WSA News

September Artist Spotlight 

Meet Kris Shaffer and her beloved gardening companion Cleo

I have been making art since I was a little kid.  We all did.  My Mom grew up on a farm and it seemed she could do anything!  She wielded the power tools in our home growing up and instilled in us that we could do anything also.  When I was in high school we moved from Prairie Village (suburban Kansas City) to a farm north of Marysville, Kansas.  Culture shock.  I spent so much time during my high school years driving around on country roads and still to this day I find comfort, adventure, and hope on those roads.  My mom is ninety-nine years old and still lives on that farm, alone!  She loves it and says it is her exclusive retirement home for one.  Rest assured, she is safe and checked on regularly by her community.

Kansas landscapes are in my blood.  I recently showed my work at South Coast Artist Open Studios where a woman who has ties to Kansas recognized the light!  We all have complex relationships to where we were raised and Kansas will always be in my heart.

I studied art at Kansas State University and transferred to Massachusetts College of Art (and Design) where I received a BFA in painting.  I moved to Santa Fe, NM, for a year to paint more glorious landscapes, yet Kansas landscapes are the ones from my core.  After NM, I moved to San Francisco where I married and had two sons.  I also started working as an interior designer which kept us fed and occupied my time for years. In 1999, we moved back to Newton to raise the kids. After the boys graduated from high school, we moved to Framingham.  I still do some interior design, but now my focus has returned to pure art and it feels great!

During the years when the kids were growing up I started doing book paintings.  I studied with George Nick at Mass Art and really wanted to do urban landscapes, but I wanted to be close to the kids. I chose books as a way of achieving a similar structure as buildings, while controlling the light and climate in my small studio.  I might paint books intermittently forever!  They are a great subject in so many ways:) 

My other passion is figure drawing and painting.  I find drawing the human body, clothed or unclothed, restorative.  It is my balm to the chaos of today’s world.

I currently am running the working artist group space at the Natick Mall.  We offer figure drawing (clothed) twice a week.  Thursdays 7pm-9pm and Saturdays 3pm-5pm.  Sessions are currently $20 for two hours.  It is a wonderful space and so fun!  We hope to start a painting group soon as well as additional art workshops.  The mall project is so exciting.  It is an unexpected oasis of creativity where people wander in and find it surprising yet soothing, so they say:).  We are in the proof of concept stage so we really need support and participation to grow the space so we can stay.  We plan on offering all sorts of workshops for artists, creatives and people who want to make something of their own.  It is a super fun experience. Come visit or learn more the classes here.

August Artist Spotlight

Meet Bob Glowacky

Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, my earliest memories of painting were of me, my brother and my father in our basement painting on side by side easels.  My father was a civil engineer, but also an accomplished oil painter.  He taught my brother and I the joy of painting, and while I had always wanted to continue painting, college, graduate school, work, marriage, children and other activities all kept me busy and away from my easel.

Fast forward to 2015, when I recognized that a part of me needed to paint.  I so missed the joy of laying paint on canvas and creating, so I picked up my brushes and went to work.  Largely self taught, I’ve also studied with Vincent Crotty at the New Art Center in Newton, and most recently, with Ron Krouk at the Danforth School of Art in Framingham.

I’m an avid gardener (both in Wellesley and at our Cape home in East Falmouth).  As such, many of my paintings are inspired by the gardens at both homes as well as the sand, sun and beaches of Cape Cod.  There’s also nothing like Cape light…trying to capture the magic hours when the sun creates a warmth that’s almost too beautiful to describe.

I work exclusively in oils, and while I work most frequently with brushes, I do enjoy every now and then picking up my palette knife and working in a way that is more free and loose.  Like many of you, I continue to search for inspiration in nature and my family and I are also avid travellers.  These trips serve to inspire me and to see the world in a new light…unfamiliar landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes and buildings.

I wanted to include a photo of another medium that I work with that highlights my diverse artistic interests.  Being half Ukrainian (and half Italian), I love making pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs).  My father taught me how to create these when I was approximately 14 years old and I still enjoy doing them to this day.  Each egg, which is raw, takes about 6-7 hours to complete and I have eggs that are 50 years old!  It’s a wonderful tradition and a beautiful example of folk art.

I’m now retired and aside from painting, I enjoy gardening, playing tennis, pickleball, going to the health club, reading, skiing, cycling and volunteering on a number of boards in the non-profit world.  My wife and I have two children in their twenties and we always enjoy spending time with them and their friends.  Last but not least, our 12 year old beagle Skipper keeps us on our toes and provides comic relief to many a family gathering!

Follow Bob on Instagram 

@Bobglowacky

June Artist Spotlight

Meet Theresa Christopher 

WSA Member Since 2017

When did you start making art?

 I do not remember exactly when I started making art.  It seems art was always there.  Sometimes in Elementary School,  friends would ask me when I had time to do “that,” “that” being when I painted a book of wildflowers and a year later, a book of birds.  These were not assigned projects.  I created them for fun, and later they proved handy when I needed to embellish a science project.  Art was my hobby. 

What type of art attracts you?

I gravitate to plein air painting in acrylics, which brings me close to nature.  I like being outdoors early in the day.  Capturing natural light and contrasting shadow by utilizing the value of other colors in the piece is a worthy challenge.  Fifty percent of the time I will complete a painting in a session; other times I sketch in paint, take a photo and finish in the studio.  Either way, capturing the ambience and rendering an image is satisfying.  Even better is conveying the feeling you captured so that others may see and feel it too. 

Where do you find inspiration?

 For me, nature provides the ultimate inspiration for creating art.  It provides fresh compositions every time.       

In retirement, I have had the luxury of travelling and learning how I see the world.  These discoveries inspire me to experiment with new ideas and media.  I’ve travelled to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, where for the first time I sketched historic architecture a la prima utilizing a micron pen.  For two consecutive years I was the director’s guest at Civitella Ranieri in Umbria, Italy, where with other guests we painted plein air in acrylics and watercolor half the day and visited sites the other half.  As a result, we were inspired by viewing most of the original frescoes and paintings of Piero de la Francesca.  

What does art mean to you?

For me, art is relaxing and stimulating at once. It provides the camaraderie of artist friends. Whether in the studio or via Zoom, art friends are supportive and enjoy discussing and making art together.  Each time I view another’s art, visit a museum, attend an art demonstration or put a graphite pencil to paper, I learn something.  In addition to enjoying and creating art with friends, a best day might include painting a marsh from an overlook in Hingham, working in my studio or taking a portraiture class.  What a hobby!

May Artist Spotlight 

Meet Julia Greenway

Julia Greenway (she/her) lives in Needham, MA. As well as being an artist, she works in the Greenhouse at Volante Farms and is a certified meditation teacher.

One of my first memories (age 4) is practicing my number “8”s in crayons on the newly painted wall of my room, right before we were supposed to move out of the apartment.  Though a huge supporter of my work, my mother was not best pleased. As a family, we traveled a lot. My father was a foreign correspondent in Vietnam and then Israel. We lived in Hong Kong twice and I used to go with my mother to her friend Rosamund Brown’s house and paint. They are both artists.

I never really stopped. All the way through school Art was my favorite subject. When I got to college, I majored in languages as it was thought that an art degree wouldn’t pay the bills but I took art classes for myself and later went to Mass College of Art (now Mass college of Art and Design) for my master’s degree in painting.

My artwork, like the number 8, follows no straight path. As an art student I mostly painted in oils and then moved to watercolors largely due to the space and clean-up time needed while raising three children, mostly on my own. I’d had prior training in watercolors with an illustration studio that produced work for Dorling Kindersley Books. Very detailed work – mostly animals and buildings. By comparison my oils tended towards expressionist.

One of the things I paint is Pet Portraits and I use that detailed style. I use multiple photographs in order to capture the essential personality of each creature. That is my goal.

I primarily work from nature – which is an endlessly fascinating inspiration for me. I love the capricious medium of watercolor. While my style is based on observable reality, reflecting how I feel about the subject and its composition and colors…etc…, the paint is speaking more for itself. I feel more like an accomplice rather than being in control.

It’s important to retain a childlike sense of wonder. I find painting to be an extension of self and paradoxically an expression of creative consciousness as a whole. When I am working, I am thoroughly immersed and present. The process quiets the chatty parts of my brain. Even when it is frustrating or a complete failure, I will have learned something.
In August I have a solo show scheduled at North Haven, ME. I will, therefore, be quite busy painting and cutting mats for the frames. I also show small pieces at Volante Farms.  If you happen by, come say hello!

April Artist Spotlight

Meet Cynthia Demir

I have been drawing as far back as I can remember. At the age of two I drew circles with smaller circles around the larger circles. I have vivid memories from nursery school of first using finger paints. I can still remember the magic of how the colors blended together as I moved the paint around with my fingers. My mother was an artist so there were always pens, pencils, and paints available.  She even had an easel set up in the living room with an oil painting of my sister and I. I remember the soft gobs of paint on her wooden palette and the smell of oil paint. We had paper taped to the walls of our playroom so as to be able to draw at any time.

    

March Artist Spotlight

Meet Nan Daly 

I have been primarily a watercolorist, painting landscapes and flowers. Originally from upstate New York, I grew up in an apple orchard, so nature and botanicals have always been favorite subjects. I’ve been a high school English teacher, an owner/designer of a greeting card company, a professional calligrapher, a college admissions counselor–and a member of WSA for over 20 years.

Art was always an interest, but it became a serious one after classes at the MFA and the DeCordova, week-long workshops with Karlyn Holman and Barbara Nechis, and hours spent with my several shelves worth of art instruction books. Karlyn showed me how to paint loose and tight in the same painting, and Barbara imparted her philosophy: “If you don’t have an idea in your head, you shouldn’t have a brush in your hand.”

Like most of us, I started out attempting realism, but I found my real joy was abstraction. A series of abstracted watercolor landscapes continued through many years, with frequent breaks for more realistic flower paintings. I felt busy. I had held offices and taken jobs in my associations—Wellesley, Needham, Dedham, Scituate—and a Signature Membership in the New England Watercolor Society. There were many show opportunities and I tried to exhibit in all of them. For twenty years I hosted an annual Open Studio in my home. Also for many years I have been making annual collaborative books with Kay Villa. She lives in Wisconsin now, so we mail the pages back and forth, each of us filling our side of the page. For our last three books I painted small watercolors. 

Then there was Covid. I was still busy, but not with painting. Our family—daughter, son-in-law and grandson—were living with us, and that seven-year-old needed a teacher to get him through those long Zoom sessions for school. When the world opened up again, and our family moved across town, I regained my painting time but I found I wanted to step back from the “business” of art. I rarely exhibited, and I stopped doing Open Studios, though I did teach a weekend workshop in experimental watercolor right after Covid.

I started to wonder if this was some kind of Artist’s Block.

Instead of painting as much as I once did, I am trying totally new things. Filling a sketchbook with tiny pen and ink drawings. Filling another with abstract paper collages. Drawing animals in colored pencil over acrylic patterns. Adding watercolor to Gauguin’s trace monotype technique. Exploring mark making on collage papers. Creating small books filled with patterns. Few of these things are frame-worthy.  I do them just for me.

Julia Cameron said that at some point we all need to “refill the well.”  I’m holding onto that thought. I’ve realized that stepping back is not the same as walking away. Exploring a new media, a new size, a new substrate, a new technique, a new subject, a new series—no matter where we are headed in our art, it takes time to find the path.

Nan Daly lives in Needham with her incredibly supportive husband and a green-eyed cat named Titania.

February Artist Spotlight

(Image Credit: Megan George)

Meet Jenny Schneider

Jenny Schneider is a mixed media artist and illustrator living in Wellesley and working from her studio at the Saxonville Mills in Framingham.

Tell Us About Your Background

I was born and raised in Germany and moved to Mexico City at the age of 21 where I studied Psychology at the Universidad Iberoamericana. Inspired by the vibrant  Mexican artisan culture and as a way of processing living in a new culture, I also studied art and fell in love with watercolor. In 2003 I earned an MA in Art Therapy and Mental Health Counseling at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA combining both my passion for the arts and mental health.  

When my husband was diagnosed with leukemia in 2003, making art became my own therapy and refuge. (He since has recovered and is doing great). We moved to Wellesley in 2010 with our two boys where I found a group of creative women (formerly known as the Wellesley Women Artisans) who supported each other through art and motherhood. Together, we started the event “Art in the Park” that still happens every year during Wellesley Wonderful Weekend. 

In 2023 I moved my art practice to a studio at the Saxonville Mills in Framingham. I have continuously studied various art and illustration techniques at the SMFA, Boston and attended multiple workshops throughout the country. In addition to the WSA, I am also a member of  Concord Art and also work for Art Wellesley. When I am not making art, I love to travel and learn about different cultures.  I am fluent in English, Spanish, German and understand some French. I am also a certified Yoga teacher, specialized in restorative yoga. I also love to bake, enjoy long hikes, and am learning to dance salsa. You will always find me listening to music, audio books and podcasts. 

What is your medium? 

I work as an illustrator and mixed media artist.

As an illustrator I work in watercolor, collage and digital media. I have written and illustrated a children’s book, illustrated a book about Yin Yoga and created a line of greeting cards and calendars, among other things.  My greeting cards can be found online (www.jenny-schneider.com and in select local stores  (Wellesley Bookstore, Constellation, Somerville, Clay Art & Concept, Concord, and soon at Posies of Wellesley)  

As a mixed media artist I work in watercolor, acrylics and collage. I love the fluidity of watercolor, the freedom of collage and the surprise when combining both.   

What is your art process?

“The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions that have been hidden by the answers.”   ~ James Baldwin

Art allows me to make sense of the world.  I am always curious what the process has to teach me about living and being human. My training as an art therapist influences my creative process. I strive to let go of preconceived ideas and instead trust the process. I tend to have a variety of sketchbooks and handmade journals at the same time that help me process and collect my ideas.  I am constantly inspired by the natural world, the magic of colors and the play of light and shadow. I enjoy finding beauty in the mundane, poetry in a simple flower, playfulness in an abstract collage. Just as I am connecting with my inner world, I hope that my paintings are a gentle invitation to pause, go inward and connect with one’s own sense of wonder. 

I admire the work of Georgia O’Keefe, Ruth Asawa, Helen Frankenthaler and Henri Matisse (among so many others) and love nothing more than visiting a museum and see art in person. 

Past and future projects

Last year I collaborated on an exhibit called “Exuberance” with two other fabulous artists at Project B Gallery. As you can see below, I was fascinated with birds as they keep making their way into my collages and paintings.

 

I also painted a Traffic Box in Wellesley. This was an interesting challenge as I usually paint on a much smaller scale. I hope it offers a little color and fun to people passing  by.  (Image Credit: Beth Shedd)

 

Currently, I am teaching mindful collage workshops which invite people to slow down, and reconnect with themselves (and each other) while making art.

You can find out more about my work and upcoming events here:

Jenny Schneider || Art and Illustration || www.jenny-schneider.com

Instagram: @jenny_schneider