This month we are fortunate to have a group show that came out of the “Painting at All Levels” class at the Montpelier Senior Center. Each artist has been generous enough to share a bit of themselves with us.

Sue Stukey
Painting: Grandpa and Bobby, with Boots. Oil on Canvas.

Sue Stukey has been painting for much of her life. She loves to capture beautiful or touching moments that can be kept and pondered over for years to come. Her subjects range from people to landscapes, odd staircases, graceful buildings, rock formations and whatever else catches her eye. She hopes you enjoy them, too.

Denise W. Clark
Painting:  Green River Reservoir #1. Acrylic.         

I have always dabbled in art. In high school, my art teacher sent me to a program where I visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for ten Saturdays. In the mornings, I cruised the museum. In the afternoon, I attended introductory art classes at the school there. That experience exposed me to fabulous art and taught me to really appreciate museums.

Over the years, I have tried several mediums. When I retired, I decided to learn to paint with acrylics. It’s been a learning curve. I am very pleased when something turns out the way I want it to.

This painting was made from a photo taken from a canoe on the Green River Reservoir. I paint only places I have visited and photographed, and a scene has to be already “composed” to some unconscious criteria before I take an interest in painting it. I can drive around for miles and not find anything I want to paint. Other days, I may find several spots that call to me.

There are several paintings done by the Old Masters in various museums that I love and have visited several times. I also really like the paintings of the Wyeths, Andrew, Jamie and N.C. I also really enjoy seeing what local artists are doing, whether they exhibit at the libraries, hospitals, B.O.H, or a cafe. I am always inspired by an artist who can make mundane scenes interesting and beautiful. 

Pamela Walker 
Paintings: Morning glories at my former home in Shelburne Falls, MA; Beloved family farmhouse in Plymouth, Vermont. Watercolor.

I love to paint places that are near and dear to me, as well as places that I have visited that are special to me.These two are from places I have lived. One is in Shelburne Falls, MA, and the other, a farmhouse in Plymouth, VT. I hope that people viewing it will sensethe intimacy, love , and care I feel for these two homes.  

I first started painting as a youngster, and have always loved it. About ten years ago, I became more devoted to learning and started taking classes and workshops whenever I could. I have primarily worked in watercolor, and have stayed with it, never trying acrylics or oil. I feel my skills are always developing, and I love painting in our Senior Center group. We support each other, give helpful critiques, and just plain enjoy one another during those 2 hours a week.

So many artists inspire me. I love color, so the impressionists are fascinating to me. I love the old masters too and the way they used light in their work. I enjoy Mary Cassat for all the emotion she conveys in her paintings,  and I admire the Hudson River School for the beauty of their landscapes and use of lights and darks.

Fun Fact: I moved to Montpelier four years ago and have never looked back. I am very content and stimulated by all the interesting people, culture and arts in this small community.

Garet Allen-Malley
Painting: In-sights. Watercolor and collage.

 I have selected key lines from various poems that I’ve written over the last five years. For each selection, I’ve created watercolor images that I feel capture the essence of the poems. This exercise combines two pursuits that have challenged me as well as brought me great pleasure. I hope that viewers will find the selections intriguing and thought-provoking.

I began painting six years ago. I still feel like a neophyte, and I am continuing to learn new things every time I sit down to do a painting.

I wouldn’t dare compare myself to any known artist! I take inspiration from all art forms and greatly admire artists who have devoted their entire professional lives to their art.

Fun fact: I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and my formal name is Margaret Mary. (Garet is the last part of Margaret.)

Joyce Werntgen
Painting: Meeting for Lunch.  Colored pencil.  

I am a lover of nature and particularly the birds in Vermont and other places I’ve traveled to. It gives me great joy to be able to put the birds I’ve seen in a work of art. I’m hoping someone who sees this colored pencil painting will think to stop and enjoy the birds whenever they encounter them.

I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. When I first moved from New York City to Vermont in 1968, I took some oil painting classes. I painted oils for a time and then in 1971, when I began raising my three sons, I took a long break from art. I returned to art seriously after I retired in 2014, and I was more interested in a medium that would allow me more portability and colored pencils filled the bill.

Norman Rockwell was a favorite of mine when I was young.  As an adult, I have been inspired by the work of Georgia O’Keefe, and more recently, Diane Shullenberger, a Burlington, Vermont colored pencil artist.

Fun Fact: Perhaps the fact that I also love to write and am taking a writing class at the Senior Center that I hope will produce a Memoir for my children and grandchildren.

Christine Terry
Painting: Stowe Beauty.  Watercolor.

I had only done a little drawing and watercolor sketches before retiring. When I joined Sylvia Walker’s Monday morning art class at the Senior Center in 2010, I discovered how much I loved creating artworks. I now sell cards from my paintings at the Senior Center and the State House Gift Shop. Stowe Beauty was a study on painting mountains and snow with shadows.

Fun fact: I line dance with the Step ‘n Time Line Dancers of Central Vermont, which participates in parades and nursing home performances around Central Vermont.

Leslie Parr
Painting: Ganges Dawn. Pastel.

The pastel I’m presenting is called Ganges Dawn. I traveled to India two years ago and spent two days in Varanasi. There I deepened my understanding of beliefs about the end of life. The image comes from a photo I took one morning when people bathed in the Ganges for spiritual reasons. They left me with so much to ponder! 

As a staff member at UVM, I took several art classes — oils, watercolors, mixed media. I enjoy pastels for their ease of blending and beautiful colors, right out of the drawer! These days I like to use my travels as inspiration for my paintings.

Artists of the natural world inspire me. Winslow Homer for knowing how to see, Cezanne for structure, and VT artists who capture our special world.

Fun fact: I’m a Yankees fan.  There, I said it!

View their artwork in the Co-op’s café all month.