We are thrilled to share the stories and works of so many talented artists participating in Plein Air Brandywine Valley later this month. Just imagine what is yet to come at the Opening Gala & Art Sale on October 23rd from 6:30-9:30 at Winterthur Museum Garden & Library. Still need tickets? Get them HERE.
Portion of the Proceeds benefits our Children’s Beach House.
Annette Alessi
Annette Alessi is inspired by places she’s visited and passed, people she loves, time spent in nature, and observations of the light around her. She emphasizes the colors she sees “to allow the viewer to appreciate life all the more.
“I enjoy painting landscapes plein air and creating portraits especially of children. Sometimes I work from photographs of my own if I have been inspired by a moment in time, and the moment needed to be captured quickly. There is a story behind each piece as I move through my journey of life. I am attracted to contrast in light whether it be in a portrait or in a landscape. I use both pastels and oils depending on what I think the particular subject and/or mood will need. Lately, I have been falling in love with oils. I enjoy watching the reaction of art lovers as they view my works and share in the joy that has been given to me through my art. It is truly a gift from God. Art is a passion of the Heart. It’s up to the individual to use it, and to share it with others.” –Annette Alessi, © 2015
Annette studied drawing and painting the human figure majoring in fashion illustration at the Art Institute of Philadelphia during the late 80’s, graduating in 1987. Two months after graduating, she began working with Alfred Angelo Bridals as the fashion illustrator for Michelle Piccione. All throughout the 90’s, Annette worked in the fashion advertising industry as a graphic designer, art director, illustrator and portraiture artist. She has been using pastels for about 20 years. She has been using oils since 2006 when introduced to the medium by a former teacher, Karl Kuerner, a well known artist who was mentored by Andrew Wyeth. Her landscapes are self-taught only since the new millennium. Annette began exhibiting starting in 2002 with figurative works in a series called The History of Fashion. Gradually she began to frequently exhibit her landscapes which are now part of a large collection called “Brandywine Valley Landscapes” which can be found at various galleries and art exhibitions locally, and viewed on her website.
Annette loves to share this knowledge acquired over the many years by teaching art to adults and children with classes held at Chester County Art Association in West Chester, PA, Darlington Arts Center in Garnet Valley, PA and privately at her studio in Garnet Valley, PA. She is presently a member of the Pastel Society of America, the Portrait Society of America, and a few other organizations. She is represented by various galleries in the PA and DE area such as Strodes Mill Gallery in West Chester, PA, Hardcastle Galleries in Centreville, DE, Bryn Mawr Art and Photo Gallery, Bryn Mawr, PA and others in the Brandywine Valley area. She juried various art exhibits, including the Rose Tree Park Exhibition of the Artist Guild of Delaware County. Various books have published Annette’s works such as “100 Artists of the Brandywine Valley”, “Best of American Artists in Pastel “and “A World of Artists”. Many press releases have been published showing her works in local papers including an article published in the July 11, 2013 News Journal of Wilmington in the Crossroads section, and the August 20, 2014 Garnet Valley Press. If you would like the collection of Annette’s works in person, you can visit Annette Alessi Fine Art studio in Garnet Valley, PA by appointment by calling 610-742-7474, or email atannette@alessicreations.com.
Deena Ball
Heather grew up in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania and graduated from Marple Newtown High School with honors and an art scholarship. She went on to attend Rhode Island School of Design and earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting. Post graduation, she worked in the building trades and owned her own contracting firm for many years leaving a trail of murals, sculptures, and mosaics in homes throughout Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. She currently resides in Chester County.
In June of 2013, after a moving experience at a Jamie Wyeth opening, she made the decision to give up her former career in order to paint full time. She proceeded to win First Place in the prestigious 2013 Brandywine Valley Plein Air competition in 2013. In April of 2014 she was awarded best of show at the Chester County Art Association Invitational Exhibition. This provided her first solo show, which was extremely successful. Again she won the Artist’s Choice award at the 2014 Brandywine valley Plein air held at the Winterthur in October each year.
Gerilyn Gordon Gaskill Now that I’ve finally retired from work, I have begun my real career painting. It’s my passion. I’ve always said my work supported my art interest. I’ve been painting seriously with watercolors for the past five years. I find Painting can be fun, relaxing, enjoyable, meditative, exciting and audacious depending on settings and my mood. Lately I have been painting in watercolors, acrylic and oil mediums. You never know what happy surprises evolve in your paintings. I just love to paint.
Air, earth, water and light mix together to form our living world. Elissa Gore captures these elements as she sees them in landscape paintings for over thirty years. Once a medical illustrator and college professor of fine art, she paints small works outdoors in the city and country. Sometimes she paints larger works from her studies in the studio. Her work is in 60 public collections including the US Art in Embassies program. A Philadelphia native, she has a BFA from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MA from the University of Texas. She exhibits frequently and has had over 15 solo exhibitions. Elissa has taught watercolor workshops for the New York Botanical Garden for 20 years. In New York City, she is represented by Markel Fine Arts. Her website is: www.elissagore.net Elissa keeps a log of her sketching adventures Paint Trails at elissagore.blogspot.com
Cynthia Howar studied art and architecture in college but went on to become a lawyer and a consultant. In 2004, she decided to get back to her artistic roots and immersed herself in watercolors by studying at the Art League of Alexandria, at the Corcoran and with several visiting artists teaching workshops here and abroad. While studying art and graphic arts in the 1970′s, all of her professors encouraged abstract painting. Today she has gone back to the basics and loves painting plein air. Although she paints both representationally and abstractly in oil and other media, watercolor remains her favorite medium. Cynthia regularly shows her work at her own studio and gallery. Among other places her work has been showed are: Citizens Association of Georgetown (CAG) Art Show (2011-2015), House of Sweden, 2013-2015 Juried three years in a row into the Brandywine Valley Plein Air Competition (October, 2010-13) Brandywine Valley Plein Air group show (October, 2013), Wintertur Musuem, Prize for Barn at Point Lookout Brandywine Valley Plein Air group show (October 2011), Tatnall School, Wilmington, Delaware Provence with Friends group exhibit (November 2012), Yellow Barn, Glen Echo, Maryland Paintings From Provence and Other Works of Art showcased in 2012 at her studio Art League Gallery, juried show (2006), Equal Award for Blue Window (oil on canvas) City Hall in Old Town Alexandria, 2006, Art in City Hall juried show Art League Gallery. Small Works juried show (2006) for View from River Farm Art League Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia, All Media juried show , Urban Life (October, 2005) with L’Avenue watercolor) Art League Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia (2004) juried show, two watercolor landscapes entered She currently is associated with Washington Fine Properties, Inc. in Washington, DC and welcomes visitors to her website, www.cynthiahowarfineart.com. She sells her works and notecards of her paintings from her studio and online. The Art League School, Alexandria, VA The Corcoran School of Art, Washington, DC Hunter College, New York, NY (painting) City College, New York, NY (architecture) University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (graphic design & painting) J.D. Georgetown University (law) B.S. Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut (psychology)
Maguire is a professional painter who studied at the Pennsylvania Academy and the Sorbonne. She is known for her exquisite color and bold application. She was featured in the June 2014 issue of American Art Collector. www.carolmaguire.com
Shanthi Manickam
FRIENDS CENTRAL SCHOOL, SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE, NOTRE DAME DU NEMOURS, JFK UNIVERSITY,PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS,MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE. STUDIED PAINTING HERE AND ABROAD WITH THE BEST. MANY “ONE WOMAN SHOWS” : LATEST AT THE PHILADELPHIA SKETCH CLUB.
Bruce Poulterer — Painter of Memories. Bruce, a realistic watercolor painter, has his home and studio in Media, PA. He began painting by painting from the watercolor box his mother used. He studied under a number of watercolor artists most recently with Karl Kuerner. Bruce is most known for his paintings of buildings in country landscapes and everyday life, when life moved at a slower pace. His career has been marked by consistent growth, beginning with designing and painting watercolors for Christmas cards and prints for his own company for 20 years. These prints hang all over the world and there is hardly a dairy in the United States that doesn’t have one of his prints. Juried art shows: Plein Air Brandywine, Imaculata College, Yellow Springs, Lititz Art Show, Brandywine Arts Festival, Malvern Art Show, Chadds Ford Art Show, etc. Bruce has also had numerous one man shows and will be the featured artist at Christopher’s Restaurant in Wayne in October. Honors: First limited edition watercolor selected by Dressage at Devon Horse Show benefiting Children’s Hospital and Penn State University used his Limited Edition watercolor to raise funds for the Food Science Building. Bruce feels blessed and has given his work to raise substantial funds for many non-profits such as Delaware County Christian School, Chester County Hospital, People for People in Philadelphia, and many others. He is a member of the Delaware Valley Art League and Member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society. Bruce has been painting plein air watercolors since 2009. Recently he has been plein air painting at the Kuerner farm where Andrew Wyeth painted and sketched over 1,000 pieces. Under the insightful eyes of Karl Kuerner , Bruce says this has been one of the most significant painting experiences in his life. Bruce is married to his best friend Jan and they have four children and five grandchildren. E-mail Poulterer@gmail.com You can see more at his blog watercolorsbybruce.blogspot.com/ Or like Bruce at Bruce Poulterer watercolors on FACEBOOK to get regular updates.
Don Shoffner 216 N. Essex Avenue, Narberth, PA 19072 610-664-8068 1 High Cliff, Plymouth, MA 02360 – 508-746-1894 donshoffner@verizon.net Award winning artist Don Shoffner grew up in Chester County, Pennsylvania amid the old buildings and barns that fill his works. His challenge is to try and capture their utility, texture and integrity before they disappear from our landscape. Working in watercolor and India ink, his works depict fall and winter scenes in their subdued hues. His seascapes reflect the peaceful nature and warmth of the Southshore and bring a certain balance. After graduating from West Chester University, he then studied textile design at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences, gaining new appreciation for texture and composition. Don has been a participant in numerous group shows and associations in Pennsylvania and New England including: Chester County Art Association, Buck Hill Falls Fine Arts Festival, Duxbury Art Association, North River Arts Society, Immaculata University, Yellow Springs and Daylesford Abbey. 2012 brought new challenges. Winning prizes for Best Architectural Scene at the first annual Chester County Art Association Plein Air event, Best Water Based Media at the NOVA Art Galaxy and 1st Place for Landscape at the annual Pocono Mountain Arts Council members show. In 2008 his painting, “A Hard Winter” was awarded 1st prize at the 64th annual Buck Hill Falls Fine Arts Festival. He received a Merit Award for “Well Hidden” at the 2008 Pocono Mountain Arts Council members exhibition and a First Prize for his Landscape “Cranberry Fields Forever: at their 2012 exhibition . His watercolor, “Hatch’s Mill Shadows” was selected as one of the twelve finalists to be included in the North River Arts Society 2008 calendar. A watercolor, “Nesting” was given an Excellence Award at the Chester County Art Association’s 2006 members exhibition and was also selected as the November 2010 North River Arts Society calendar winner. “Winter Skies” was awarded First Prize for Watercolor in 2006 at the Buck Hill Falls Fine Arts Festival, and his watercolor, “Barefootin” received Honorable Mention at the 89th annual Duxbury Art Association’s Midsummer Exhibition. And, working with the Redesign Group, Don developed a series of seven drawings of the Buck Hill Falls community and integrated them into a toile fabric which is currently in production. Selected as the Association of Retarded Citizens(ARC) artist for 2005, his watercolor “Frozen Memory, Caln Meeting” was their featured print and greeting card for the year. He also completed and provided the watercolor for the Anselma Mill Foundation 2005 Note Card. Recent works can be found at the Chadds Ford Gallery, Chadds Ford, PA; Barnstone Gallery, Phoenixville, PA; Morgan Gallery, Blakeslee,PA; Russell Gallery, Plymouth, MA and the Sprag Mill Gallery, Cresco, PA. He is represented in corporate and private collections throughout the United States.
Sarah Snyder-Dinsel is a Chester County artist with a BFA in Illustration from University of Delaware. Sarah’s primary medium is acrylic on canvas. She enjoys utilizing the trompe l’oeil technique in her paintings. Much of her subject matter contains oversized fruits and flowers set against a distant landscape to create a spatial illusion. Sarah’s work has been seen recently at Galer Estate Winery, Z gallery, The Chadds Ford and Unionville Art Shows and The Chester County Art Association Juried Show. Sarah currently paints commisioned paintings and furniture in her home studio.
Lothar Speer CV/ Bio: Education: – Natl. Academy of the Fine Arts, Vienna, A – Graphic Arts Academy, Basel, CH – BFA: Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA – MFA: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA Select Exhibits: – St. Augustine Chapel Gallery, Vienna, A – Gallery Pianola, Basel, CH – Galleries of the SAIC, Chicago Artists’ Coalition Open – Moab Art Center, Moab, UT – Rotunda of the Capitol Building, Washington, DC – City Hall, Philadelphia, PA – State of Illinois Bldg, Chicago – Cook County Lobby, Chicago – PAFA Museum of the Fine Arts – Limner Gallery, NY – East West Gallery, Chicago – Granville Arts, Chicago Murals: – SS Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Weil der Stadt, Germany – Calvary Lutheran Church, Bustleton, Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Square, Chicago, IL – Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant, Chicago, IL Select Awards: – Anne McKee Artists’ Fund – Fueger Silver Medal for Figure Drawing, Natl. Academy of the Fine Arts, Vienna – Milwaukee Domes Plein Air Festival – Key West Art Center Plein Air Competition – Tennessee Williams Plein Air Competition
Ellis E. Underkoffler, Masters in Education, Natural Sciences (Geology) After teaching junior high school Earth Science for 31 years and 12 years at Wilmington University, I wanted to advance my hobby in photography. My decision was to go beyond this and look for the unusual in nature. I have always enjoyed the outdoors and now am trying to capture its beauty in photographs. I began photographing with the basic SLR and have moved into the SLR Digital medium. I use the Nikon D600and D300 camera with Nikon lens. I studied photography under Professor Byron Shurtlef at the University of Delaware, and in workshops Modern Masters of Photography with Kevin Fleming, Capturing Light with photographer Marc Clery, Allen Rokach’s Focus on Flowers, and Wildflowers of Texas, and Internationally known, John Shaw. Kevin and Marc have inspired me to go farther with my hobby and with their guidance, instruction, and expertise have provided me the uniqueness of each shot.
My interest has always been in exploring color harmonies and light. Along with my love of the natural environment I am also drawn to historical structures and cultural artifacts. I try to reflect this fascination in my paintings. I am largely self-taught, but have also pursued drawing studies at the Art Institute of Chicago and painting work shops with leading plein air painters. My favorite mediums are oil and watercolor due to their luminous quality, my greatest inspiration comes from the French Impressionists’ use of color.
See www.bonniewhiteart.com
Introduction Steven J. White, always drawing, always looking, a restless adventurer is a self taught artist. His traditional landscapes of Pennsylvania farms and woodlands, Schuylkill River Heritage areas and the Adirondack Mountains have awarded him with regional and national recognition. Artist Background Steven J. White was born in Chincoteague, Virginia and grew up in northern New Jersey. Steven graduated from Lyndhurst High School in 1970. Shortly after, he entered the military and served four years in the US Air Force. In 1985, Steven began experimenting in watercolor. In 1986 his first painting, a seascape, was juried in at the Ridgewood Art Institute 6th Regional Open Jury Show in Ridgewood, New Jersey. The following year another watercolor was accepted into the show. Accomplishments and Major Awards Steven moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania in 1987. He began a new body of work centered around the rural towns, roads, fields, and wildlife. His ability to capture the beauty of nature was quickly recognized and his paintings were accepted into more prominent shows on a national level. In 1992 his painting, The Iron Landscape gave him national recognition in The Artist’s Magazine as a finalist in its annual competition. Later that same year his painting, The Burn Barrel won several awards including first prize for watercolor at the Ridgewood Art Institute. In 1994 the painting, Guardians was successfully juried into the prestigious Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s annual show. His painting, Lair was accepted the following year which earned him signature membership. Lair also won an award earlier that year in the annual art exhibition held by the Salmagundi Club in New York City, the oldest professional art organization in America. In 1997 his painting, The Viewing was juried into the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors. Steven was selected again as a finalist in the Landscape category of The Artist Magazine’s Annual Art Competition in 2000, 2003 and 2009. He gained more success earning the Allied Artists of America Award at the Salmagundi Club 24th Annual Juried Art Exhibition for Non-Members and the Trails and Streams Medallion at the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors 2001, both for his painting titled Saturday Morning His painting In For The Winter received the Edgar A. Thronson Award sponsored by Hardcastle Gallery in October 2003. In March 2004 he was awarded Best of Show at the Perkiomen Valley Art Centers’ 42nd Annual Membership Exhibition for his painting Sweet Corn He was presented with the Violet Oakley Award in May 2004 at the Side by Side Exhibitiona joint show held by the National Watercolor Society and the Philadelphia Water Color Society for his painting Where The Heart Is He was awarded The Ruth G. Rosenau Silver Medallion for his painting Keyser Millat The Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors 2004. In 2004 and 2005 he was awarded the Edgar A. Thronson Award and in 2006 the Schoonover Studios Ltd. Award at the Annual Evening & Afternoon of Fine Art sponsored by Hardcastle Gallery in Delaware. His paintings have been featured on the cover of the Montgomery County Town & Country Magazine and the Equine Marketer and in the April 2004 issue of American Artist. His painting Saturday Morning has been published by North Light Books in Splash 7: The Qualities of Light. “Nice Catch” was selected for Scenes of The Schuylkil Calendar. Exhibitions Steven has held solo exhibitions at The Hardcastle Gallery, Delaware, The Looking Glass Gallery, Hawley, The Radcliffe Gallery, New Hope,The Living Light Gallery, Lancaster, and The Blue Willow Design Gallery, Blue Bell. He has participated in two man exhibitions sponsored by The Arts Guild of Old Forge and the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in NY, as well as a number of group exhibitions including The Chaddsford Gallery, The Goggleworks, The Torpedo Factory, The Reading Public Museum, Immaculata College, Berman Museum of Art, Yellow Springs Art Show, The Audubon Center at Mill Grove and at The Phillips Mill. Associations Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, Signature Member Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Signature Member Oil Painters Society of America Artist Statement I am a self-taught artist. My paintings are primarily landscapes done in oil or transparent watercolor. I have always been emotionally drawn to render scenes and events where I live. My attachment to the outdoors motivates me to record scenes on paper as a way to preserve what I see disappearing. I feel that you don’t have to go much further than your own back yard to find inspiration and subject matter. I believe that before an artist can paint he needs to learn how to see! An artist’s gift is his ability to see something special in an otherwise ordinary scene and with absence of elegance dares to repeat nature in all its intricate simplicity.