Marc Jaffe
As a member of SCAA, what do you like most about us? I love the warmth of the staff and members of SCAA. I have always felt it to be a welcoming place to visit and exhibit. Tell us a joke.
Did you hear about how the photographer died? It makes me shutter to think about it. Linda King
Ellie Swanson
What inspires you to create? I am inspired by other craftspeople, storytelling, and being outside.
Theresa Girard
What inspires you to create? I am influenced by nature, current events, and most things that make life interesting. Things that reflect my life experiences and times that have touched me in some way. My inspiration is not always recognized in the final result.
Linda Covington
Where are you from, and what do you make? I grew up as an Army brat so our family moved a lot. Half of my father’s deployments were in Germany and the other half were in the U.S. My father retired from the Army when I began High School and our family then settled in Northern California. I’m often asked if moving so much as a child was a hardship. For me it never was. I saw each move as an adventure and always looked forward to experiencing a new place, culture and meeting new people. I work in clay. I give careful consideration to both form and surface. I am currently developing forms that I construct with slabs or throw and then alter. I make use of simple geometric shapes and lines to guide my design decisions about form. I love their elegance, simplicity and order. My style of working is to start out with some basic idea. However, I tend to work spontaneously and make decisions intuitively along the way about balance and integrity of form. My aim for surface is to showcase the organic properties of clay and glaze. I am especially fond of wood and pit firings. I love the irregularities in color, sheen and texture. What interests me most is the interplay between the form and surface; how they can contrast, complement and enhance one another in unexpected ways. The outcome is always surprising and provides an opportunity for re-examination and looking at the work in a fresh way.
Cindy Horovitz Wilson Cindy Wilson is a member, exhibitor, and teacher who has been involved with SCAA for many years. An accomplished artist, she has had numerous honorable mentions and placed awards. Of note, she won first place recognition in the East Greenwich Library’s “Winter’s Eve”, at an SCAA Member’s Exhibition, and way back in the days of Kodachrome, the Providence Journal’s Sunday Magazine Photo Contest. She has also had several group and solo exhibitions, including “Cuba through an American Lens” in Gibara, Cuba. In her own words, Cindy is "humbled yet proud of the success I have had in mentoring and teaching," having found her knowledge, skills and vision have grown right along with her students. Local, regional and international photography workshops have been a source of inspiration, in tailoring the photography instruction to different cultures and places. Cindy continues to develop her own vision, exploring through the thread of her images her own self-discovery. Learn more & view her work at the following: Website; cindywilsonphoto.com Instagram: @chwphoto Facebook: cindywilsonphoto Where are you from, and what do you make? I am originally from Cranston, RI and have arrived in North Kingstown via Philadelphia (Tyler School of Art) and Block Island. I have been making photographs ‘with intent’ since my undergraduate days at URI (a long, long, time ago). The thread in that work lives today!
Is there a work of art that has changed your life or how you view the world in some way? There isn’t just one. The contemplation of what generally calls my attention, through theme, playfulness, texture and color hold my attention. I believe it calls up something in my collective unconscious.
Brother Ralph Bucci, FSC
Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you? Michelangelo’s unfinished figures: the struggling postures of the figures and the clear evidence of the stone from which they were coming alive. The abstraction of Henri Matisse’s larger than life-size series of Backs in the courtyard: the shapes/forms, their abstractions; their textures.
Richard M. Levy
Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you? Though I find this a difficult question, I would have to respond, Ansel Adams. As a young college student in the late 1960’s I discovered Adam’s work. His iconic use of light and shadow, and his meticulous attention to detail has given me a greater appreciation for the subtleties of tonality in landscape compositions. In particular, his ability to convey the sublime beauty of landscapes has taught me to look at the landscape as an interplay of light and shadow. Is there a work of art that has changed your life or how you view the world in some way? Though it is difficult to single out any single work or artist that has changed my world view, when in my youth, it was the work from the late 19th century that had the greatest impact on my development, including those by Turner, Whistler, Money, Cezanne, Seurat, Manet, Homer and Eakins. It was later in college that I discovered the work of the minimalists and constructivists of the 20th century. As a young sculptor, I gravitated towards the work of Rickey, David Smith, Tony Smith, Brancusi and Moore. In particular, the stark simplicity of minimalism, the geometric precision of constructivism, emphasized for me the power of large-scale work. Later in life I have learned to appreciate the work of John Singer Sargent. His masterful command of the brush, coupled with an uncanny ability to capture the essence of his subjects, has become an inspiration in my attempts at portraiture. In addition to work of Sargent, I find much to learn from the portraits of David Hockney. His vibrant colors, bold compositions, and an unmistakable understanding of his subjects are inspirational. Tell us a joke:
An artist has been displaying his paintings in an art gallery. He asks the gallery owner if anyone has bought his work. "I have good news and bad news," says the gallery owner. The good news is that a man asked if your work would be worth more after your death. I told him it would and he bought all ten of your paintings." "That's wonderful," says the artist. "What's the bad news?" "The man was your doctor." Krzysztof Mathews
Robert W. Pillsbury Robert became involved in the local art community upon his retirement, becoming a member of SCAA in 2021. He has been an active member and participant in various national arts organizations for years and was a member of and supported local art organizations on the Central Jersey Shore where he also lived. He spent 13 yrs. on the Board of the historic Salmagundi Club in New York City, six of those as President. During his administration, he oversaw the restoration of the Club’s 150-year-old art gallery and reinstated their traditional monotype parties. His artwork has been shown and exhibited in galleries and institutions both within the United States and internationally. He has received numerous awards and accolades throughout his decades long career, including in publications such as Fine Art Connoisseur and American Art Collector. You can follow Robert on his Instagram and Facebook. Where are you from, and what do you make? Originally from New Hampshire, I literally grew up in a lakefront backyard. This is where my fascination with water and landscape began. The subtle colors of an afternoon sunset, the strong form of a body of clouds moving on the wind in an Autumn sky, the soft textures in the sand on a morning beach, this is the art in Nature which surrounded me every day. It had a long-term effect on my subject matter artistically and the quiet peaceful feeling my work conveys. I make paintings and prints… My choice of materials for painting are encaustic. Beeswax mixed with damar resin and pigment applied to panels with the use of heat to melt the layers of wax in between applications. I apply layer after layer of wax and pigment creating a distinctive depth and surface. Like my encaustics, my monotypes and monoprints communicate a similar contemplative environmental observation to the viewer.
What inspires you to create? I draw every day no matter where I am, in the studio or out and about. On trains, planes, and automobiles, I always have a sketchbook and pencil on me. Creativity for me is directly tied to how I see. As I look at my surroundings, I visualize a composition in my head. It becomes a thumbnail sketch that will lead to a drawing or a painting or perhaps an etching. I never really know for sure where it will go, I just know I must capture it. How it felt, what things looked like, how things are illuminated, how the atmosphere felt, it all stays in my mind until I do something with it. The vast array of beauty in the world around us, ever changing every minute, every moment, presents a limitless source for inspiration. Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you? The first time I viewed one of Edward Steichen’s photographs in person was at MOMA in the early 1970’s while visiting from school in Baltimore. I did not realize the extent of influence his work had had unconsciously on my own until 2007 when my NYC gallerist sold one of my etchings to his widow Joanna Taub Steichen. It was then that I reflected on my body of work and his and saw the parallels of atmospheric composition and Pictorialism Style. Alfred Stieglitz described this aesthetic movement that dominated photography from 1885-1915, “Atmosphere is the medium through which we see all things. In order, therefore, to see them in a photograph, as we do in Nature, atmosphere must be there. Atmosphere softens all lines; it graduates the transition from light to shade; it is essential to the reproduction of the sense of distance. That dimness of outline which is characteristic for distant objects is due to atmosphere. Now, what atmosphere is to Nature, tone is to a picture.”
Linda Gotta
Patricia Anderson
Tell us a joke: 2 Ys U R, 2 Ys U B; I C U R, 2 Ys 4 me.
Debbie Engel
Where are you from, and what do you make? I lived most of my life in wonderful South County. My family owned a beach house in Point Judith. On the last day of school, we packed our bags and headed to the beach! My husband and I have lived in Narragansett and Charlestown for the past 50 years. Upon retirement in 2014, we now split our time between Punta Gorda, Florida and Charlestown, RI. In 5th grade, many moons ago, I won a local art contest that enabled me to take Saturday art classes at RISD. I can still smell the turpentine that permeated the air as I sat on very high stools at the drawing table. Well, the rest is history. My high school art teacher encouraged me to pursue my interest in art and helped me with my portfolio to apply to the Art Education program at RIC. I spent 30 years as a public school visual art teacher for the Chariho School District. I loved teaching and planning engaging and fun lessons for my students. But it really left no time for my own art. It wasn’t until my retirement that I actively started thinking about what kind of art I wanted to make. I took an abstract painting class at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, and I was hooked. I love to say that I am a happy “student” now, learning new art approaches and techniques every day.
Tell us a joke.
Q. How does Salvador Dali start his mornings? A. With a bowl of “Surreal”. Nancy Azano Nancy has been exhibiting here since 2017, and her work has won numerous awards. Her involvement in the RISD Museum as a docent led to a teaching job in the galleries, and eventually to working with cancer patients at Hasbro Children's Hospital in their Museum on the Rounds program, which was inspired by the art and activities at the RISD Museum. She has also taught art to all grade levels in both public and private schools. Nancy has since retired and is now focused on her art, regularly taking commissions. You can view more of her art on her Instagram and Facebook.
Annie Wildey Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the SCAA staff to our organization! Annie is our new Development and Marketing Coordinator. She is a new member to SCAA, having joined in 2022, but has entered exhibits here and impressed many with her work. She is also the owner of AiR Studio Gallery in Westerly, where she holds art openings on the first Friday of every month along with several other studios in the area. Annie's work has been displayed in galleries around the world, including China, The U.K., and New York City. To see more of her work, take a look at her Instagram and visit the AiR studio gallery.
Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you? Well, I can’t possibly pick one! There are many artists, for as many different reasons. So … … My high school art teacher who encouraged me to go to art school. Dan Welden, a master printmaker I met after grad school. Working alongside him on and off for several years gave me an opportunity to experience what a professional studio practice could look like. In terms of art itself, early on I was I blown away by figurative artists Lucien Freud and Jenny Saville for their observation and use of medium. Their paintings have such seductive surfaces. I’d also have to include Gerhard Richter and Anslem Keefer for the same reasons. In terms of printmaking Kathe Kollwitz is someone who can capture such raw human emotion without sentimentality, and the British artist Norman Ackroyd, creates such poetic and dramatic landscape etchings. Oh, and I have to include Richard Serra. Seeing his sculptures in person for the first time was incredibly powerful.
Elizabeth O'Connor Elizabeth first became a member of SCAA in 2011. She has been participating in group art shows throughout New England for the past 10 years, including one of our Member's Invitational exhibits in 2018 and a solo exhibit at Block Island Airport in 2019. These days, you can find her attending gallery openings, enjoying a hike with camera in hand, or taking part in art festivals. Visit Elizabeth at this year's Virtu Art Festival in Westerly, and check out more of her work on her website. Where are you from, and what do you make? I grew up in Connecticut and moved to Rhode Island after attending college here and earning a degree in Computer Science. I am a landscape photographer artist and the camera I most often have with me is my infrared converted 2012 Fuji X-Pro1. How long have you been seriously pursuing art? I have always had a camera since I was a kid, but I became serious about it when planning my first trip out of the country to Ireland. I wanted to make good pictures, so I took a series of film photography and darkroom printmaking classes at CCRI. I became so obsessed with the darkroom printing process that I became the lab monitor by default! Fast forward a few years to 2003 and a trip to New Zealand inspired me to pursue the latest digital photography technology and a Continuing Education certificate from RISD in 2017. For me, being a photographer artist is not just about using the camera as a tool to create a beautiful picture, it feels like I have developed a unique connection to the world through the camera that allows me to experience emotions that can hopefully be conveyed from my mind’s eye to the viewer's eye.
Tell us a joke.
What kind of photos do lobsters take the most? Shellfies! Maggie Ramey Maggie of Fat Robin Pottery has been a member at SCAA for 10 years. After retiring, she considered becoming a full-time potter but found it didn't suit her. These days, Maggie enters some exhibits at SCAA as well as Spring Bull Gallery's Fakes and Forgeries show, winning "the occasional ribbon" as she modestly puts it. She's experienced great success in our Annual Holiday Sale with her beautiful ornaments, bowls, plates, mugs, and more. She has found a nice balance between her love of pottery, her grandchildren, gardening, reading, and travel--something we all aspire to.
How long have you been seriously pursuing art? As my children went off to college (about 2005), it was me time. I discovered the clay classes at the Newport Art Museum and with the excellent guidance of the instructor, Charlene Carpezano , my clay journey began…is it a journey, obsession, or addiction? After 5 years in Tuesday night pottery, I got my own kiln and supplies –a couple hours of studio time a week was not enough; I needed to be immediately available at every stage of the clay. What inspires you to create? Life experiences, travel, nature, history, the world around us, spur of the moment decisions, fleeting moments, old artifacts, a bottle dump, an old barn, an old workshop filled with tools. Currently using my mother’s chair caning books as inspiration.
Is there a work of art that has changed your life or how you view the world in some way? I’m amazed by all art work, now that I am aware of the thinking involved, let alone the actual process and the work involved. I have great respect for every artist no matter what they create. As a member of SCAA, what do you like most about us? I like the feeling of community. The highlight of the annual holiday sale for me is talking to fellow volunteers–it's amazing what similar connections and interests we have! Tell us a joke. When an artist meets his rival, what does he say? I challenge you to a doodle…. See more of Maggie's work at Fat Robin Pottery Facebook page.
Rebecca Hamilton Stockdill
Deborah Alavosius Deborah has been a member here for 7 years now. She has exhibited regularly, winning several awards, and was featured in a Members Invitational in 2019. Her work portrays the beauty of light upon her subjects and transforms everyday scenes into gorgeous works of art.
Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you?
While not a particular artist, I’d say that learning about classical musicians and how to appreciate their art has had an impact on how I perceive, understand, and create art. While in college I took a music appreciation course that exposed me to classical music for the first time. And even to this day, it has stayed with me that there are stories in music…even with no lyrics, I can hear the stories. I learned that art is often more than what “meets the eye” or comes through the senses; it is what you perceive and make of it yourself (whether as a viewer, reader, or listener). So when I paint a land-/seascape, I am painting the scene as I experienced it in real life, and hope that viewers will get a glimpse into a moment in time I thought was beautiful. Paula Imbergamo Assemblage artist Paula Imbergamo has been involved with SCAA in many ways since 2014. She has been a teacher, board member, student, and exhibiting artist, including participating in a Members Invitational Exhibit in 2016. Her enthusiasm about assemblage and her love of art is inspiring to all she meets.
Colleen Colabella Colleen first joined the SCAA in 2009 and started taking pottery classes in our studio. She has taken many classes here over the years, and began exhibiting 6 years ago. The two watercolor paintings shown in this newsletter are both award-winning works of art.
Ann E. Bianchi
Is there a work of art that has changed your life or how you view the world in some way? Experiencing works of art being created by the Tlingit tribal group in Ketchikan, Alaska was an amazing experience. Watching historical creation methods of Native American Totems in their natural environments made me feel that time had stood still. I witnessed a wonderful sense of community, pride for artmaking, and respect for culture through generations. Extremely enlightening.
Cheryla*
Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you? I’d have to say Joni Mitchell and James Taylor (living artists). Joni by her lyrics and wonder, who paints and creates music. James also is very influential on making his mark and showing the way.
Tell us a joke.
Why did the art thief’s van run out of gas as he drove away from the museum? Because he had no MONET to buy DEGAS to make the VAN GOGH. Jack HellerJack Heller is a relatively new member to the SCAA, and one who we are happy to have exhibiting work. Active in several art institutions in the area, Jack has been showing his photographs here for a couple of years now.
What inspires you to create? I am inspired by the world around me. I have found that since I began creating artistic photographs, I see the world in a different light. I now notice the aspects of the world that create a favorable ambiance and moodiness.
Terry Van Heusen
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We Value Our Members!
Maker Mondays feature one Artist Member each month. To qualify for a feature, you must be a current member who has exhibited at least once in the last 5 years. That's all! Archives
August 2024
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