Anita Alano grew up in Rochester, NY and moved to Pittsburgh thirty years ago.
Her medium of choice is watercolor, although she sometimes works in
acrylic or oil. Favorite subjects are natural objects, landscapes and wildlife,
realistically portrayed, but sometimes rendered with a feeling of fantasy as in a
storybook setting.
Pat Babcock has always been intrigued by Chinese brushpainting. While living in California
she had an opportunity to study traditional painting at the
Pacific-Asia Museum and has been a student of this artform ever since. Using authentic ink,
paper, colors, brushes and techniques she paints birds, flowers, and
landscapes in the "gong-bi" or fine-line style.
Margo Barraclough is a native Pittsburgher, who loves to paint the local scene, but
also occasionally records her travels. She spent many years
teaching Middle School in the Bethel Park Unified Arts Art program. Because of that
experience, the medium Margo uses tends to change with the subject.
After graduating from the Cleveland Art Institute of Art in the 1960s, Stan Bookser spent
30 years learning the art business. He worked for ad
agencies, large corporations, and as a staff photographer for Columbia Gas. When the
commercial art industry dried up, he worked in the Security business for a while,
but soon realized it was time to do what he loved best. He bought a new camera, and started over.
Ann Bregman (Rascoe) is a graduate of Hunter College in New York City. She studied with Robert
Motherwell and Doug Kingman Ann has had seven
one-person shows and has had her work displayed in many juried shows,
taking several awards. Ann works in watercolor, pastel, and collage. She has done pen and ink
illustrations for private clients and the media..
Bill Ceriani is a self-taught artist working in oil, acrylic, and pastel.
He paints still life, figures, and the western Pennsylvania landscape. He
has been influenced by many artists, especially Caravaggio, La Tour, the Flemish
Primitives, and the Impressionists. He seeks to create a specific mood and a personal
perspective in each painting through color, texture, rhythmic pattern, and a sense of light.
With a background in mathematics, he is also a classical musician.
Lynn is a self-taught acrylic painter recording the flow of life and how
it reflects the aura of musical color that surrounds us. He started in 1999
on a whim and became more serious a few years ago when his work was surprisingly
accepted in his first screening for a juried show. Since then his work has been in
many shows in the Pittsburgh area. Member of SHAL, PSA, and AAP.
For the past 14 years Jen has worked as a full-time Art teacher in West Mifflin Area School
District. She lives in Greentree with her husband and two children. She has exhibited her work
(sculpture previously) since graduating from IUP in 1994. Jen's collage work is made from a
combination of hand-painted and drawn images and found images from old and discarded children's
story books. Color dictates much of the final results, considering that, once she starts gluing
onto the already-completed background, she basically cannot change her mind or risk ruining the entire collage..Jen can work with any subject matter or color scheme, according to buyers' wishes
Mary Dunn, born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1952, and has been living all her life around the
suburb of West Mifflin, not far from the big city. As with many artists, she was drawing and oil
painting at an early age. Her love for art never ceases and through the years, it has become a way
of expression and relaxation. Mostly self-taught, Mary Dunn has worked primarily in oils; however,
recently she has been working in pastels, acrylics, and watercolors.
Mary holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Carlow University in Business and a Master's degree from
Carnegie Mellon University in Public Management. She is a member of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators,
Pittsburgh Pastel Artist League and sits on the board of the Steel Valley Arts Council.
Carolyn Haas is a self-taught artist, starting out with the medium of oil,
over 30 years ago, and ending up with the medium of colored pencil, in more
recent years. She earned an associate degree in commercial art and design,
but works mainly as a freelance fine artist. She has
been a member of the South Hills Art League for about 16 years, earning
various awards over the years. Carolyn is also a member of CPSA
(Colored Pencil Society of America) since 1998, being accepted into 4
International shows, earning her signature membership, after the 3rd
invitation to the show. She currently has her work in private homes
in Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, England and Poland.
Carolyn works mainly with the subject of wildlife and nature, but also works
with still life, and has done some portrait work. She has also discovered the
digital world, and is exploring possibilities with her photography,
having photographed wedding receptions and using Photoshop for ultimate results.
She is also enjoying Photoshop work of her personal photographs, and hoping to
finally create a website for this and prints of her pencil works of art.
Cheryl Kelly has been a working artist in the Pittsburgh area for the past 18 years.
She has worked in mixed media and photography, but has dedicated
the past two years to pastel pet portrait art. Working with different domestic animals
has given Cheryl great pleasure, both as a person and as an artist.
Judith Lauso was born in Pittsburgh, PA. and has always known that she wanted
to be an artist from a very early age. She received her art education
and graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh.
Judith presently works mainly in watercolor, pen and ink doing landscapes, figure, and
still life renderings. She is a member of SHAL, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, PSA,
and Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators.
Frances Marze is a retired teacher, and a member of several local art leagues.
Although she works in many different media, her favorites are pastel,
watercolor, and mixed media. Fran has been working on a series of paintings using her
mother's poetry and themes such as friendship and weeping women. She also enjoys
painting in outdoors with the Plein-air Painters of Western Pennsylvania. In May of
2006 she had a collaborative exhibition at Boxheart Gallery ("Plein-air, a chair
and more") with fellow SHAL artist Carol Donnelly. Her work volunteering as a docent
at the Carnegie Museum of Art keeps her in close contact with the work of the
masters, which is such a joy.
Michele, a native Pittsburgher, has been interested in art since grade school
when she attended the Tam O'Shanter classes at the Carnegie Museum.
She continues studying oil painting and enjoys painting all types of genres,
including still life, landscapes, pet and people portraits.
After attending four years of commercial art school, Patsy Olsen Benincasa
follows her interest in art by doing pastel and oil portraits, murals,
watercolors, and ceramic tile painting. While living in New York for ten years,
she hand-painted clothing and worked in the art department of book publishing company
doing line drawings.
also a member of CPSA
(Colored Pencil Society of America) since 1998, being accepted into 4
International shows, earning her signature membership, after the 3rd
invitation to the show. She currently has her work in private homes
in Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, England and Poland.
Carolyn works mainly with the subject of wildlife and nature, but also works
with still life, and has done some portrait work. She has also discovered the
digital world, and is exploring possibilities with her photography,
having photographed wedding receptions and using Photoshop for ultimate results.
She is also enjoying Photoshop work of her personal photographs, and hoping to
finally create a website for this and prints of her pencil works of art.
