Mandy Adendorff
Mandy Adendorff's latest project- her larger than life contemporary botanicals are created using ink on silk. She has taken an ancient Chinese art form and revived it into something new and different.
Mandy studied art education in South Africa before immigrating to the United States, she has since been a watercolor instructor at the Mystic Arts Association and taught locally in her own studio and high school students at The Master's School in Simsbury.
Mandy loves every art form from portraiture to landscapes. Her watercolors, oils, and silks can be found in private and corporate collections locally and internationally.
"Art must touch the soul. I paint because I thirst to create beauty; my art is worship and an expression of faith."
Rita Bond
Originally from the New York Metropolitan area and a landscape designer by training, Rita Bond's work reflects her love of color and the natural environment. Her landscapes, seascapes and abstracts, reflecting her home in New England, are painted in oil, acrylic and pastel. Her work has been shown in numerous juried art shows and galleries and is in the permanent collection of the University of Connecticut Health Center. Her work is owned by collectors throughout the Eastern United States, California, and England. She has studied with Eric Aho in Vermont, and with Ilona Levitz and Frank Federico, among others, at the West Hartford Art League.
www.ritabondstudios.com
Catherine M. Elliott
Catherine M. Elliott is a contemporary artist whose work is evocative of the American Impressionism style of painting. "My paintings are primarily of atmospheric and light conditions portraying the subject’s quality. I try to capture the true grace and elegance of the remaining countryside of New England. My goal through my paintings is to capture a moment of time and place by use of color and form to invoke the viewer to "see" the sublime. It is a fascinating challenge to hold on to an hour or a season and to magnify its wonder and peace." Painting en plein air, out of doors, she seeks to convey the fleeting effects of sunlight and atmosphere.
"My new paintings are the culmination of over 24 years of plein air study as well as studio work on a full time basis. Further exploration of the love of color continues to be the focus and represented in these paintings." Her works are painterly visions of her innermost admiration of God's creation. The wonder of these works are in its fresh liberation of color and light offering the viewer a sense of awe and peace. She is represented by 12 galleries, teaches painting workshops and does commission work.
www.catherinemelliott.com
Vicente Garcia
Vicente Garcia is a University Professor of Art at Central CT State University and a practicing artist. At the University he teaches all aspects of ceramics and in his studio he is actively involved in producing and refining a body of work that includes clay and steel sculptures and vessels. His area of expertise in ceramics is wheel throwing, raku, and pit fires. In steel he focuses on the fabrication process.
www.vicentegarciaart.com
Ruth Jacobson
"I see colors, energy and motion, a kind of liquid light in every person, every object, every moment. I try to capture depth and vibrancy by layering colors and by placing them next to one another. Then, just watch the colors dance and shimmer and bounce off of each other, or blend into one vision!" Earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Tyler School of Fine Arts, Temple University, Ruth Jacobson continues to study with Ilona Levitz and Frank Federico. Known for her pastel depictions of Portugal, prizewinning still life acrylics, and bold figure paintings, Ruth's most recent shows have been at the Town and County Club and the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford as well as Muse La Belle Artiste Gallery in Coventry, CT.
Jacqueline (Jacie) Jakubowski
Original paintings in oil or acrylic.
I love being near water and/or woods, and am moved to paint scenes of nature.
I try to capture nature’s spirit in my paintings. I enjoy painting en plein air in nice weather and indoors in cold or inclement weather. Painting in special places or from photos I have taken of those places moves my spirit.
I am excited by the process of painting and what seems to magically come out of the brush.
Age has allowed me to not worry about wasting paint or canvas. I now approach each canvas with an open mind and a playful brush or palette knife.
For the last year, I have been studying with Joan Jardine. I have been using a palette knife and a glorious palette of new colors that are so exciting.
David Keller
Diana Lemcoff
Diana Lemcoff is a visual artist concentrating in painting and sculpture. She uses oils, acrylics and mixed media in her paintings, and has created sculpture in stone and metal. She seeks to project her reinterpretations of nature, poems and feelings in her work. Recurring themes in her work are boats and reflections on water.
www.dianaart.com
Deborah Leonard
Deborah Leonard is vice president of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society, vice- president of Simsbury Open Studios, and past president of the Avon Arts Association. She was co-founder of the Farmington Valley's City and Country Canvases event. Her work has appeared in numerous juried shows and is part of the permanent collection at the Simsbury Library, The River View Banquet Facility and UCONN Medical Center. Debbie’s work is in many private collections in the U.S. and Europe. It is also for sale at Puffins Gallery of Watch Hill R.I., Le Cherche Midi in Nantucket, and Venetucci Home in Westbrook, CT. She teaches art classes for adults and does much to promote the arts in her community. She also serves as a vice president on the board of the Farmington River Watershed Association and the Farmington Valley Visitors Association. She has designed jewelry to benefit the Farmington River Watershed Association that is for sale at Bill Selig Jewelers in Simsbury and Windsor.
www.deborahleonardart.com
Claudia Ludovici
Claudia Ludovici is a self-taught artist, who paints in oils and watercolor. She strives for a simple, spontaneous impressionistic style and hopes that her paintings reflect the universal principals of balance, harmony, unity, simplicity and beauty.
Anne Melvin
While on my quest for the perfect pot and for the ability to create it, I found the wonder of crystals that form on my porcelain, like frost on a windowpane. Using a unique and complex glazing process, the surface of each pot fired in my kiln can be covered with unique crystals that grow as my kiln cools. I am inspired by each amazing pot I lift from my kiln.
www.annemelvin.com
Julia Parker Post
Julia Parker Post was educated and has degrees from the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford and Central Connecticut State University. She has further studied with artists in New England and in Europe. Her preferred mediums are watercolor and print making. Nature and flowers are the primary subjects and much work has been influenced by sketches from travels. The work is in a bright pallet in an impressionistic style.
Lori Racicot-Burrous
Lori Racicot-Burrous, who moved to Simsbury in 2008, enjoys capturing the color, texture and emotion of a subject. She paints animals, landscapes, people, flowers, and anything else that speaks to the artist in her. To see some of Lori's work, go to www.LoriRacicot.com
This project is made possible by the support of contributors to the United Arts Campaign and the United Way Community Campaign