As a child, Barbara dreamed of being an artist. Her parents, however, encouraged her to focus on something more practical. With a college degree in journalism from the University of Michigan, she went on to a thirty-year career in public school teaching. Only after retiring from teaching in 1997 was she finally able to return to her childhood dream. She took art classes and became fascinated with watercolor and the possibilities it offered for structure and transparency in natural settings. Her work has been accepted in several juried shows and exhibited at Daisy Lake Gallery in Dexter. She is also a member of the Westside Artists’ Studio.

Pictured:  Agave, Watercolor, 20 3/4 x 25 3/4

Emily graduated in 2008 with an MFA in Visual Arts from Florida Atlantic University. Her work merges an intuitive art-making process with a rational investigation of the natural environment. Each piece references elemental forces of nature in the cyclical process of creation and decay. Through the superimposition of the three realms of visual perception: the microscopic, the macroscopic, and the normative (that which can be experienced directly by our senses), Emily’s work explores a notion of unity and the intangible reality that life’s incessant cycling is occurring throughout all of the intricate layers of our universe. Her process promotes exploration of both the construction and the deconstruction of imagery, in order to create dimensional exaggerations and sensational visual situations that have connotations of reality and other-worldliness.

Pictured:  Emergent Systems: I, Mixed-media on panel, 24” x 24”

Marlene Piasecki Beck became actively involved in watercolor painting in January of 2000 when she retired after 28 years of teaching. She currently studies under various artists in and around Michigan. Her paintings have sold locally in Chelsea, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where she and her husband spend their summers. Marlene was honored to have one of her paintings selected by the Ronald McDonald House selection committee as a Christmas card choice for purchase in 2008. She is an active member of Ann Arbor Women Artists, Chelsea Center for the Arts and the Hiawatha Club Painters.

Pictured:  Grandpa’s Farm, Watercolor, 16” x 20”

Eileen Behmer - Pastel, Watercolor

Eileen Behmer (June-Oct)
   Email:  kbehmer@aol.com

Barbara L. Bergman - Digital, Photography
   Email:  bergmanb@ewashtenaw.org

Corry c. Berkooz
   Email:  corry@berkooz.com

Sandra Berman - Watercolor
   Email:  saberman@umich.edu

Suzanne A. Beutler - Oil
   Email:  sbeutler@umich.edu

   Visit:  www.SuzanneBeutler.com

Sue has been actively participating in local artist organizations and has exhibited her work in several museum shows, gallery exhibitions, invitational group exhibitions, public art in Ann Arbor and Cincinnati, and juried art fair booths in Michigan and Indiana. She uses many bright, joyous colors in an intense way when painting the people and places in her life. When she paints landscapes and garden scenes that she’s visited or knows very well, she feels a need to express the beauty she sees and enjoys, express what’s compelling to her, where she’s been in the world, and what she really cares about at a particular time. Currently, she’s working on narrative paintings that depict major religions of the world, ordered along the road according to time: Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. Sue believes that we are all on the same road seeking God, that there is not a separate road for each belief, but the same for all peoples of all beliefs. Sue has also been working on themes centered around the problems of military soldiers returning home - how does one come home from a war and adjust to home, family and work? Where do the memories of war scenes and experiences go? Are they locked up with previous memories, or floating, waiting to be acknowledged or remembered? Will the mind do reinventing to better assimilate the memories?

Pictured:  In My Garden, Oil on canvas, 36” x 48”

Marlene Blum - Acrylic
   Email:  mblum5305@aol.com

Marlene is a storyteller, and her paintings go beyond a wish to provide an aesthetic experience, even though beauty of color, symbols and textures are an essential aspect of her work. Her intention is to evoke in the viewer the sense that something ”other” than the visual inhabits the work. This sense moves toward The Mystery and invokes a feeling, a phrase, a connection, allowing the viewer to see their images and stories within. Marlene works in acrylics and experiments with gels and glosses, stamps that she’s designed, and stencils. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions and in juried shows. Marlene served as President of Ann Arbor Women Artists from 2004-2006.

Pictured:  After the Storm

Janice Stevens Botsford - Mixed Media Paintings, Mixed Media/Collage
   Email:  jsbotsford@hotmail.com

Born and raised in England, Janice came to Michigan to complete a Masters degree in Social Work at the University of Michigan and now works part-time as a Psychotherapist while pursuing life as an artist. Over the years, she has studied with prominent artists such as Gerald Brommer, Don Andrews and Polly Hammett, and she herself has taught a number of art workshops and is professionally associated with the Chelsea Painters and the Ann Arbor Women Artists.

Janice says that time stands still as she gets lost in the adventure of creating. She feels that art is an essential part of her own self-expression. Although she still loves watercolor, mixed media collage is exciting and appealing to her with its potential for the use of so many complex shapes, colors and textures. Janice enjoys experimenting with different media as she develops as an artist, working to find her own unique ”voice”. Her subject matter reveals her love of the natural world via her landscapes. She also enjoys figurative work. Janice tends to be an optimist and says: “life and what it presents cannot be more inspiring. It is intriguing to discover that there is always something challenging and new around the corner.”

Janice has won awards from the Michigan Watercolor Society and the Ann Arbor Women Artists. In 1994 she was commissioned by the United Nations Association to do a collage commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the UN. She has worked on several Chelsea community arts projects including the mosaic sculpture ”Pathway to Renewal” (2003). Her work has been accepted into juried shows locally and state wide, and can be found in private and international collections.

Pictured:  Autumn, Mixed media collage, 17” x 17”

Sandra L. Bozer - Oil
   Email:  forartistsandra@aol.com

   Visit:  www.SandraBozerFineArt.com

Sandra is primarily an oil painter who paints portraits, landscapes and still lifes. She favors the painterly approach to her artwork, while capturing the “feeling” of her subjects, as taught to her by the artists Everett Raymond Kinstler and Michael Shane Neal in their workshops. Currently she’s exploring the limited palette, a palette of red, yellow, blue and white for her paint colors, as taught to her by the artist Dawn Whitelaw in her workshops. Sandra’s portrait Leyla was chosen as a finalist in the Richeson 75 International Figure and Portrait Competition 2007.

Pictured:  Leyla, Oil, 24” x 20”

Rose Bradley - Pastel, Watercolor, Pencil and Graphite
   Email:  rbradley@med.umich.edu

   Visit:  www.rosebradley.com

Rose began exploring watercolor 12 years ago and soon rediscovered a love of art and skill in drawing and painting. She has pursued this passion through instruction, reading and painting constantly. Some years ago, Rose quit half her job to paint more and perfect her portrait technique. The mystery of watercolor makes it the most exciting medium for Rose. It is her choice for sharing the beauty of every created thing including Michigan’s varied landscapes and its seasons. In her portraits, the luminous quality of the paint allows for delicateness in skin tone and the light she strives for in rendering a likeness. She has completed numerous commissioned portraits as well as earned entry in many juried shows. Rose teaches portrait painting in watercolor for the Chelsea Center for the Arts.

Pictured:  The Baker Children, Watercolor, 18” x 24”

Ruth Brooks - Watercolor
   Email:  rutiav@hotmail.com

Barbara Brown - Mixed Media/Collage
   Email:  barbarab@omnimediagrp.com

Barbara Brown has been a book artist for around 15 years. The book constructions are extremely time consuming and must meld the mystery, spirit, and humor found in the images with meticulous craftsmanship. For her these pieces are like mysterious little worlds. Barbara has taught book arts extensively, is an enthusiastic faculty member of Hollander’s School of Book and Paper Arts, and is also an artist member of the WSG Gallery. Each year she has curated a book show to be presented at WSG titled, ”Beyond Words: A Celebration of Book Arts.” The fourth annual show will be scheduled this fall starting September 15 and running through October.

Pictured:  Brief, handmade book/mixed media, 25” X 7” extended

Raya Brown
   Email:  rsbrown@umich.edu

Ilona M. Brustad - Acrylic, Mosaics
   Email:  imbrustad@aol.com

   Visit:  www.IlonaBrustad.com

Paint has always been Ilona’s medium. Since receiving a BFA degree, she has chosen acrylic paint as most useful for her technique. Several years ago she became fascinated with mosaics and began to incorporate pieces of colored glass, bits of mirror, and pottery pieces into her paintings. Ilona’s goal is to create a physical as well as visual depth and to weave the paint and glass together without a noticeable break in the flow of the image. She enjoys the brilliance of the glass and the tactile elements of the ceramic tesserae. Ilona is represented by the Chelsea Gallery in Chelsea, Michigan, and the River Street Gallery in Manistee, Michigan. In addition to AAWA she is a member of Chelsea Painters, MosaicArtists.org, and the Society of American Mosaic Artists.

Pictured:  Three Junes, Mixed Media Mosaic, 14” x 16”

Yuling Bruya - Acrylic, Watercolor, Mixed Media Paintings, Fiber, Mixed Media/Collage
   Email:  ycbruya@gmail.com

Miriam Brysk - Digital
   Email:  mmbrysk@comcast.net

Science and art have been Miriam’s life’s passions. Most of her professional life has been spent as a scientist in academia. She is a self taught artist. Since retiring, the computer has become vital to her art. She creates original images on the computer: either painted directly on the computer, or derived through the manipulation of algorithmic equations, or derived from digital photography. Her art has been strongly influenced by her childhood experiences in the Nazi Holocaust. Most of Miriam’s recent work has sought to portray the suffering and death of those who perished in the Holocaust. Her art has been exhibited in numerous solo shows at Holocaust museums and art centers.

Pictured:  Ala, Pigment Print on Rag Paper, 24” x 31”

Mary L. Byers - Ceramics/Pottery
   Email:  marybyers@starband.net

C

Barbara Melnik Carson - Ceramics/Pottery, Mixed Media/Collage, Sculpture
   Email:  bacarson@gmail.com

   Visit:  www.BeyondBarbie.net

Barbara’s passion for creating began in childhood growing up in Southwest Detroit. With limited art resources, in her early work she improvised using objects found in her neighborhood. Working with intuitive and outsider artists during her career in mental health provided a creative surge. Yet, something was always missing. Traveling to Italy, France, Costa Rica, Russia, Ukraine, Slovenia helped her to understand themes of her youth. Today, her sculptural clay and mixed media works grow from personal insights linked to broader issues. Juried exhibitions include: Ann Arbor Art Center, Scarab Club, Lansing Art Center, U-M Duderstadt Gallery, Michigan Guild, and Woman Made Gallery in Chicago. She is an active member of AAWA and Women’s Caucus for Art. She was formerly the Executive Director of Art Oasis Gallery and Studio.

Pictured:  Untitled, Mixed Media Clay Sculpture

Patti Casteel - Oil
   Email:  patticasteel@gmail.com

   Visit:  www.PattiCasteel.com

Patti has been a working artist for over 20 years. She studied art at the college level, receiving an art minor early in her career from Eastern Michigan University, and an art major from Siena Heights University (Michigan) in 1990. Although she has worked in many media including ceramics, printing, and photography, her natural bent has always been drawing and most particularly painting. For years she worked in watercolor, but in the past eight years has worked in oils.

As an award winning artist, Patti’s work has appeared in galleries and shows across the country. People own her art from California to the Chicago, IL area, to Florida and along the East Coast. Her subject matter ranges from figurative to landscape, from still life to abstract. Her work is characterized by bold color, and, in the case of oils, noticeable texture. She is a member of the Brighton Art Guild and the Ann Arbor Women Artists.

Pictured:  Variation On the Square #7, Oil on canvas, 12” x 12”

Young Cho
   Email:  momcho24@yahoo.com

Paula Christie - Acrylic, Oil, Charcoal, Pencil and Graphite, Ink
   Email:  paula_christie@hotmail.com

   Visit:  www.pchristieart.blogspot.com

Paula’s family is active in the arts. Her mother taught her to draw in her pre-school years, and her father is a wood carver. Being drawn to art in her childhood years, Paula was accepted to the arts program at the University of Wisconsin and continued her training in Wyoming, California, and eventually in Australia, Italy and Greece where she lived, studied and worked as an artist. Having traveled to north and south East Asia, India, China and Japan, Paula found that many of the forms of artistic expression in those countries influenced her personal style. Paula is semi-retired and now devotes all of her time to painting and drawing. Many of her most recent international paintings were completed in Crete, Greece, her residence for three years. At this time, further study has been undertaken in Florence, Italy for Byzantine icon tempera with further attention to Italian style ceramics and pottery. Now Paula resides in Dexter, MI. and maintains a home studio there and is offering classes and study groups. Her paintings are recognizable for intense color and rich texture. Her most recent public shows include Chania, Crete 2007, and currently in Dexter 2008-09.

Pictured:  Cretan Monastery, Acrylic on Canvas, 16” X 20”

Marilyn E. Churchill - Pastel, Watercolor, Drawing, Mixed Media/Collage
   Email:  mechurchhill@hotmail.com

James C. Clark - Watercolor, Ceramics/Pottery
   Email:  artclarks@aol.com

Jim Clark arrived in Michigan in the mid-sixties to study zoology at the University of Michigan, and a decade later, he had become a potter and a member of the Ann Arbor Potters Guild. Half a decade after that, following a personal challenge, he had evolved into a miniature potter – a maker of wheel-thrown porcelain miniatures.

Toward the end of the last millennium, he became interested in watercolor and now pursues two careers. Still a member of the Potters Guild, he joined the Chelsea Painters in 2000, later becoming one of the ”few good men” of the Ann Arbor Women Artists. Jim has exhibited within all three groups and has won awards for both his painting and pottery in Ann Arbor Women Artists’ juried shows. His watercolor scenes of the Ann Arbor area occasionally appear as covers for the Ann Arbor Observer.

Pictured:  Yellow Hibiscus, Watercolor, 10” x 14”

Susan Clinthorne - Pastel, Watercolor
   Email:  sclint55@email.com

Since receiving a BFA from EMU, Susan has enjoyed painting in her studio and at ”plein air” outings. She works in watercolor, gouache, and pastels - switching from one to the other or combining. Her subject matter includes flowers, landscape, figures and still life subjects. She is compelled to try too capture the beauty she sees and preserve the essence. Susan says, ””I always feel I am one of the luckiest people in the world because I look at things from an artist’s point of view. I may see colors in the trees that no one else sees or I may see a huge drama played out in the simple form of a flower.”

Pictured:  Pike Street Flowers, Pastel, 11” x 17”

Jane L. Coates - Oil, Glass
   Email:  jacoart@sbcglobal.net

Elizabeth Coe
   Email:  LizzyandDon@comcast.net

Beth Colaner-Kenney - Pastel, Charcoal
   Email:  bcolaner@comcast.net

Beth enjoys working in charcoal and pastels. Art was her major in high school and in college where she studied under John Lockhardt and was introduced to the personal and intimate art of Life Drawing. She was a graphic artist at the U-M Law School before retiring. She especially likes the quick, interpretive gesture drawings, and she co-founded a weekly Life Drawing Session which meets at Eastern Michigan University. In addition to showing with AAWA, she has had her work displayed at the Cedar Key Art Center in Florida.

Pictured:  Raven, Charcoal, 20” x 16”

Lynda Cole - Encaustic, Digital, Photography
   Email:  lynda@lcole.com

Susan Crawley
   Email:  susienaugle@msn.com

Connie Cronenwett - Oil, Mixed Media/Collage
   Email:  conniecro@comcast.net

   Visit:  www.conniecronenwett.com

Nature is Connie’s subject. Capturing the endless, ever-changing array of Michigan’s environment, her work ranges from the detailed, intimate close-up characteristic of inland ecology, to the open, expansive, atmosphere of the Great Lakes’ shorelines. Abstract work, particularly with poured acrylic, draws heavily on the more dramatic facets of nature: Galaxies, volcanic activity, an approaching storm. Connie spent her career years teaching high school art, where she taught multiple media in the fine arts- drawing, printmaking, painting, jewelry and sculpture. This diverse background is reflected by her work in a range of media – oil paint, pastel, collage, and poured acrylic. In addition to showing with AAWA, she has had two partnered and two solo exhibits.

Pictured:  Long Lake, Twilight, Oil, 38” x 48”

Valinka Cucuz

 

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