Wellesley in Bloom

Wellesley in Bloom

Iris Garden, 36×36, $650, Artist: Lynn Dennis

Finally, the warmer weather has arrived and along with it some long anticipated color! Wellesley in Bloom, May 3-11, celebrates the flora of the season and community. The WSA is participating in this town event with a display of artwork in Church Square and Central Street of flowers and inspired spring scenes and blooming landscapes. See below some of the artwork on display. Interested in this artwork: email wsaartists@gmail.com. Many thanks to all of the participating artists who all helped to make this display possible Kristin Conant, Lynn Dennis, Claudia Doherty, Pilar Figueira, Laurie Hammer, Dottie Laughlin, Mena Levit, Leah Morris, Mike Murphy, Hannah Nersasian, Yale Nicolls, Joan Onofrey, Nancy Present Van Broekhoven, Judith Schneider, Chelsea Sebastian, John Sherffius, Bobbie Suratt, and Jodi Traub. We would also like to thank our community partners for making this opportunity available to us: Beth Sullivan Woods, Adrienne Davis-Brody, Lauren Rogers and Dennis DiSchino.

 

 

 

 

May Artist Spotlight Meet Julia Greenway

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.

View from Bowen Road Flat, Hong Kong, Circa 1972

 

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

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.
     
During my summers in junior high school I took classes at the deCordova Museum. The emphasis was on experimentation with a wide variety of media. I used pen and ink with watercolor and tissue paper to create underwater sea creatures. In high school I took art every year as one of my major subjects. We worked with pencil, charcoal, oil pastels and oil paints. By senior year one of my favorite projects was a portrait I did in a woodcut. It was one of my first serious attempts at printmaking. I always knew I wanted to go to art school after graduation. When I arrived at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, the drawing and design courses were very intense. It was the best feeling in the world to stay up all night working on design projects. One of my favorite classes was etching. An assistant professor told me to think of the etching plate as the universe. I approached painting and etching in the same way, creating an imaginary world, not just a rendering of something I see or feel. I also took an intensive course in lithography during winter session which was a six week period between semesters. Drawing with a lithograph crayon brought out the texture of the stone. The textures seemed to suggest images from my subconscious like some mythical beings from another world. By senior year I was majoring in painting. One of the studios was in an old bank building. It had a high glass ceiling with the sun streaming in, colors reflecting off the walls and metal framework. There was also a large paper sculpture of an elephant in the room which added to the atmosphere. The studio reminded me of some of Matisse’s interiors.
 
     

I received a BFA in painting from RISD and then worked for a while as a free lance artist. The following year I went to Simmons College to get a teaching degree. Eventually I worked at a newspaper and an advertising agency. I studied fashion design and worked at a childrenswear company but what I loved most was painting and drawing. After getting married and having children, I continued drawing and sewing. I sometimes did quick sketches of my husband and daughters. I joined a group of artists who set up drawing sessions where we all chipped in to pay for models. We added lighting, drapery and props to create interesting compositions. I was always inspired by Matisse and some of the expressionist painters. An exhibit at the MFA in Boston, “Matisse in the Studio” was especially interesting. On display along with his paintings and sculptures were some of the objects he used in his compositions. The way he incorporated some of the same objects in very different styles of painting showed what even the simplest object could inspire.

 

    
 
Recently I have been doing watercolor and ink paintings of the mountains and lakes of New Hampshire. I’ve focused on the effects of sunlight at various times of day and the shadows from the constant movement of the clouds as they are reflected on the lakes.
 

March Artist Spotlight – Meet Nan Daly

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.

 

WSA Welcomes New Exhibiting Member Patricia Nemeth

The WSA is happy to welcome new exhibiting member Patricia Nemeth. A lifetime of art exploration has helped her develop a solid practice that has led to an eclectic collection of artwork. Patricia has a well honed compositional sense and a pleasing color aesthetic.To see more of Patricia’s artwork, visit her WSA artist page .

Welcome to the WSA Patricia, we look forward to seeing more of your work!

February Artist Spotlight – Meet Jenny Schneider

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