Creative Expression

Collector's Focus: Women Artists

Diana Beresford-Kroeger was orphaned as a young girl and brought up by her uncle. She spent her summers in Ireland where the local people—in their 80s and 90s—decided she would be taught the ancient Brehon laws of Celtic wisdom. “These laws,” she recounts, “are the laws of wisdom, the laws of telepathy, the laws of meditation, education...about the medicines of the natural world and the laws of the trees.” Today, she is a medical biochemist, botanist and climate change visionary. She is the author of a number of books including To Speak for the Trees: My Life’s Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest, and is featured in the documentary Call of The Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees.Jerald Melberg Gallery, The Question of Ownership, oil on canvas, 50 x 50", by Tula Telfair.

In her poem How I Go to the Woods, Mary Oliver wrote, “Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable.

“I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours.”

And, there is Dame Judi Dench, a tree planter for 30 years, who listens to water traveling up a tree to its leaves using a kind of tree stethoscope in the film Judy Dench: My Passion for Trees.
Tula Telfair has a studio in Old Lyme, Connecticut, home to what the Hartford Courant called in 1907, “the most talked about art colony in America today.” In the center of it all was Florence Griswold’s boarding house where artists stayed and painted—on canvas and on the walls and paneling of her home.Top row: Carrie Haddad Gallery, Spindle, charcoal and acrylic on canvas mounted on wood, 24 x 30", by Sue Bryan; Sarah Vite, Cherry Tree, watercolor on paper, 15 x 20". Bottom row: 33 Contemporary, Oraciòn Por Las Desaparecidas/ Honoring the Stolen, oil on Dibon, 24x 36", by Kate Van Doren; Cindy Sorley-Keichinger, Swallow Dream, acrylic, 18 x 9"Telfair began painting landscapes photo-realistically, later gravitating into imagined landscapes fueled by her experiences of landscapes around the world. She hopes to “trigger an experience in the viewer that is personal.” Her large canvases, viewed from across the room, convey a familiar but non-specific scene that dissolves into painted brush strokes up close that create another experience. In a recent interview with her dealer Jerald Melberg she said, “I try to create an illusion because that’s the fun part of painting…I like the alchemy and the magic of being able to fool other people by having them believe that they’re looking at something that even I looked at but maybe I didn’t look at. If you believe, then the magic trick is successful.”

In the magical sea of green in her painting The Question of Ownership, moist leaves reflect the light in a composition with a distinct foreground, middle ground and atmospheric distance. The denseness of the vegetation, however, evokes an enveloping mystery.PoetsArtists, Unlock The Mystery, oil and acrylic on Dibond, 24 x 24", by Donna Bates.Sue Bryan plucks trees from their environment and renders their intricacies with an abstract subtlety that suggests memory rather than verisimilitude. She says, “My work is drawing based. My process is one of building up tones and textures using a method of charcoal, carbon and graphite combined, all of which yield a wonderful range of blacks and grays that vary in density and transparency as much as in tonality. As a native of Ireland, the landscape there has certainly shaped and influenced my work. Many of my drawings are of places that have a deep personal association for me; an endeavor perhaps to stay connected to my roots. The work is not just about particular places however, but an attempt to find meaning in my response to the natural world, a way of looking beyond and beneath what I see. As the climate continues to change, there is added poignancy in the gloaming. I look for it now more than ever.”PoetsArtists, Fanfare, oil on aluminum panel, 22½ x 31", by Gemma Di Grazia.

Sandy Delehanty, Old Gold, watercolor, 24 x 18"

Sarah Vite steps back from the forest even more, and in her watercolor Cherry Tree, reduces the tree to its visual elements—trunk and branches, leaves and fruit. She echoes the stylistic advances of the artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement such as Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and Charles Voysey. She says, “This painting is a part of a larger series of trees and a larger experiment with harmony of form—how visual elements of an image speak to each other abstractly. Each tree in the series is a different species, all painted at the same scale, isolated on white paper. I wanted to create a surreal image where the tree is not only a study of nature, but rather something more like a figure or a spirit. I wanted to find a new visual language with this series; a way to abstract nature, to simplify its complexity and to create a new form that depicts the essence of the tree it represents.”Barbara Meikle, A Burro Bouquet, oil on canvas, 18 x 18"Throughout the pages of this special section, glimpse yet more examples of the menagerie of artwork created by women artists from across the country.

“When I was 10, my dad said, ‘You will soon learn that love is the bottom line,’” artist Betty Jean Billups reflects. This sentiment especially applies to her painting. “If I do not feel love toward that which I have chosen to paint, then there really is no sense to paint it. For me, from the smallest study to the largest mural, the subject is vitally important, as well as how the paint is delivered to the canvas. From beginning to end, love and passion are as necessary for my art as air is to my life!” Billups’ passion rests in capturing the power, beauty and mystery of life, and sharing that with the world. Suzie Seerey-Lester, Dawn Assembly, acrylic on masonite, 20 x 16"

Laura Pollak, AQUAMARINE, pastel, 24 x 18"

“I have been painting and drawing from a very early age, and have always loved horses and other animals as my subject matter,” says Barbara Meikle. Her bold and colorful paintings are as expressive and energetic as the creatures she paints. “The movement, grace and beauty of wild horses particularly inspire me, as do other wild creatures, such as grizzly bears, coyotes and wolves. I use bright colors to create energy for your eyes and a palette knife to enhance the texture of these wonderful creatures. I always hope that someday I will discover a new color, but it hasn’t happened yet.”Cindy Sorley-Keichinger, Contested, acrylic, 24 x 18"

From left: Laura Pollak, BEHIND THE CURVE, pastel, 20 x 16"; Suzie Seerey-Lester, African Parchment, oil on masonite, 20 x 24"Kathleen McCloud, represented by GF Contemporary, creates paper constructions, collages and paintings inspired by her home in La Cieneguilla, a historic village southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. “I’ve explored the volcanic landscape and the wetlands along the river for 30-plus years, absorbing the palette, the shifting weather patterns, the animals and plants I’ve met along the way,” she says. “The redwing blackbirds singing in the cottonwood, the buck that beds down in the orchard, the sound of the river, the owl—I’ve been re-enchanted by the wild. This ongoing relationship plays out in my studio. Materials, objects, photographs, history and current events converge cycle back out into the world in the form of mixed-media art works, tools of enchantment, infused by the power of place.” Barbara Meikle, Topaz, oil on canvas, 40 x 40"Cindy Sorley-Keichinger is primarily self-taught but has taken workshops with top artists in her genre. Working primarily in acrylic (but also gouache and oil), her subjects of choice are landscapes and wildlife. She finds them calming and tries to project that in her work, especially in today’s busy world. Sorley-Keichinger is a member of several prominent artist organizations and is particularly proud to be a member of the Artists for Conservation, and an associate member of the Society of Animal Artists. The main idea behind her work, she says, “is that we are not the only ones on the planet” and she would like people to enjoy viewing more of Earth’s inhabitants, from zebras to foxes to barn swallows. Urban life, and to a lesser degree rural life, insulates us from the world around us. She hopes to introduce people to what they do not see every day and to see beauty in what they do see.Cindy Sorley-Keichinger, Waiting for Mom, acrylic, 30 x 30"Laura Pollak’s works have gained global attention in shows, museums, private collections and publications worldwide. Her ability to create visual drama and mystery have garnered her top awards. Pollak’s paintings have a unique characteristic: they glow. She says, “When I began painting years ago, my goal was to achieve some semblance of the landscape. I was just chasing light. Now, I make my own light!” Instead of having an external source of light, like the sun, Pollak’s paintings look as if they glow from within. To achieve this, she uses pastels because of their vibrancy and lasting color. Her works have been termed “abstract realism.” They contain recognizable elements yet lean towards abstraction with powerful elements of design. GF Contemporary, Venus on the Rise, indigo dyed paper, acrylic, oil, graphite on paper 32 x 28", by Kathleen McCloud.“As a collector and an artist,” says Sandy Delehanty, “I always find it fun to learn as much as I can about the artist that created the piece and the inspiration or story behind [it].” Her watercolor painting Old Gold is her homage to iconic photographer Ansel Adams. “It is said that he photographed this particular tree more than any other tree in Yosemite National Park. The locals call it Ansel’s Tree…Fun fact about this watercolor: it was not painted with brushes! To create my watercolor paintings I use a process similar to batik. Batik artists use hot wax applied with metal needles or tubes to create a mask. When the wax is hard, they bath their fabric or paper with liquid dye which colors the fabric but does not penetrate the mask. I apply masking fluid with a metal palette knife and when it hardens, I pour liquified transparent watercolor pigments from cups over my paper. Just like batik artists, I repeat this process over and over to create multiple layers of glowing watercolor paint.”From left: Betty Jean Billups, Afternoon Gathering, oil, 36 x 48"; Barbara Meikle, Bojangles, limited edition bronze with unique color patina, 16½ x 11 x 22½"

“The foundation for my work is capturing the struggle and strength at the heart of the human experience. I join with others to help tell their stories in their healing journey. My inspirations journeys involve mental and physical hardship and a reclamation of their power through life experiences,” says artist Kate Van Doren, who is represented by 33 Contemporary. Her piece Oraciòn Por Las Desaparecidas/ Honoring the Stolen depicts a woman lying on her side, surrounded by roses.

Gemma Di Grazia’s oil on aluminum Fanfare features a symmetrical composition of pink flowers. “My representational paintings are a celebration of color, light and form. The compositions exhibit formal aesthetic elements and I use a luminous and vibrant color palette that transform the formal foundation into something exciting and dynamic,” Di Grazia says. She is part of the artist organization PoetsArtists. Suzie Seerey-Lester, Dawn Patrol, acrylic on masonite, 6 x 20"Also a member of PoetsArtists, sculptor and painter Donna Bates’ portrait Unlock The Mystery features a woman holding a key with a crown above her head. “In this painting I have tried to combine a graphic feel with realism and scribbles. I love to play with color and add color burnout to the shadow areas of my figures. I feel it gives my paintings a more modern edge. I want my pieces to say this was painted in the 21st century without compromising on technique.”

“Every time I walk outside, I am in awe of where we live,” says artist Suzie Seerey-Lester. She walks the beach every morning to see the sun rise, with its “magnificent colors painting the sky.” She continues, “We have some of the most unique and vibrant birds here. I love to paint white birds because I can get so many colors in their feathers, blues, pinks and yellows. I also love to paint barns. They are our vanishing treasures—old barns with light streaming through, holes in the roofs, intriguing structures still full of life.”From left: GF Contemporary, Daybreak, monoprint based construction with collage, plant pigment, ink, acrylic, graphite on paper, 28½ x 38¾", by Kathleen McCloud; Laura Pollak, EMBRACING THE LIGHT, pastel, 20 x 16"; GF Contemporary, Songs for Traveling Light, monoprint with woodcut collage, ink and graphite, 24 x 22", by Kathleen McCloud.What should collectors look for when purchasing art? “Paintings that mean something to them, that touch them in some way,” Seerey-Lester says. “Paintings that they can look at and discover new things all the time. Collectors should own a painting that is a piece of magic.” —