Meet the Art Guild Members-Feature Artist -Jane Hazell
As many of us have done, Jane Hazell started drawing when she was a young child with most of her subjects being animals; the family dogs, horses and a variety of four- legged critters. Today the work of this self-taught artist includes many subjects. Still the area of her expertise remains the beautifully accurate portrayal of horses and other wildlife. Jane’s medium is primarily pastels using stick, pencils and pan pastels. She also uses graphite and charcoal as well as painting in acrylic.
Admittedly a true country girl, Jane lives out in the boonies with her husband, Tom, and their german shepherd, “Princess Rida”, in a little slice of heaven near Tippecanoe. Jane has a really good hand with horses. Riding since age five, she has done extensive trail riding (“all over Ohio”), enjoyed horseback camping and for years showed quarter horses in the Western Pleasure discipline.
Jane is now illustrating book covers for local author, Jamie Beans. To see more of this talented artist’s work visit her website www.artbyjanehazell.weebly.com.
Meet the Art Guild Members-Feature Artist -Bill Boose
Retired manufacturing engineer, Bill Boose, had never thought about being an artist. Discerning between colors red/brown, blue/purple or any shade of green classified him as color blind when he joined Navy, two years before his marriage to Judy in 1955. But five years after his retirement from Gradall, a chance conversation with Leona Dodds on a group bus trip prompted Judy to point him in the direction of a new hobby. Her gift to Bill that Christmas was art supplies and enrollment in an art class with artist, Kimberly Erb in 2000.
His appreciation of fine art, coupled with the precision of an engineer, a good teacher and a wife who helps choose the right colors when he needs help has produced an artist whose vibrant, realistic oil paintings are memorable and pleasing to the eye. Bill’s new hobby has proven to be rewarding in many ways and underscores the true value of having a soul mate that really knows and loves him. He has completed over 100 paintings and sold a number of them to customers who return to venues where he shows his work to purchase yet another of his pieces.
When teacher, Kimberly, moved to Columbus, her students did not want to stop meeting to paint together and some have continued to do so, first in Magnolia at Kathleen Greer’s home and more recently at the Center for the Arts each Monday. Look for more of Bill’s paintings in the TCAG web Gallery. I promise you will have a hard time choosing just one favorite.
Meet the Art Guild Members-Feature Artist -Vivian Sickafoose
As the TCAG celebrates its 50th year, we honor Vivian Sickafoose who is a lifetime member. Vivian wrote the original history of the Guild in 1987. She has a small front room studio that is still set up for painting and she ponders beginning another piece. "You get an idea...right now I can see a branch with a bird." She's enjoyed painting landscapes and animals. Only a few pieces of her art remain with her, but she proudy remembers that a young man purchased one of her paintings and sent it to Germany. "So I have one painting in Germany!"
As a child Vivian copied images from comic pages and later learned that her father carried one of her comic sketches in his wallet for many years. When she saw the work of local artists at a TCAG show in the 70's she was hooked. "I wasn't in the guild from the beginning but was coaxed to join by my good friend, Leona Dodds." As their friendship grew and Leona was asked to teach an art class at Dover's Senior Center, Vivian and Leona worked as a team and Vivian "kept the books." That was over 30 years ago. As Vivian searches her memory she says with a twinkle in her eye, "My mind is so good...I'm saving it!" March 2016 she celebrated her 95th birthday with her family. "I haven't lost in interest in thinking of the Guild, I just haven't been able to attend. It's an organization that even though you don't go, you still feel you're a part of it. They can't take that away from you."
Younger friends, Linda York (Leona Dodd's niece) and Mary Kay Wilson take her to the Senior Center on Mondays to play Bingo, an outing Vivian enjoys. An artist with a pencil, painting and words, she also authored over 50 poems that delightfully reveal her funny bone and faith. Her son, Alan and his wife Jessica, put many of her poems in a book for her, a loving tribute for a gentle lady who expresses joy with art and poetry.
Meet the Art Guild Members-Feature Artist -Arlene Dusini
Although Arlene Dusini had enjoyed sketching since she was a little girl, she never picked up an artist's paint brush until she retired from Bank One and realized it would be a good idea to have a hobby. Arlene signed up for art lessons under the skillful direction of Kimberly Erb and joined the Tuscarawas County Art Guild in 2001. Her work clearly shows that all the sketching she did was the foundation for the excellent oil paintings she has done. "Painting is a lot easier than sketching," can only be said by someone who has a lot of drawing behind them.
After graduating high school, Arlene went to the Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts and worked in Washington, D.C. for the Navy Department. When a friend urged her to go to San Francisco, she found a job there as a legal secretary, promising her mother she wouldn't stay. A year later she returned to Tuscarawas County, and married Frank Dusini after a short courtship and they will celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary in 2016. Frank is a pharmacist; the founder and original owner of Dusini Drugs in New Philadelphia. Together they raised three boys and two girls, all born within five years. Although Bryan, the oldest son, is a career commercial artist, all of their five children are creative adults.
With her family grown and relocated, artistic expression enriches Arlene's time. She meets with other artists on Monday at the Center for the Arts to paint for a few hours and paints at home as well every week. She also takes her commitment seriously as an Art Guild member and is one of the friendly voices we hear calling monthly to inform us of the next meeting and planned program. If you attended Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church during the past twenty five years, the organist you heard was Arlene. She devoted twenty years there but admits she enjoys the piano more and plays piano every day at home. Arlene says, "I walk by it and have to sit down and play" ...much the same way a painting in process calls for attention. Color and movement in art and music gladdens the heart and sweetens the journey. You'll see that in Arlene's oil paintings.
Anyone who has attended a Tuscarawas County Art Guild show will come away remembering
the award winning photographs of Levi Keim, Beach City photographer/artist, who has been taking pictures for over 60 years.
Fascinated by living things in his rural surroundings, Levi began taking pictures with a box camera when he was a teenager. His passion continued as he sharpened his skills through photography seminars and years of independent work to the extent that a raindrop in his work could perfectly mirror the beauty around it.
Some of his favorite locations to set up his tripod are the Wilderness Center in Wilmont, Hocking Hills and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. His subjects extend far beyond flora and fauna in Ohio. Some of his most beautiful work is from the Rocky Mountain States: South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and Arizona.
From a Kodak box camera, to 35mm slides, to digital equipment today, technology has changed and Levi has moved with the times.
At age 77 he continues to broaden his horizons taking classes now in oil painting. Levi Keim is an inspiration and a reminder to all creative people to press on with your dreams.
January 2016 Feature Artist - Levi Keim
December 2015 Feature Artist - Vivian Mosley
As a 4 year old child sitting in Sunday school Vivian began to draw. Her Sunday school teacher told her mother that she had talent and was advanced for her age. It’s always been a passion of hers to draw, sculpt or paint.
For more than a decade she has proven to be a valuable designer for numerous businesses and ultimately is fully independent, doing free lance work from her studio. Working in a variety of mediums; colored pencils, markers, digital, collage, oils, acrylics and water color, the beauty of her work speaks for itself. A few of her collage prints are on display at our winter show at the Center for the Arts, November 21st through December 31st, 2015.
The first Art Scholarship Award ever presented by the TCAG was given to Vivian Mosley and helped pay for her transportation back and forth to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. As our new website is presented in November 2015 it is only fitting that our first featured artist is Vivian. She is responsible for creating and launching our new website, devoting hours of work for the guild. We are fortunate to have her as a member. Vivian's passion for art as "something I need to do to feel complete" has spilled over onto us and raised the TCAG image to new heights. Thank you, Vivian.
