Another artist in The Muses group is Peggy Kerwan.  Maybe because she teaches yoga weekly, Peggy is usually very energetic and productive when I have painted with her on Tuesdays.  Peggy typically has a palette full of colorful, acrylic paint globs beside her and a canvas that quickly gets covered with her expressive brush strokes.  Sometimes she uses a rag or a finger to make her "finger-paintings" and she's nicknamed, "the smudger."

Peggy is a self-taught artist and works in many mediums.  For the past year, she has been experimenting in mixed media, creating collages and mosaics with collected papers (t'art) and papers (oils), in addition to the mosaics of glass and wood.  She has created several pieces in encaustic, a blend of wax, pigments and resins.  Peggy, who accepts commissions, also has experience in painting wall murals, faux finishes, portraits & figurative, abstracts, photo-op posters, masks, and monoprints.

"My fondness of whimsy, which has allowed me to paint many children's murals, sometimes finds its way over into my portrait and figure work.  In the past I preferred to paint from my imagination, using bright colors and a sense of humor to express my high level of energy and positive outlook."

Peggy's art has been exhibited around the Detroit metro area:  Ferndale's Lawrence Street Gallery (www.lawrencestreetgallery.com), the Livonia Civic Center Library, South Lyon's The Menagerie Gallery, Novi's Picasso Cafe, Canton's Village Theater, Dexter's Daisy Lake Gallery (www.daisylakeartgallery.com), and the Detroit Artist Market (www.detroitartistsmarket.org).

Tonight, as part of the First Friday Art Walk, at the Northville Art House (www.northvillearts.org) is the opening reception of the exhibit "The Painted Stage, Theater Portrayed Through the Artist's Brush (A Tipping Point Collaboration)".   Peggy's art will be exhibiting (June 5 - 20) as well as fellow Muses: Linda Logan, Daria Fileta, Mary Step, Candace Brancik, Barbara Eko Murphy, and Jeff Cancelosi.  I know Peggy and the other Muses put a lot a planning, time, and effort into the initial Tipping Point Exhibit (May 2009) which is now the Northville Art House exhibit.  The results should be fantastic!

www.flickr.com/people/miss_peggy/











 

Teaching fellow artists has many rewards.  One reward is to meet an aspiring artist as a student and then be able to observe their artistic growth during class and outside of class.  One such student of mine is Marilyn Kooistra Marsh.

Marilyn came to my class one night as a guest, as her daughter, Caron Valentine-Marsh, was taking an oil painting class from me.  Marilyn was interested in that class' topic on portraiture.  She then enrolled in my following two classes.

After working 40 years as a social worker/researcher and librarian, Marilyn's retirement gave her time to explore art history and to take art classes.  She studied drawing at the Ann Arbor Art Center (www.annarborartcenter.org).  Marilyn studied watercolor with Barbara Starner and color theory/acrylics/experimental with Leslie Masters.  She then started using water mixable oil paints and exploring landscapes subjects/impressions from her travels to Europe and the US.

Marilyn is a member of the Ann Arbor Women Artists (www.annarborwomenartists.com).  In 2008, she had sixteen paintings shown at Gallery 55+ in Ann Arbor for three months.  Most recently, I had the pleasure to see her work at The Side Door Gallery (www.thesidedoorgallery.com) in Dexter, MI.  The May through June exhibit, "Generations Art Exhibit" has artwork from pairs of relatives, and Marilyn is sharing the wall space with her daughter, Caron.

Her artist's statement:  "A goal for my painting is to portray the beauty and sensuality of color, form, and texture through a variety of subjects and styles.  In landscape paintings 9"plein air" and from photos) I strive to portray a mood/emotional experience.  often I alter the actual colors in the landscapes and occasionally "convert" to an abstraction rather than a photographic image."

Marilyn is a "young" artist who is exploring all the delicious aspects of painting.  Her motifs and shapes are simple but solid, her color choices are vibrant and committed, and her compositions are balanced and playful.  Her joy in painting shows.  I'm looking forward to seeing more of her explorations.

Yesterday, our Tuesday painting group installed our exhibit - The Muses: 9 Metro Artists at the Livonia Civic Library.  Mary Step's artwork may be displayed at a later date.  Mary has some family health issues and we all wish her the very best.  Barbara Murphy was at the Lawrence Street Gallery for help with jurying The Body Electric Show.  www.LawrenceStreetGallery.com   

It took about two hours to arrange all the artwork on the panels and pedestals.  Also, we put on display a guest book, an artist information book, and our business cards.

Artwork of the postcard above are from -
Top row:  Candace Brancik, Jeff Cancelosi, Mary Step, Linda Logan,
Middle:  Barbara Eko Murphy,
Bottom row:  Debbie Valentine Matthews, Peggy Kerwan, Sandra Bozer, Daria Fileta.