Featured Artist Beth McGuire

For SC Art Supply’s October Newsletter, Wendy and I sat down with local artist Beth McGuire to talk about her wonderful pet portraits.

Wendy: Who are you?

Beth: I am Beth McGuire, local South County person, owner of South County Critter Sitter and a vet tech at Atlantic Animal hospital.

Andrea: So it is safe to say you are an animal lover!

Beth: that’s true!

Wendy: what art do you do?

Beth: I do acrylic portraits of cats and dogs. I’ve tried to do people but I think I like animals better. Most of the paintings I do are paintings of animals I have cared for, but my favorite painting of all was one I did of my friend’s grandfather’s dog. my friend was looking for the perfect birthday gift and I knew his grandfather had a favorite dog from his childhood. I painted a picture of the dog and his grandfather was so excited.

Andrea: Did he cry?

Beth: Yes

Andrea: Nice!

Beth: It was pretty neat, he knew exactly who the dog was.

Wendy: When did you start making art?

Beth: I always loved drawing and painting. I started at 1.5 and when I was ten my favorite aunt gave me a set of paintbrushes and acrylic paints.

Andrea: Are you mostly self taught?

Beth: I am.

Andrea: So any advice for beginners?

Beth: Don’t be afraid to just try. even if you go buy three colors and a canvas, the second you put the paintbrush to the canvas, you are an artist and you are creating something that none else could.

Andrea: If somebody wants to commission a pet portrait from you, how much lead time do you need?

Beth: I generally ask that they provide me with one good photograph and a description of the pet’s personality, and I usually require 2-4 weeks.

Andrea: Let’s talk technique for a minute, what does your process look like?

Beth: I’ll sketch the picture out on the canvas, and I always paint the animal’s eye’s first. so it’s like they are with me as I create them. that’s something Ive always done since I was a little kid.

Andrea: Do you ever paint from live animals, or is it just too ridiculous?

Beth: I’ve tried, but animals have so many lines, and they move so much that the lines completely change

Wendy: what about something that doesn’t move around a lot?

Beth: I did sketch a tortoise once with some success, but I tried at a zebra and it was a nightmare.

Andrea: Where do you work, do you have a studio or work from home?

Beth: I work out of a small studio in wakefield. I basically work out of a glorified toolshed.

{chuckles}

Wendy: What is your favorite thing about painting portraits of animals?

Cats and dogs, in particular, show unconditional love, and to paint them in bright vibrant colors and capture their spirit is really rewarding, especially when I paint a pet who has passed away. I know I’ve done a good job if the recipient cries, and often times it feels like I’m giving a piece of their pet back to them.

If you are interested in a pet portrait by Beth McGuire, click Here! to contact her directly.

Featured Artist: Arlene Piacquadio

Arlene Piacquadio, pictured here on left with co-artist Bob “Wilky” Wilkinson, is the President of the Artist’s Cooperative Gallery of Westerly, and a very unique and creative artist in her own right.  I had the pleasure of meeting with her recently and sitting down to talk about the cooperative she is dedicated to helping continue to grow, her joy in creating art and her stories of the past, vision for the future and her happiness in her now.

Arlene let me know that she felt all her life that she truly was an artist.  She absolutely knew that her path was laid along an artistic trail since the third grade.  She had that pop moment in school with an art teacher she loved, and who happened to follow her, or perhaps Arlene followed the teacher, through all her grades watering that precious mentor/student relationship.  That encounter, and all that she saw, felt and created in those years laid the foundation for a lifelong love of art and all the possibilities art holds.

Arlene continued her art education at Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY and went from there into teaching art in the public school system.  She also held space and created a boutique art gallery on McDougal Street in Greenwich Village, NYC.  It was here that her community minded orientation took its direction and course.  The Village has always had a mystical draw for community minded persons, and Arlene embraced that fully.  She continues to understand that happiness is found in being a unique part of a collective effort in one’s own community, and that change at home can and will effect change on a global stage if it is followed through on with dedication, hope and love.  Arlene emanates these qualities brightly!

Along the path, Arlene realized the therapeutic potential of art, and she became a counselor and an art therapy counselor.  She coordinated art workshops and helped people to help themselves through expression of art.  There is an artist in all of us just waiting to be discovered.  She retired from that career, and then got real serious about creating her own art.  She worked in ceramics, oil paints and other mediums.  She recently found a new/old movement that got her inner artist jazzed.

Pictured here are a few examples of her most recent work.  The style of art is called en caustic.  It is an ancient process using wax, bee or other, and other bits of goodness from the Universe to create completely stunning and beautiful art.  There is a process to follow, and the journey is clearly open-minded, free and hopeful.  The final product  turns out, and a very fine example of joining forces from this vast palette of existence we live in appears.  I was moved, to say the least!

If you would like to meet Arlene and talk art-story, share work, consider joining an artist’s cooperative or just get to know a very lovely and enlightened artist living here in our area, stop in at the Gallery at 7 Canal Street in Westerly and ask for the Prez!  She will be glad if you do so, and give you a smile to take along when you go.

Interview and article by: Kerry M Wholey – Freelance Writer

A Real Gem in Westerly, RI – Artists Cooperative Gallery of Westerly

There are places you happen upon if you are aware that literally take your breather away, and let you know you are closer to the great source of Goodness that is our Universal Spirit.  You may find yourself strolling down the beach on a sunny morning and you note that the waves receding reveal an almost mystical pattern of sand shift in the hard-pack earth, and tiny bubbles burst forth from some unseen clam or sand crab below the surface as the sun lights it all up in crimson and golden hues.  You just cannot believe that this all randomly occurred for your benefit in that moment.  The essence of something larger dwells here, and you can sense it deep in your self.  You know something good is happening!

This is the feeling I had immediately upon entering the Artists Cooperative Gallery of Westerly, affectionately known to the locals as ACGOW.  I was taken in by my gracious hosts, President Arlene Piacquadio and Bob “Wilky” Wilkinson and given a fine lesson on the history, present state and future hopes of this magical organization.  I was thoroughly impressed by the path and mission of this cooperative.

ACGOW has existed for twenty-three years in various locations around Westerly’s downtown area.  Currently residing at 7 Canal Street in the art district of Westerly, where they have been leasing space from the United Theater during a massive restoration project the theater is undergoing, the Gallery has found a very suitable and comfortable space to share their message of art.  The cooperative began humbly in a gift shop down the way, and has grown tremendously from that early stage.

There are seventy-five members of various levels (membership levels include associate, artist and adjunct – varying in responsibilities, benefits and dues) aged twenty-five to ninety-five years old.  Their senior member is apparently one of the their most prodigious contributors, creating art continually and happily! Bravo!  The artists are as unique and varied in their approach, style and mediums as the flowers that will bloom shortly here in South County.  Wood carving, en caustics, photography, fiber art, oil paint, watercolor and ceramics are all present at different shows and displays.  The themes of the art are also widely different.  Something for every taste was apparent on my visit.

ACGOW diligently seeks to be a contributing member of their community.  They are active members of the Downtown Business Association (DBA), Westerly Regional Art Partnership (WRAP) – an association that seeks to make Westerly a more prominent art and entertainment destination for our visiting friends from afar, and OLEANS – an education program for developmentally disabled adults.  They also hold weekly drawing classes on Fridays.  There was no doubt that the Gallery seeks to ingrain and ingratiate themselves into the area as often as possible.

The Gallery has monthly openings (quite a bit more frequently than most) which volunteers from within the organization contribute time and effort to prepare. These brand new shows occur the first Friday of every month, and the public is welcomed and encouraged to attend.  They have solid relationships with local restaurants and catering services that supply the g’nosh and beverages.  The artists attend and are welcome to share their pieces and processes with all takers.  A fine way to spend a Friday evening is available at ACGOW.

Arlene and “Wilky” were quite clear that they understood the level of goodness they were privileged to be a part of, and shared their hope that artists and art-lovers alike would find their way to the Gallery.  “The cooperative idea is very strong!  Everyone participates.  There are no paid employees.  We are very welcoming to the community.  We enjoy having fun and putting on a good get-together,” said Arlene when asked what the Gallery’s message to the world would is now.  That sounds fantastic! In my humble opinion they have found a beautiful portal into the Universal Spirit of Goodness, and they are quite willing to share!  Many thanks!

Check out their website for gallery shows, events and times or to become a member or contributor.  Visit the Artists Cooperative Gallery of Westerly at 7 Canal Street Westerly, RI 02819 phone: 401 596-2221

Interview and post by: Kerry Wholey – Freelance Writer

Featured Artist: Rochelle Gunning

Rochelle Gunning is a wonderful, heartfelt, humble and talented artist who is pursuing a longtime passion into a career as a pet and human portrait artist.  Having had a love of drawing, particularly animals, from a very young age, Rochelle shared some of her work with me, and I was quite taken by her precision, dedication and ability.

As a child, Rochelle always enjoyed drawing cats and dogs.  She then progressed to drawing horses (she also began riding!) where her passion truly lay.  She studied the work of many famous Western artists including Sam Savitt, Frederick Remington, Harold Von Schmidt and Frank Tunney for inspiration and started refining her technique.  The classic Western artist style is very visible in all of her work, horses, other pets and portraits of famous people.  Her style has an impressionist feel to it.

Here are some pieces Rochelle shared with me…

As you can see Rochelle has a strong, yet fluid style, using acrylics most often.  She feels the medium requires courage and a bold stroke, due to the fact that the oils dry quickly.  She is quite deft with her touch. She feels, “I get a lot of feeling and movement in my work.”

Rochelle earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts at the University of Rhode Island some years ago, but has only recently truly considered making art as a career.  She told me, “I had to try!  So I made a go of it.” She has predominantly commissioned pieces by word of mouth, and has many works hanging on the walls of people’s homes throughout the area.  She has some work hanging in Artisan’s Gallery in the Umbrella Factory in Charlestown, RI, as well. She is hoping for a late spring show in Java Madness in South Kingstown, and is looking for other galleries to show her work in.

The most endearing element of Rochelle’s artistic path is the amount of art she has donated for different pet rescue, assistance and protection agency causes.  She is truly an animal lover, and her eyes sparkled when she let me know that she tries to be helpful wherever and whenever she can.  Bravo Rochelle! She also hopes we all can support the arts, and that art makes one happy. Agreed!

If you are interested in having a pet portrait done, or if you have a horse you would like to capture a beautiful artwork of, contact Rochelle Gunning and she will be more than happy to see if she can be of assistance in this endeavor.

https://www.facebook.com/PaintingsbyRochelleGunning

rsgunn9@cox.net email contact info

Interview and writing by: Kerry M. Wholey

Freelance Writer

Nina Gardner: Featured Artist of the Month February 2015

Nina Gardner is a sensitive, thoughtful, inspiring and accomplished lifelong artist.  She recently won the Hera Gallery 27th Annual Young Adult’s Exhibition with her moving piece Row, Row, Row Your Boat, inspired by the events that unfolded in many cities and towns in Japan following the disastrous tsunami in 2011. Her piece will be featured on the Hera Gallery postcard, and can be seen at the gallery on High Street in Wakefield, RI with other runner up pieces and entries February 7 through the 28th. An opening reception will be held on the 7th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

When I asked Nina how long she has been an artist, she thought for a second and decided she had always been creating art.  Her mother told her she had always been a doodler and a drawer from her earliest years.  As she matured she has become a serious and well-versed artist extraordinaire.  Her participation in an AP Art class in her senior year at South Kingstown High School attests to her ability and desire to become the best artist she can.

Nina told me she really, “can’t live without art.  It is a means of release, escape and a calming force in my busy life.”  She enjoys taking risks and trying new mediums constantly.  She most definitely prefers pastels, chalk particularly, but has spread out into oil paint, oil pastels, sharpies and charcoal for her drawings lately.  She never knows what might come of her work, like the piece (she submitted several and had to pick one) she won the Hera Gallery contest with.  She sent it in, and was enthusiastically and humbly grateful that she won unexpectedly.

Nina draws from a train of thought and feeling perspective.  Whatever comes to her, she tries to reproduce on paper or canvas.  She tries to “reflect her own life in art”.  She is most strongly inspired by the Surrealist artists, including Salvador Dali.  She love M.C. Escher and his wildly dramatic off-perspective pieces, as well.  We discussed how in the world he came up with some of his most creative pieces.  We promptly laughed and shrugged.  It is all in the mind or heart, and it becomes a matter of trying to capture those things in drawing or other mediums.

There are as many forms of art as there are artists trying to produce them.  Nina appreciates music, dance, poetry and all forms of creativity as the true art forms they are.  She spoke highly of her desire to become an architect, and utilizing her artistic ability in that profession is a strong motivating force.  Combining the creative and the logical/mathematical is something she understands and hopes to utilize in her future life.

Nina told me that she got involved in the Hera Gallery competition when her art teacher at SK High suggested it.  She had an assignment to take a classic nursery rhyme and apply it to an art piece.  That is where Row, Row, Row Your Boat germinated.  She had been in Taiwan in 2011, and witnessed some of the horror that happened to her neighboring country, Japan.  This stuck with her, and the devastating scenes of the aftermath were burned into her life experience.

“Everybody was freaking out when the news of the tsunami reached us. We thought we might get hit.  We did not, but we knew instinctively that we had to try to help.  We did some fund raising.  We noticed the tranquility of everything afterwards, and the hurried cities were just slowed down.”  This feeling is what she captures in her winning piece very well.

When I asked Nina what she would say to aspiring artists or the world at large, she said, “It’s not what you paint or draw, it’s how you paint or draw it.”  Words of wisdom from a up and coming artist.  She added, “Just express yourself in any way you can.”  Sounds like good advice.

Nina Gardner will be applying to schools that will encourage her art and architectural aspirations.  I for one, highly endorse her efforts wherever she may apply.

Kerry Wholey

Freelance Writer

Hera Gallery 27th Young Adults’ Exhibition – Sponsored by South County Art Supply

Hera Gallery Presents:
27th Young Adults’ Exhibition
February 7th – February 28th
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 7th, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Sponsored in part by South County Art Supply

South Kingstown Hera Gallery is pleased to host the 27th Biennial Young Adults’ Exhibition. Hera is happy to once again have the opportunity to serve our community by presenting an outstanding art exhibit that celebrates the young artists of our community. This three week long exhibition will showcase the limitless range of technique and creative expression of our local young artists. We invite the public to join us Saturday, February 7th from 6:00 to 8:00pm for the opening reception of the Young Adults’ Exhibition. Phil’s Main Street Grille of Wakefield will provide food and refreshments for the opening reception. This exhibition is also sponsored in part by South County Art Supply and Bank RI.

The Young Adults’ Exhibition features pieces created by high school students throughout the state, offering young artists a unique opportunity to present their original artwork to the community in a professional gallery setting. Over 200 public and private school students will be participating in the exhibition. The exhibition will feature drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture, ceramics, and more.

This year’s postcard features the winner of our postcard competition, Nina Gardner, senior student of South Kingstown High School. The piece is entitled Row, Row, Row Your Boat and was inspired by the tsumami in Japan.

Runners up were Rachel Hauser

and Robert Jencks

of Exeter West Greenwich High School, whose pieces will be used for future Hera Gallery fliers.

Further awards will be selected by Krzysztof Mathews, a working artist and first VP of Art League Rhode Island.

This year we will feature work by students from South Kingstown High School, Chariho High School, Exeter West Greenwich High School, La Salle Academy, The Lincoln School, Moses Brown School, the Met School, North Kingstown High School, Ocean Tides School, Rocky Hill School, and Narragansett High School.

The exhibition will take place at Hera Gallery located on 10 High Street in Wakefield, RI. The public is invite to attend the Young Adults’ Exhibition on Saturday, February 7th from 6:00 to 8:00pm.

This program is presented with partial support from The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, South County Art Supply, Bank RI, Phil’s Main Street Grille, Hera Educational Foundation, and The Friends of Hera. Hera Gallery is free and open to the public and is accessible to persons with disabilities. Parking is available.

Come enjoy this fine work!!

Featured Artist of the Month: Robert Ratigan

Robert ” Bob” Ratigan is an artist with an eye on the big picture.  When I say big, I mean really big!  He is a mural artist extraordinaire.  He has  murals dotting the landscape from New England through New York and out into Pennsylvania.  He also has quite a portfolio of smaller works, but his big heart shines through best when he shares his love of the big canvas.

Bob has been a mural artist for quite a long time, and his impetus comes from his Dad’s occupation as the last of the paint billboard artists.  Bob picked up his knack for the grand scale work through watching his Dad, and also appreciating other well known mural artists.  Bob’s recent influence can really be seen when one visits the Biomes center in North Kingstown.  Robert Wyland, simply known as Wyland has had a strong influence on Bob’s current murals on the inside and outside walls of this very unique place.

Bob has also created and installed a bit of interactive art (see Yellow Submarine above) with places to take fun pictures, explore black light dreaminess and learn more about the ocean.  Below is a black light room Bob developed and painted with a hearty seafaring theme.  Visitors can go in this space, light the black light and experience the magic of the shimmering sea.

 

Bob Ratigan feels he was born an artist, and he received “a gift from Mother nature.”  Growing up in Troy, New York he watched his father paint, and got his start early with many sketches, oil paintings and various other drawing and painting mediums.   This is a small sample of some of his earliest work.  Each piece is very detailed and strong in its presentation.  Bob still happily shares these works with others.

The piece above is full of life, and also a bit of the eerie.  This ghostly painting marked something of a shift into a feeling of movement in my humble opinion after looking at his early work.  He carries that feeling of movement in his mural art very strongly.  One feels like entering the work physically.  Below are some parts of the massive murals at Biomes in North Kingstown, which you may see anytime they are open!

All of the work flows smoothly around the giant room.  Bob said, “Color sets the mood” in a space, and he is very cognizant of the various spaces he places murals.  he has completed many works in restaurants and other public buildings, done large curtains and will “put the paint on whatever!”  He decorates windows in restaurants seasonally themed, works on the Factory of Terror haunted house in Warwick and will consider any commission.  He noted that he has a great ability to work with the client to help the set their mural art apart and have it help promote their business.  Bob is business savvy without a doubt, and wants to help clients to do better with what he adds to their existing goodness.

Robert Ratigan spent some time schooling his art in the Jr. College in Albany and studies many other artist’s work for ideas.  He loves Salvador Dali, and can add bit of the surreal to his work now and again.  He teaches private art bringing youth and elderly together for multi-generational experiences.  He feels that art “Makes for a better life,” and suggests that, “art therapy makes you feel good.”  When I asked his what his meassage is to the world, he said, “just do you art!”  Okay Bob, we will!

Find Robert Ratigan at Biomes in North Kingstown.

Robertratigan@yahoo.com

401 391-9869

see more… http://robertratigan.net/Welcome.html

By: Kerry M. Wholey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Event Listings and Possible Opportunities

If you are an artist or hopeful artist to be, there are a number of wonderful opportunities around our area to create art, show your art, or just enjoy other people’s art.  These cold winter months can find us stuck inside, or feeling stuck anyway, and we need to get out of doors for a little inspiration now and again.  So, if you are feeling the winter blues, get your coat and hat, and toss on a scarf and gloves for good measure, make a to-go cup of hot tea and find your way into our still vibrant art community!  We always invite you in to South County Art Supply if you are looking for new ideas or need some items for your own personal art!  Be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter to receive valuable discounts and information!

Enjoy your art! 

Jamestown Arts Center: Call to Artists & Curators!

The gallery space at the Jamestown Arts Center has become one of the most exciting places to experience art and design in southern Rhode Island.  Because of its large size and high ceiling height, the space is unique and lends itself to a variety of exhibits.

If you are interested in showing your work or curating a show, you must submit a proposal to the exhibition committee.  We strongly urge you to visit the space first so that you understand its possibilities and limitations. We are also very interested in collaborating with other spaces and organizations, particularly outdoors in Jamestown.

Proposals should include the following:

• A description of the exhibition, including its objective and why it should be shown at the Jamestown Arts Center.
• Possible and best case time frames for the exhibition.  The usual duration of an exhibition is 4-6 weeks.
• Artist’s or curator’s statement(s), and/or other support material, reviews, résumés, exhibition history etc.
• A list of artists participating, if applicable.
• Links to relevant website(s) if available.
• A selection of high quality digital images of the artwork to be shown, with titles, dimensions, and dates. Can be emailed or sent on cd.
• Price range of the artwork, if it is for sale. Note: that the JAC will take a 35% commission if work is sold while at the arts center.
• List of costs the JAC can expect, beyond reasonable gallery maintenance and opening expenses.
• Description of educational programming that could be connected to this exhibit- artists’ or curators’ talks, workshops, films, classes, field trips etc.

Send your proposal to jamestownartscenter@gmail.com
– or –

The Jamestown Arts Center Attn: EXHIBITS
P.O. Box 97 Jamestown RI 02835

The exhibition committee meets once a month. We will do our best to review and respond to all proposals in a timely manner.  We will not return your submission materials to you.

 

South County Art Association

Gallery/Office Hours: Wednesday – Sunday 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Closed holidays)

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Current Exhibit

MEMBER’S INVITATIONAL

January 15 – February 7

Works in variety of media by selected artist members

Opening receptions are held the first Thursday of each exhibition from 7 to 9 pm unless otherwise noted.

 

HERA GALLERY

CALL FOR ENTRY: WATER

Concept: Water is the medium of life.
We are born from water and remain mostly water until we return to dust. Water in dynamic cyclic flow forms 70% of the earth’s surface creating interconnected patterns of life in scaled interrelationships.

Civilizations have flourished and evolved by harnessing the flow of water. Water has been essential for economic growth and has become a playground for fun and adventure. We are inspired by the beauty and sublime nature of water.

These days, contemporary water issues are creating debates over conflicting interests at local and global levels.
Concerns over enough clean drinking water, rising sea levels, powerful storms or droughts spurred by what most believe are climate change forces, fracking and energy needs, and transnational controls of water rights are just some of our worries.

This national juried exhibition at Hera Gallery seeks a varied perspective on contemporary views of water as an essential element. Political, social, environmental and aesthetic themes related to water in all media will be considered.

Application Deadline: Friday, February 6th, 2015.

DOWNLOAD PROSPECTUS HERE

 

onewaygallery.com

A great WordPress.com site

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Exhibitions

Currently showing at OneWay Narragansett

140 Boon St. Narragansett, RI

Here & There

7 Years of Travel Photography by

Christian Harder

Salon Showcase in extended gallery space featuring the work of over 15 different locally and nationally based artists.

Currently Showing at OneWay Hope

(The Hope Artiste Village, 999 Main st. Pawtucket, RI. Unit 712)

“No Rest For The Wicked”

A solo exhibition featuring new works by REASON.

Showing through December 2014.

The Gift of Art

The gift of art comes to each of us in vastly different ways and at almost random times in our lives.  ‘Almost random’ being the operative consideration here.  There always seems to be some seminal moment that can be usually be identified with some thought that allowed each of us to release the artist within.  Perhaps we had a parent or some other relative who spurred us on as a youth to be creative and give some art form a try.  Maybe there was an art teacher along the way who emanated a deep love of art that was irresistible to us as a student.  It may have been that one particular trip to an art museum with family, school or friends that shot the lightening bolt of art through our heart. Or maybe it was just a billboard we saw on a drive through the country or particular piece of art viewed in a magazine while waiting to see the dentist that struck the art bug to life in us.  Whatever it was, something tipped the art scale our way, and making and loving art became a part of our lives.  What a blessing that moment was for so many!

Have you noticed anyone in your life that has had an inkling of timid art effort budding in them lately?  I notice this all of the time.  Each of us has an artist in there somewhere.  If you have gleaned this, you could be the one who jolts that artist into fruition!  Would it not be grand to know that you had a little role in the life of a newly flowering artist?  I would say, unequivocally, YES!

If this is the case, and if you have been truly aware of those around you, it probably is, please know that we here at South County Art Supply are here to help you jostle that inner artist out into the open for the lucky, yet unknowing someone.  We would like to help you in any way we can to get your new artist on his or her path into the world of creative art.

We have many opportunities in our store for you to help your art inclined newbie to choose from.  Whether it be pastels, oil paint, watercolors, pencil sketching or any of the many potential art forms out there, we have wonderful starter packages (or more advanced material for any and all of you art friends) to pick from.  Please take a careful inventory of your friends and family members and see if there is an opportunity to help someone find the joyful gift you as an artist were given in your introductory moment.  We will be glad to serve your needs in any way we can!

Thank you so much for your loyal patronage, and a very Happy Holiday Season to you all, our artist friends!

South County Art Supply Family

Says it all!

 

Featured Artist: Marlo Garnsworthy

Marlo Garnsworthy is a dynamic, heartfelt, passionate and humble artist who shares herself through her artwork in a meaningful and sensitive manner.  She has long been an artist deep in her heart, and now finds great joy and release in sharing her work illustrating children’s books and illustrating poems and other written work with great zeal and acclaim.

Marlo has been professionally sharing her art with the world for nearly a decade under her own name and her nickname Wordy Bird, but her art life began long before that.  As a child she was captivated by books about fairies, and the illustrations touched her deeply.  She knew without reserve that she would like to invest her talents into the world of illustrating, through children’s books particularly.  She then developed a desire to make books personally and in assisting others in their dreams of publishing.  Riding this hope, coupled with her love of things scientific, her personal style and profession evolved.

Marlo was trained in her early years by her mother predominantly, though she did eventually attend Latrobe University in Melbourne, Australia and continues her artistic educational journey at RISD now.  She credits her mother’s love of creating art for her own personal joy in the field.  She now passes on her knowledge in art instruction at RISD and hopes that her books will inspire other young artists as she was inspired as a youth.  Marlo has a personal editing business and is a member of the Book Editing Associates, focusing her efforts specializing in children’s books. She is also a very active member of the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

When I asked Marlo about her favorite mediums she emphatically shared her love of pencil drawing.  A passion she has had all her life.  Additionally, she enjoys oil painting, watercolors, scratch board renderings and pastel over watercolor.  She has also delved into the art of digital drawing, manipulating and enhances her work through that medium.  As I said, Marlo is most certainly a dynamic artist in every regard.

We shared on several of her pieces which show her style, prowess and technique quite nicely…

Infirm Pachyderm by Marlo Garnsworthy (poem copyright Jane Yolen)

Infirm Pachyderm won the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (NESCBWI) 2013 Illustration Competition. It was created as an illustration for a copyrighted poem by Jane Yolen. The text you see incorporated into the drawing was everything Marlo was given to work with.  Her creative ability shines through in this piece.  The judges thought so too!

Pigs Might Fly

Pigs Might Fly gives us a glimpse into Marlo’s fun and fantastic mind.  She shared that this piece developed slowly over months and was an outlet for dreams she had been having.  The essence is in the detail.  Marlo mentioned that, “I really can’t not do art.  I have to be working on my art on at least a weekly basis.” She finds release and joy in the work she does.  Her happy discussion of her work showed me that over and over. This piece was runner-up this year for the R.Michelson Galleries Award (coveted by up and coming children’s book illustrators).  I felt excitement, overcoming challenges and glee in this drawing.

Finally The Flight of Wordy Bird is something of a self-portrait, ripe with Marlo’s calm demeanor, and sensitive and optimistic world-view.  The egg of hope lives in us all, we just need to nurture it and find the goodness within. I noted her sketchbook in the drawing, and she shared her personal sketchbook with me.  It was fascinating to experience her many personal ideas, political statements and amusing perspectives on life as they came to life for me in each piece she shared.

Flight of Wordy Bird

Marlo let me know in no uncertain terms that, “Life is too short, so what the heck are you waiting for”…get out there and create to your heart’s content because, “the world is a funny place!”  It is also much happier for having Marlo Garnsworthy and her Wordy Bird life in it.

Here are links to much more of Marlo’s work:

www.wordybirdstudio.com

www.facebook.com/WordyBirdStudio
Book Editing Associates

Interview and Article By: Kerry Wholey – Freelance Writer