Ellen taught all levels of art, including Painting and Advanced Art, for thirty five years at William Tennent High School and served as the K-12 Fine Arts Curriculum Coordinator for the Centennial School District.  She retired in June 2008 in order to devote full-time to her art.  As a versatile painter, Ellen enjoys watercolor, gouache, acrylic, oil and mixed media which all reflect her personalized colors.  She has also developed a unique technique in which she manipulates watercolor paper into 3-D shapes.

Ellen’s description of her 3-D watercolor technique:

Even as a child, I was fascinated with shadow boxes. I enjoyed creating colorful objects and arranging them in layers. As an adult artist over twenty years ago, I was determined to manipulate watercolor paper (not paper pulp) that I had embellished with vivid personalized watercolors and color pencils in to 3-D shapes. After much experimentation, I accomplished my goal.

I’ll never forget the moment when I held the first radiant seemingly fragile and yet permanently shaped piece in my hand. I was so excited that I telephoned my sister long distance. “Sis, I just created a 3-D shape from a piece of watercolor paper! I don’t know what I am actually going to do with it yet, but I am going to have fun!” Over the years, I have refined my first attempt into a technique that (as far as I know) is unique.

Pauline Suder’s greeting and note cards are made using her actual photographs, which are encased in top quality holders. The outside of the card can be plain or can be special occasion cards: Happy Birthday, Sympathy, Happy Holidays, Thinking of You, etc. The inside of the cards are always blank. The artist handwrites on the back the location of the scene, and signs the card, indicating that it is her original photography.

The cards are less expensive than those that are mass-produced and sold in stores, and on top of that, they are original works of art!

In 1998 I took an absolutely wonderful class at Peter’s Valley (Layton, NJ) and learned how to dye yarn.  I started Dancing Wind Weaving shortly after that, weaving in my basement, and playing with yarn all over again!  Originally a Jersey girl, I have since moved to Bethlehem PA, and my loom has been promoted to the living room.

I’m always amazed there is a new part of life to be learned in each day.  Observing all the differences and similarities that exist create a challenge of the simple versus the complex.  Life stimulates the senses and evokes various emotions that form enigmatic creations that ultimately represent my interpretation of the world around me.

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The majority of my work is thrown on the wheel, but I have recently been experimenting with hand building methods, and I’m happy with the results.  I use both porcelain and stoneware clay and a variety of glazing techniques.  The bulk of my work is high-fired and is safe for food, drink, dishwasher, and microwave use.

I have been finding the debate between “fine art” vs. functionality very interesting of late.  Why can’t a work be both functional as well as a piece of art?  I’m working on making that line between fashion and function all that much finer.

Rich says, “Because we have our own tile business, we have access to all kinds of unique and unusual materials.  I really enjoy mixing these elements to form a table that can be a collector’s item.”

Linda’s design background shines through with her frame creations.  “I too love working with different textures to create a one-of-a-kind frame,” Linda comments.  “We love marketing our creations at art and craft festivals on the east coast and we are displaying at several galleries and gift shops.”

Linda and Rich both love nature and are inspired by it.  One of their real joys is working directly with a client on a commissioned piece.  In blending the client’s creativity with their color and tile knowledge, they are able to produce ART!

Anyone can take a picture; however, Calvin Finley brings to photography the same creativity as a master painter brings to his canvas.  As a painter tries to elicit emotions from the viewer, Calvin seeks to elicit emotions as you view his work.  The emotions involved in Calvin’s photography are a dual process.  He is aware of the environment around him and captures the mood of the scene to share with the viewer.  For example, Calvin has captured the forest’s serenity in the beautifully photographed piece entitled “Tranquility” from the Hidden Forest Series.  There are times that a particular scene elicits and emotional connection with the environment and he sets his creative perspective on capturing this mood.

Calvin transitioned to digital photography in 2001.  He waited until the digital camera was technically capable of a performance level that met his exacting quality requirements.  Even though he switched to digital cameras he has not changed his processing methodology.  Simply stated, Calvin switched his darkroom to a digital age, embracing this change as a different way of doing things which also turned out to be environmentally friendlier.

Calvin brings traditional darkroom techniques to the digital era.  To bring a picture into the realm of art takes time, creativity, and years of experience.  Everything he performs in the digital darkroom is completely manual.  He uses techniques such as masking, dodging, montage, and layering; no auto-fix button in Calvin’s digital darkroom.  It is only with his years of traditional experience that he so successfully creates art that speaks to a person’s feelings, sentiment, and fantasies.

“Photography should stir the emotions from within.  You want to connect with the photograph; there should be a sense of balance, color, harmony, and a perspective that is pleasing to your eye.” –Calvin

Awards:

International Advertising Festival of New York

The Boli Award

International TV/Film Award

Pentax Camera Endorsement-Statue of Liberty Bicentennial

Bronica Camera Endorsement

Forte Black and White Photographic Paper Endorsement

Publications and Seminars:

Photography has appeared in Vogue, GQ, Interview, OMNI, Fortune, and numerous trade journals.  Articles on the art of photography have appeared in Studio Photography Magazine.  Taught the art and the business of photography to hundreds of students at numerous PHOTO EXPO conventions at the Jacob Javits Center.