Congratulations to North Shore Arts Association's New Artist Members for 2017!

KATHERINE COAKELY  Eastern Point, Gloucester, MA resident Katherine Coakely has had a lifelong affinity for art. About fifteen years ago she picked up a paintbrush for the first time experimenting with watercolor and acrylics. Later, she took up oil painting, concentrating on the landscapes of scenic Cape Ann locales. A Colorist at heart and sometimes called a Fauvist, she boldly wields her paint and brush. In New England, she has studied with numerous Cape Ann artists. One of Kathy's greatest pleasures is painting the beauty of the world while traveling. In the winter, Kathy continues her passion for painting warm weather landscapes, painting in her studio in Miami Beach, FL. She has studied at the South Florida Art Center in Miami Beach.
Kathy's creative process is continually evolving and she enjoys trying new techniques to keep her perspective fresh. Recently, Kathy has been experimenting with more abstract designs and is relishing a newfound method of expression.

Kathy creates art for a variety of reasons; as a form of expression; as a connection with others; as an opportunity to be part of a vibrant community of artists; as a conversation starter; as a form of meditation; as a way to inspire her children and grandchildren to be passionate about doing what they love. For Kathy, being able to share her enthusiasm for art with others is the ultimate reward. Kathy is a member of the North Shore Arts Association, the Copley Society, SeARTS, the Rocky Neck Art Colony, and an associate member of the Rockport Art Association and Museum. For more information, please visit http://www.sunsetrockart.com
photo credit: "Lily Pond", acrylic, 30 x 30" © Katherine Coakley



FLORENCE COMO A former teacher from Lincoln, MA, Florence has had a love of art and music from the time she was a child. For many years she taught in the elementary grades and also served as a soprano soloist in many area churches. She has been painting and drawing since she was a child. Self-taught in the beginning, it was after Florence retired from her long career in teaching that she became more serious about her art. She initially started painting in watercolor when she was inspired by George Shedd and Betty Lou Schlemm and began taking workshops. Later she was fortunate to have studied not only with many well-known artists from Cape Ann, but also internationally known artists including Alvaro Castagnet, John Salminen, and Z.L. Feng. Later, she also developed a love for oils and acrylics, taking workshops with Monique Sakellarios, Maris Platais, and most recently, Dennis Sheehan after developing an interest in tonalism.
Her most special experience, however, was the several workshops in Italy at La Romita School of Art in Umbria, where every day the group of painters was immersed in painting watercolors en plen air in the various hill town, participating in instruction and critiques, and attending art history lectures.
Florence enjoys painting a wide variety of subject matter in her realistic style. She most often paints in oils and acrylics when painting landscapes. She is especially inspired by nature and especially loves to include some of her most favorite subjects: beautiful, colorful, ever-changing skies, sunsets, and reflections on bodies of water. She also enjoys painting local scenes and can often be found in Boston, Cape Ann, and Cape Cod with her camera, capturing the images of things she will later use as a reference for her paintings when working in the studio. For urban scenes with architectural subjects and people, she most often chooses watercolor.
Florence is a member of many art associations including Reading, Newton, Canton, Weston, Wellesley, and the Attleboro Art Museum. She regularly participates in solo, group, and juried exhibits, where she has been the recipient of many awards. She is also a Signature Member of the Rhode Island Watercolor Society. She is proud to have recently become an Artist Member of the North Shore Arts Association.

   

DENNIS McQUILLEN is graduate and scholarship student of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston where he studied painting under Henry Schwartz and Lionel Feininger. Upon graduation, he received a scholarship for a summer-long residency at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, in Maine.
Dennis worked as a Designer and an Art Director for 28 years with Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company. Upon his retirement, he resumed his Fine Arts interests and continued his studies at the Massachusetts College of Art with artists and teachers such as Janet Monifo, Paul Rahilly, and Ed Stitt. He has also studied privately with Stapleton Kearns, George Nick, and David Curtis. He maintains a studio at his home in Newport, Rhode Island.|
http://www.dennismcquillen.com/art
photo credit: "Half Moon Beach", 20 x 16" © Dennis Quillen






LINDA JO NIELSEN With a poetic blend of realism and impressionism, Linda draws her inspiration from the meadows and marshlands from Cape Ann to Maine. Born and raised in New England, sun-dapples roads, pastures, and marshes are a reoccurring theme in her work.
Linda began her painting career as a fine artist under the tutelage of the now late Barbara Baldwin. She continued her studies with Ellen Whitman of Exeter, NH. In 1993, Linda began to produce limited edition prints of her wildlife paintings, she was signed by the Applejack Licensing and Publishing Company of Vermont and for a brief time worked as a freelance illustrator for the Random House Publishing Group.
To further her studies, Linda began attending workshops with several Cape Ann Masters, Sharon Carson, Paul George, and David Curtis. This is where her love for "painting en plein aire" developed significantly. Inspired by nature, painting the landscape became Linda's artistic voice. Today, using an impressionistic palette of oils or pastels, she creates images where light, form, and atmosphere are captured on canvas.

Linda holds juried memberships with the North Shore Arts Association, Gloucester, MA and Rockport Art Association and Museum of Rockport, MA. Her most recent awards include the Emile A. Gruppe Memorial Award, Charles Umanita Memorial Award, and the "Art Spirit" Award. For eight year she exhibited her paintings at Central Street Gallery in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Wishing to share her love and experiences of painting, Linda opened her studio in 1995 and began teaching weekly art classes in oil and pastel. http://www.LindaJoNielsen.com
photo credit:"Essex Winter", pastel, 12 x 18" © Linda Jo Nielsen

PAM PERRAS invites the viewer to engage with a quiet arrangement of quotidian objects, to enter an evocative scene, or to make the acquaintance of a personality brought to life on a painted surface.
"I immerse myself in a subject, whether it be a landscape, a casual group of everyday objects, or a complex sitter. I enjoy seeing how light plays on a scene, how it renders the form of objects and delineates and enlivens the human form. I am fascinated by the myriad subtleties. It is my hope that my work will encourage the viewer to share in the same visual adventure that first attracted me."
Pam has studied with a number of excellent artists, including Alastair Dacey, Kelly Carmody, Donald Jurney, Julie Airoldi, Anthony Ryder, Don Demers, Kim English, and David Curtis.

Perras is an award-winning artist and member of local and regional art associations including Newburyport Art Association. She is a full-time artist, with a studio in Amesbury, MA.
http://www.pamperras.com

photo credit: "Martha B.Hutcheson", oil, © Pam Perras

ELIZABETH RHOADES is an award winning and highly recognized Connecticut artist whose pastel paintings are characterized by their vibrant color and sensitivity to the natural forms and light in the landscape. Her work depicts her passion and understanding of the spiritual qualities of the landscape. In her work, she seeks to express her emotional connection to, and love of, the raw beauty of our earth. Born in New Haven and residing in Stafford Springs, CT, she holds art degrees from Wesleyan University and SCSU and has obtained an advanced degree of the sixth level of art education. She paints mostly in the plein-air tradition, and in her studio in inclement weather from her value studies and reference photos that she has taken on location. There is a personal quality to her work that brings peace and tranquility to the viewer, while at the same time having a distinct vitality through her use of color.
Of the dozens of awards she has won, Elizabeth's recent awards include Third Place, Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival, Medal of Honor Plus for a Pastel in the American Artists Professional League, as well as awards in exhibition of Academic Artists, Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society, Connecticut Pastel Society, and many more. Elizabeth has been juried into a multitude of highly competitive exhibits throughout the Unite States. She is a Signature Member of the Connecticut Pastel Society, a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast, the President and Elected Artist Member of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society, an Elected Artist in the Rockport Art Association and Museum, an Elected Artist of the Lyme Art Association, an Elected Artist at North Shore Arts Association, an Elected Artist of the Academic Artists Association, an Elected Artist in the American Artists Professional League, as well as the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, and a member of the Pastel Society of New Mexico, Audubon Artists, and the American Impressionist Society. She was a Featured Artist in the Oct/Nov 2016 edition of Plein Air Magazine.
Elizabeth has also been juried into many highly competitive Plein Air Competitions, including Plein Air Easton, Paint Annapolis, and Finger Lakes Plein Air. Elizabeth Rhoades has painted professionally since 1973. Her individually commissioned pieces hang in private collections from Alaska to Maine, as well as in corporate collections. In addition to painting, Elizabeth had been an elementary art educator for thirty-five years. She taught art in the towns of Avon, Durham, Coventry, and Enfield, CT. Through her professional education career, she has shared her skills and knowledge of art to generations of students, both very young and old.
http://www.elizabethrhoadesfineart.com
photo credit: "A Natural Celebration", pastel,  12 x 16" © Elizabeth Rhoades

JAMES RYAN studied at the Vesper George School of Art, Boston, MA. Among his great instructors were the highly respected artists Jack Callahan, Don Stone, Prescott Jones, Bill Flynn, and many others. Jim worked as an illustrator for over 45 years.
Now in his retirement from that career, he enjoys his time painting fine art in oils on Cape Ann. He was an award recipient of the Grumbacher Gold Medal for one of his works of art and in 2014 received "Best in Show" Award at the Lynnfield Art Guild for his painting "The Work Horse". Jim was the past President of the Lynnfield Art Guild.






LEIGH H. SLINGLUFF is a painter who lives with her husband, two sons, and a dog, in Rockport, MA. She was raised in Roswell, GA, and in college, she studied art history and painting before settling on Graphic Design as her area of concentration (BFA, University of Georgia 1995). After years of various jobs in the Design world, including employment as a Designer at the Cartoon Network in Atlanta, GA, Leigh chose to pursue a service-oriented lifestyle through volunteer work at Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio, TX, and also service in Morocco, Africa, with the Peace Corps.
It was after these experiences and the birth of her two children that Leigh decided to revive and focus on her passion for painting and drawing.
Since moving her family from Georgia to New England in 2011, she has dedicated her time to painting, drawing, and educating herself by reading, going to museums, taking classes and workshops with excellent local teacher/artists, painting at her home, and painting en plein air with friends.
She enjoys a wide variety of subjects, including plein air landscapes, people, houses, animals, flowers, and household objects. She paints with a variety of mediums, including oils, watercolor, acrylic, and gouache. Most recently, she has had a lot of fun painting the "locals"-interesting folks spotted doing seasonal activities around her town and neighborhood.Leigh is an Artist Member of the Rockport Art Association (accepted in 2016), and a member of  SeARTS and the Rocky Neck Art Colony (Gloucester). She has won several recent awards for her paintings, including a 2nd place ribbon in the 2016 Manchester "Painting by the Sea"- a Cape Ann Plein Air Quick Draw event. Also in 2016, she was awarded an Honorable Mention at the Rockport Art Association & Museum Contributing Members show for her oil painting,"Harbor Mates".
Leigh also creates Custom House Portraits in watercolor. House Portraits can be commissioned through her Etsy store: www.etsy.com/shop/leighslingluffart  website: www.leighslingluff.com
photo credit: "Field Day Tuggers",oil, 11 x 14", © Leigh Slingluff

ALLAN FORREST SMALL grew up in Massachusetts and started painting as soon as he was old enough to hold a brush. He earned a B.A. cum laude in English from UMass Amherst and moved to Washington, DC. After years as labor relations specialist in Washington, Allan walked away from his government career and spent four months traveling throughout France, painting and drawing with a fellow artist. He later studied painting, drawing, and lithography with instructors from Georgetown University, George Washington University, and the Union Printmakers' Atelier. He lives in Worcester County and paints all over New England. A lifelong interest in architectural history and historic preservation sometimes informs his choice of neglected or derelict architectural subjects. His award-winning work has been in numerous solo exhibitions and juried shows from Virginia to Maine. He has exhibited at Washington's Collector Gallery, the Fitchburg Art Museum, and the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, as well as galleries in Alexandria, VA; Portland, ME; Rye, NY; Carlisle, PA and Worcester, Lowell, Springfield, Whitinsville, and Newburyport, MA. He is a member of the Academic Artists Association, the Lyme Art Association, the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, and the Rockport Art Association. In 2016 he won the Louise Demeter Prize for Excellence at the North Shore Arts Association and First Place at the Lyme Art Association Associates Show. Allan's professional affiliations include the New England Watercolor Society, American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America.
http://www.allanfsmall.com
photo credit: "Flag Day", watercolor, © Allan Forrest Small

SUSAN TERMYN Noted for her representational impressions of New England landscapes and seascapes, Susan's paintings are inspired by her desire to express what she experiences from life. Painterly handling supported with strong design and an eye for nature's sublime coordinated color best describes the stylish execution of her pictures. Enjoyment for and continued practice of figure study allows responding to and including in her paintings the human element connecting people to place.
Painting in the style and method of the American Impressionists "en plein air" (outdoors and directly from life) enables Susan to chronicle the ever-shifting nuances of color, light, and seasonal change. Extensive study of American Impressionism, in particular, the painters who became the hallmark of this movement W.M. Chase, C. Hassam, J. Twachtman, and D. Bunker, compels a timeless essence in her pictures.
Receiving a BFA/Editorial Design from Syracuse University Susan pursued a career in Graphic Design and Art Direction in Minneapolis and NYC. Through numerous short-term studies with noted artists: R.D. Hunter; Stapleton Kearns; T.M. Nicholas; J. Paquet, and various member of the Plein Air Painters of America, she learned to practice painting in the Realist tradition. Classical academic drawing study includes training with the Academy of Realist Art, Boston instructed by Garrett Vitanza and Emmy DeMusis. Currently monitoring the Friday Figure Sketch Group at the Rockport Art Association and regular participation at the studio of Scott Ketcham in Rockland, MA provides weekly practice in life drawing and painting.

Forging bonds with New England's centers of the arts provide a sense of place for artistic development and exposure. Current memberships: Elected Artist Rockport Art Association; Elected Artist North Shore Arts Association; The Lyme Art Association; Concord Art; The Cape Cod Art Association; North River Arts Society Marshfield; Zullo Gallery Center for the Arts Medfield.
Painting, alongside being active with her family, two dogs, and the garden, is her passion and career pursuit. A lifelong propensity for nature is evident in the subject matter and themes of her pictures. http://www.susantermyn.com

ROBERT L. WILLIAMS As a young man, Robert studied painting and drawing with Florence Collins, a former student of Daniel Garber and Hugh Henry Breckenridge at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. He majored in illustration and fine art at the Philadelphia College of Art. At the age of 21, Robert was selected as one of a few to serve as an artist in U.S. Marine Corps Combat Art Program in Vietnam.
In 1972, Robert studied in Florence Italy and worked among a circle of artists, including Benjamin Long IV, apprentice to Pietro Annigoni, master fresco painter. In the following years, Robert was commissioned for church interior restorations, including original paintings in the Philadelphia area. In addition, he received private commissions for landscapes, portraits, and still life and worked to capture Pennsylvania landscapes due to land development.
Robert established Motion Graphics, for commercial and residential, designing and painting hundreds of murals. He was also involved in numerous career development programs, teaching and working with high school students to create community murals.
Now a resident of Rockport, Robert is inspired anew tp capture the variety of extraordinary land and seascapes of Cape Ann, mindful of those 19th century master artists who found their inspiration in the beauty and richness of Cape Ann in the great tradition of American Impressionism.

http://www.robertlouiswilliams.com
photo credit: "Good Voyage", 28 x 24" © Robert Williams
"Angus", 16 x 20", © Robert Williams