Irondequoit Art Club - Artist Bios

 

Phyllis Cummings began studying oil painting in Brantford, Ontario, Canada in 1946; followed by Doon Art School  in 1949  (plein air). Upon coming to Rochester in 1951, Cummings continued painting. Presently, she uses pastels, finding them much easier. She has sold numerous paintings and won a few ribbons. Cummings enjoys being an artist and has been an IAC member since 1969.

 

Gloria DiAngelo had knowledge of art since grade school. In high school, she won a scholarship to the Memorial Art gallery. Her Grandmother and Father were artists who worked at the Memorial Art Gallery. DiAngelo has worked in oils, and now uses pastels, water colors and acrylics. She paints mostly scenes from Florida, and fish. Her favorite artists are Renoir, Van Gogh, DaVinci and Monet.

 

Bill Estes has been drawing and painting since 1999. His media trials have included oils, acrylics, watercolors, charcoal, mixed media collage, graphite pencils, and colored pencils. Someday, perhaps Bill will find one media and stay with that.

 

Jeanette Ferretti-Wojtas began sketching at an early age. This activity began as an interest and promoted relaxation. Her art continues to the present day.  Some techniques were self-taught while others were initially developed through classroom instruction during her high school years. Ferretti-Wojtas continued art classes in the form of Continuing Education at Irondequoit High School and more recently at the Creative Workshop of the Memorial Art Gallery. Currently her works focus on graphite and watercolor pencil sketching, along with some watercolor painting.  She likes to combine art with music and can be found sketching to the likes of Chopin, Mozart, Bach and Country music. She has been a resident of Irondequoit for nearly 40 years.

 

Barbara Ford was invited to be the "Corn Hill Poster Lady" in 1997.  Her watercolor paintings have been accepted for exhibition twice at the Mid-Atlantic Watercolor Show in Baltimore, MD, and also twice at the Adirondack Watercolor Show in Old Forge. She has received Merit Awards from the Rochester Art Club in 1990, 1992, and 2005, and a "Best in Show" from the Irondequoit Art Club.      

 

Eileen Joy has always been fascinated by arrangements of colors, shapes and lines.
Capturing the moods of different times of day and the seasons is something she tries to reflect in her paintings.  She enjoys showing people going about their daily lives at work and play. To accomplish her art, Joy’s classes at the Creative Workshop at the Memorial Art Gallery and studying with teachers like Steve Carpenter, Sari Gaby and Fred Lipp have been invaluable.

Fran Mascari is an award-winning watercolor artist. She is an active, 30-year member of the Irondequoit Art Club, having formerly been president and vice president of the club. She attended the creative workshop of the Memorial Art Gallery for 12 years. Although she enjoys painting flowers (a love she learned as a child growing up with a florist father), she occasionally paints other subjects.

 

Donna Moore began painting many years ago but didn’t really get into it until recently. Oil painting has always been her medium of choice but she is now trying to work in watercolor. Donna looks forward to meeting the members of the club and becoming active.

 

Jeanette Musliner is an eclectic and nationally-respected artist and current Treasurer of the Irondequoit Art Club. She has won numerous ribbons in local shows, including  the Webster Art Club, Irondequoit, Charlotte Lighthouse, and the "purchase prize" at a mini show at "Morning's Canvas" ( a Park Ave gallery). Her miniature paintings have been juried into many international miniature shows around the country, including, NH, NJ, CA, FL, Washington, DC, IL. Musliner has also designed two coverlets as well as a series of commemorative buttons as fund raisers for the Irondequoit Senior Center. She has drawn numerous houses, schools, and churches for tour booklets (starting in the 70's), for stationery, and for personal use. Two of her paintings, which still hang in the Irondequoit Town Hall, were selected and purchased by historian, Walt Sassaman, years ago. Her largest project on behalf of the Town of Irondequoit, was a wall mural, completed in 2004.

 

John Pata is an award-winning artist, who earned his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree from Geneseo. His medium of choice is colored pencil. Besides being a member of the Irondequoit Art Club, he belongs to the Colored Pencil Society of America. Pata has been invited to speak at area schools and donated artworks to West Irondequoit Foundation, the Junior League of Rochester, as well as others. He recently painted a large colorful mural in the children’s room of Summerville Presbyterian Church. He has had works published in newspapers and magazines, including two pieces on the cover of Lake Effect Magazine (picture available). In Rochester, his works have been shown at the Elizabeth Collection, Metal Museum and Center at High Falls Fine Art Gallery. In Wisconsin, he has exhibited at the West Bend Art Museum. Pata designed the 2001 and 2004 Lilac Festival Posters (pictures available), as well as the banner for the Maplewood Neighborhood. In 2003, he and his daughter Vanessa designed a window for the Irondequoit Windows Project.

Dorothy Sholes has studied with a number of generous and inspirational art teachers. Since color has always been a delightful, vital part of her life, she has independently experimented with line, color and shape. She enjoys using watercolors to paint figures and portraits, as well as composing abstract and non-representational paintings. She considers any day that includes drawing and painting a good day.

Sheila (S.A.M.) Shrestha, formerly a Research Associate Professor, University of Rochester, Eastman Department of Dentistry, is a microbiologist who recreates the wonders of nature by painting on silk, particularly silk scarves. For SAM, art imitates background and interests, such as images viewed through the microscope or in various natural surroundings, such as her garden. These inspirations gain new life in her artwork as graceful, colorful shapes covering exotic silks. SAM began creating images on silk more than 20 years ago and a large part of her art involves experimenting with non-conventional techniques and colors, color effects, and designs achieved by applying dyes to the silks. SAM, currently Co-President and publicity person for the Irondequoit Art Club, exhibits her creations, many of which have won awards, at various art shows and galleries in Rochester.


Sally Steinwachs. As a child, Sally Steinwachs tried her hand at many genres in the visual arts, with her mother's enthusiatic encouragement. Later, Sally studied all media except oil painting with Jean Premo, a local painter. A great deal of Sally's artistic energy went into community-building efforts, bringing people together and creating programs to empower and assist city residents. Sally taught art in an after-school program on Jefferson Avenue and Genesee Street and incorporated art into community pursuits. Besides her mentor, the late Jean Premo, Sally has studied under local artists David Braun, Wendy Gwirtzman, and Steve Carpenter. She carried one of her first paintings from that period in the first Rochester demostration against the Irag war. In 2008, she worked on a number of artistic projects relating to the St. Salome Centennial Celebration. Now, Sally exhibits with the Artist Breakfast Group, the Irondequoit Art Club, and at the sumer Irondequoit Farmers' Market. She is also a member of Rochester Contemporary. She is listed in the Frontier Yellow Pages - Artists - Sally Steinwachs Shop by the Sea. Please contact her at 230-1436.

Lisa Livoti Struble.  Art has always been a part of her life.  After high school, she earned a degree in Cytotechnology (i.e. the science of looking for abnormal cells under a microscope to diagnose cancer), which appealed to Lisa because it is visual and helps people.  Wanting to make her art more than just a hobby, she enrolled in classes at the Memorial Art Gallery, became a member of the Irondequoit Art Club and went back to school, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Art at Empire State College, in 2004. Her art work and cytology careers have been working well together.  She helped design a brochure and logo for her department and helped with presentations for national meetings.  In her artwork, she likes to capture a moment, expressing a certain feeling or mood, beauty, serenity and nature. By slowing time to a certain moment, she hopes that when others see her artwork, they feel the message. She always strives to improve and grow in her art.

 

Mary Lou Swicklik.  Intuitive Geometry, the title of her first one-person show, has become a way of thinking and a way of painting. Often Swicklik’s paintings turn into puzzles which must be solved through redesign, reinterpretation or color. As a work progresses it leads her to a result which is interesting, unique and sometimes fun. The work ends with a sense of movement developed by the intuitive and planned use of color and shape. Swicklik’s exhibitions include one-person shows at My Sister’s Gallery; Barnes and Noble Cafe (Greeceridge Mall); the William’s Gallery and the Link Gallery. She has participated in group shows at the Ward Gallery, the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Channel XXl Showcase, Dyer Art Center (NTID),Nazareth College, Century Club, High Falls and other Rochester area galleries. She is a member of the Arena Art Group, the Irondequoit Art Club and a signature member of the Rochester Art Club. Mary Lou Swicklik was a member of Monroe Community College’s founding faculty and taught chemistry there for twenty years. Since taking early retirement she has earned a B.A. in fine arts from Empire State College where her mentor was Kurt Feuerherm.

 

Harriet "Bing" Thayer is one of the founding and still-active members of the Irondequoit Art Club. She is one of the area's most respected watercolor artists and teachers. She has been painting for over 70 years, and her reputation only grows with time. She currently teaches and sells from her home studio, and has affiliations with galleries across the United States. She has created over 4000 paintings and won 160 awards at the local, national and international levels. She received two additional outstanding awards at the fall 2000 Rochester Art Club juried exhibition at Nazareth College. She has exhibited in 62 group and one-person shows with works in over 3000 private and corporate collections in 27 states, Canada, England, Japan and India. She has experienced two solo shows, one at the Rochester Planetarium entitled “The Universe According to Bing” and the other at the Arts & Cultural Council in Rochester, NY entitled “Celebrating Bing”. At 94, Bing still creates and teaches. In 2001, she was honored with a program dedicated to her work, "Retrospective of an Artist," sponsored by the Rochester Art Club and filled to SRO capacity at the Nazareth College Arts Center by her enthusiastic fans.