. Michael’s exploration takes him to expressive abstraction as he studies design, form, shape, mood, motion, and color.
Michael explains: “My images come to me softly and often with just a whisper—there is beauty in the moment when you have inspiration and clarity for the work. That whisper, the softness, may become a roar with time on the canvas. Whatever the canvas transition becomes, I want my works to project a sense of surprise, wonder, movement, and love for the new, unknown, or unspoken. It may take me to project an uplifting moment or a moment of despair. I let the immediacy the paint on canvas to take me where it wants to go.”
Michael welcomes your contact and can be reached at michaelmurphy@murphysoftmodernart.com
Artist of the Month
Meet Chelsea Sebastian
Chelsea Sebastian is a representational oil painter who creates reflections of her daily life from her studio in Wellesley, MA. She works from sketches, photographs, and memory, often combining images to compose poignant paintings of vernacular places. She derives inspiration from her childhood on a small farm, extensive world travel, and New England’s dramatic seasons and dynamic community. Her artwork is held in collections throughout the United States and Canada. Recently, she was chosen to be part of the U.S. State Department’s ‘Art in Embassies’ program.
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?
Because I was raised in a large family by two painters, I have been making art since childhood. My dad is a maritime watercolorist and my mom is a portrait artist who works in acrylics. I hold a degree from the University of Washington in Community and Environmental Planning and a Masters of International Studies from North Carolina State University. Invariably, I paint at every opportunity, and relentlessly examine art history and human creativity. Since 2021, I have been studying figure painting from life at the Academy of Realist Art in Boston
WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS?
I call my process “Assemblage and Archeology.”
Assemblage: Through sketching, photography and deep observation, I collect images of people and places. In my studio, I engage in an awkward analog process of combining images. I print, copy, trace, cut-out, collage, sketch, and re-draw compositions. I often carry around an assemblage for years and study it whenever I have a moment of pause.
Archeology: I build my paintings by applying direct impasto layers of color over numerous painting sessions. As a painting takes form, I scrape off texture between sessions. I tremendously enjoy this tiny act of destruction. I rediscover paint layers and remind myself that my previous work is not yet precious. I put in earplugs and get physically close to the canvas, scraping with a pallet knife and wiping with my hand. During this process, I enter a soft consciousness where I only think about mixing color and creating form.
WHAT DO YOU PAINT? AND WHY?
My current work is a reflection of my daily life. I am in a personal era of suburban domesticity and my art reflects home, children, pets, and my beloved neighborhood. With fidelity, I attempt to capture subjective experiences and accurately portray how New England’s stark light magnifies minor places in the landscape and plays on architecture. My work is also a reflection of my psychological state, as I am sensitive to my family’s growth and how our community engages with nature. More than anything, my paintings chronicle my joy and connection with this time and place. They are both composites of isolated moments and are my effort to keep record of the fundamental importance of my life.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NEXT?
I set myself the task of mastering portraiture over the next two years. I have started with my immediate family members and am enrolling my neighbors and friends as models. I continue to study at the Academy, show locally, and spend as much time as possible alone in my basement, beside the boiler, painting.
Two new members in one day…
The WSA is happy to welcome new exhibiting member Charles Bischof. As a professionally trained artist, Charles has a diverse portfolio of work in watercolor and oil. He creates atmospheric images in both realistic and abstract genres. To see more of his paintings visit his WSA artist page. We look forward to seeing more of his artwork in our upcoming shows. Welcome to the WSA Charles.
The WSA is also happy to welcome new exhibiting member Kris Shaffer whose watercolors and oils landscapes transport you. Equipped with an art education Kris’ work explores a variety of subject matters, always expressing a sense of place. To see more of her artwork, visit her WSA artist page. And just to avoid confusion, Kris is the sister of WSA member Kitt Shaffer. Welcome to the WSA Kris!
The WSA is happy to welcome Judy Schneider as an exhibiting member. Judy is an abstract expressionist painter and brings lots of energy and visual power to her work. She is also a member of the Howard Street Studios in Framingham and we are proud to have so many WSA members who are part of this group of talented and inspiring artists. We look forward to seeing more of Judy’s work in our upcoming shows. To see more of Judy’s work, visit her WSA artist page. Welcome to the WSA Judy!
March Artist of the Month
Meet Janet Montecalvo
Janet Montecalvo is a representational artist working in oils on wood panels or canvas. Her subject matter includes landscapes (often Boston), vintage signage and still life. She currently lives with her husband and two sons in Framingham and works at Tripp Street Studios.
I was born in Boston and raised in Quincy, MA with three siblings, (including my twin sister). Much of my childhood was spent enjoying the outdoors, exploring the seashore of Wollaston beach and the city of Boston with cousins and grandparents. Lots of encouragement and art supplies furnished by my parents and grandparents fueled our creativity. Watching and following along with Captain Bob was must see television in my house. High school entries and wins at the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards led to my growing desire to attend college as an art major. I received a BA with distinction in the field art from Emmanuel College of Boston. After graduation I continued studying art and taking numerous commercial and fine art courses at the MFA, Art Institute and the New England School of Art and Design.
My career included a variety of disciplines in commercial art. Mural painting at Children’s Hospital during my undergrad and post graduate year led me to seek more instruction in paint application in public spaces. After a 3-year apprenticeship with The International Brotherhood of Sign Painters and Allied Trades, I became the first female licensed sign painter in Boston. In 1981 I began my own business providing lettering, graphic design and illustration services to retailers of Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Copley Place, Boston Symphony Hall, numerous advertising agencies, real estate developers and film & television productions. In 1985 I received an Emmy for graphic design contributions on the television movie,”I’ll be Home for Christmas”, starring Hal Holbrook and Courtney Cox.
Children’s book illustration became a major focus of mine during the next 15 plus years. My illustrations in the book,”Sofie and the City” were nominated for the Golden Kite Award (Best Picture Book Illustrations by peers) in 2007 and were presented in a solo exhibit at the Danforth Museum of Framingham, MA.
The different stages of my career are linked by a common thread-each position revealing my penchant for detailed work and honed my appreciation for design and craftsmanship. However, each phase left me yearning for the creativity that I found in my oil painting as an undergrad. My paintings have been described as “contemporary archeology”. I like to explore the spaces and physical objects associated with my life from mid twentieth century through the present. Specific details of the objects of the paintings evoke stories of what I and ordinary people do and what they hold dear. There is an “absence of presence”-that humans aren’t physically present, but evidence of their actions and interests is very much the subject. I try to invite the viewer up-close and personal into a world of simple pleasures from the past and present.
My landscape paintings usually are cityscapes and often are of Boston locations or New England seascapes. Occasionally, I will sign up for a plein aire workshop to loosen up or to just be around other painters. When painting in the studio I sometimes use sketches, but very often need to rely on my photographs. Most often I paint directly onto the panel and layer paint and correct proportions as the painting progresses. Other times, I make a full-size drawing or enlargement and transfer it to the panel to begin the painting process- a trick I learned in the sign business. It can be a real time saver.
My still life painting is usually set up in my studio and painted directly. I also use the help of photos. Sometimes I’ll refer to the worldwide web for examples of vintage wallpaper for inspiration and then create my own design for a backdrop in one of my still life paintings. Whatever works!…Subject matter varies but often has something vintage like a tin toy or pop element.
I paint because art has always been a part of my life. It’s therapeutic for me. When I don’t do it, I feel it. It can be very challenging. It’s difficult and rewarding at different times and when you’re really lucky it all happens at the same time! Sometimes when people say things like “you are so talented or your painting is a gift”, I thank them and I think to myself that it is a skill and that the gift is “the desire”.
Follow Janet on IG@ Janet_Montecalvo_Art
Chryso Lawless initially joined the WSA as an Associate Member and we are now happy to welcome her as an Exhibiting Member. She is a mono print artist, inspired by organic elements, with a keen eye for composition. To see more of Chryso’s work, visit her WSA artist page. We look forward to seeing more of her artwork in our upcoming shows. Welcome to the WSA Chryso!
