Artist of the Month
Yelena Nelipa
“Originally from Moscow, Russia, I graduated from college as an IT specialist and worked in IT depart-ments both in Russia and in the USA after my family moved here nearly 30 years ago. However, I have always had a passion for art and took some art classes in Moscow. My father collected books, many of which were about art history, famous painters and museum collections, and I spent countless hours reading and enjoying them.
I love traveling with my husband; we visit museums, explore art galleries, and take long walks in nature and cities, constantly captivated by the beauty of the world. I also love gardening and have a large collection of indoor plants.
Here in Walpole, I studied in the art studio of Rosemarie Morelli, a local artist and mentor who has been a significant influence on my work. Primarily, I create oil paintings, focusing on landscapes and flowers.
Painting is one of the great pleasures of my life.”
Nan Daly
“I’ve been a high school English teacher, a drama director, a college admissions counselor, a professional calligrapher, the co-owner/designer of a greeting card company, and a member of Two by Three Collaborative Collage — but when I discovered watercolors I found a serious commitment to art. That was forty years ago. Although I’ve taken classes at the MFA , the DeCordova, and the New Art Center, I credit Karlyn Holman for showing me how to paint loose and tight in the same painting, and to always keep pushing the medium.
Most of my work has been abstract landscapes and realistic flowers, but lately I have been exploring mixed media and trying to use up some of the extra art supplies I’ve amassed—especially those that I can’t even remember buying, or why. I’ve also been investigating the concept of mindful art: I can meditate with a brush in my hand (though doing art really is a meditation, don’t you think?).
I’ve had solo shows, rejoiced at winning ribbons, tried to be philosophical when I didn’t, exhibited in galleries, taught workshops, given numerous demonstrations, juried shows, and held an annual open studio in my home. Artists need other artists, activities, a sense of community. Active art associations like DAA answer that need. I’m also a Signature Member of the New England Watercolor Society and of the Rhode Island Watercolor Society, and I delight in being part of a tiny group of artists whom my husband has named “The Art Babes.” Although I don’t get out to meetings often, I hope to keep contributing to DAA backstage.”
Judith Robichaud
“Although I always knew that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up, I took a circuitous way to finding myself as a painter after years of doing other things other than what I love: art & nature. Instead I studied Russian language and literature and ended up doing nothing related to my education and became a user experience designer. I now freelance and paint whenever I can. I came back to painting after taking studio classes at the Museum School at the MFA and various workshops with area artists such as Ellen Rolli, Ron Krouk, Karen O’Neill, Al Gury, Julie Beck, Zhanna Cantor, and Martha Wakefield. I gravitate towards nature — especially birds and the landscape. I tend to paint small in an “alla prima” or direct style where I react to the scene at hand and attempt to start and finish a painting in one session. My process includes photographing subjects, making collages of the images and then transforming them into paintings.”
Brian Reddy
I am a visual art educator, teaching drawing, painting, and digital art at Wellesley High School for the past 11 years and have just recently moved to Dedham. I love to use marks, shapes and symbols in my works! I try to create work that embraces imperfections in materials and my process. My work is impulsive and rough but often pursues elegance.
Whether my work is in dialogue with art history, depicting a new location, or sketching a cartoon, I try to craft content that is both complex and confusing while playful and inviting.
Ellen Little
“My creative spirit was nourished as a child during my summers on the beach in Marshfield, MA. Drawing in the sand and in sketchbooks was my way of preserving my many discoveries. As a small child, I was captivated by the world around me. After graduating from Newton HS, I majored in Art History at Wellesley College with a renewed inspiration for creating after studying drawing and printmaking under Sigmund Abeles.
I was able to feed my passion for creating during my thirty-six year career teaching art in in Framingham, MA. From 1968 through 2006 professional development at MA College of Art, Danforth Museum School and numerous other classes and workshops expanded my artistic voice. Those years developed me as an artist with vast exposure to and experiences with many artists, museums and mediums. Giving younger generations their voice through the language of art was rewarding, but teaching and my two children limited my time for focusing on my own work. Since retiring in 2006, I have had the luxury of devoting my time to my painting. My previous focus had been watercolor and pastel. My son’s retirement gift to me was a complete oil painting setup and lessons with Robert Douglas Hunter. I have been fortunate since to study with Susan Kelley, Jonathan Leo Fairbanks, Dianne Panarelli Miller and currently with Rosemarie Morelli. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to manage The Norwood Fine Artists Gallery and Studio in Norwood for the NAA from 2013 until we closed in October 2020 due to renovations and Covid.
My current work is primarily focused on seeing the beauty in the world; it may be a flower in my garden, a stunning beach sunset, my granddaughter and other family members experiencing something special or just something that evokes a memory I want to preserve.
Painting brings me joy. After years of working for others, it is something I do for my own satisfaction. It is rewarding to be able to create whatever I want.”
Leslie Bowen
I fell in love with art as a high school student at Cushing Academy, and went on to major in art history at McGill University. As a student at McGill, I interned in the registrar’s office of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. After I graduated, I worked at the Alpha Gallery on Newbury Street in Boston for a number of years, and it was there that I first immersed myself in the art world and began collecting paintings of artists I liked.
Working in the gallery gave me a close up view of what it was like to be an artist and a chance to see works up close by some modern American masters, including Milton Avery and Fairfield Porter. I prefer representational painting in general and find the way they simplify form and color appealing. I also admire the work of more contemporary painters working in the same tradition, like Tim Tait.
Eventually, what I admired in the works of others made me want to paint too! Over the years, I have studied with various teachers, taking courses locally at the DeCordova Museum, Mass Art, RISD, and with individual artists. When I retired in 2021, I began to paint more regularly and joined the Dedham Art Association. Most recently, I have been studying online in a small group workshop with Jean Kondo Weigl through the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA) in Oberlin, Ohio, and with Shelby Dillon Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida.
My husband and I have a home on Achill Island in Ireland, and the landscapes there are a favorite subject of mine. Just gazing out the window of our cottage can make you want to get out and paint! The changing light and weather conditions are as much a subject as the scene itself. Many artists, including Paul Henry, Robert Henri, and Camille Souter, have found inspiration for their art on Achill Island.
In my own work, I try to create a sense of believable light through the expressive use of color. I’m inspired by the beauty I see around me, whether an expansive view of sea and mountains or a simple bouquet of flowers in a vase. I like to paint loosely, and quickly, to create energy and movement in my painting. I love the physicality of paint and want my paint and brushstrokes to show my hand in making the painting.”
Joan Twining
Joan Twining began exploring life as a visual artist as early as high school, where photography and drawing were her focus and laid the foundation for “seeing” as an artist. At the University of Vermont, she became interested in zoology and horticulture, later studying landscape design at Harvard’s Landscape Institute and starting an independent design practice while raising a family. “The practice of landscape design was a creative pursuit for me, bringing science and art together, as if painting in slow motion in three dimensions,” she observes. Studying design principles was an excellent education for painting as well.
The desire to paint in oil was always a calling, finally fulfilled with private instruction, workshops, and demos in oil and pastel with numerous generous, talented instructors from the New England region. Joan strives to capture the essence of the New England landscape, influenced by living near the coast during the summer and spending time in Vermont in past winters. “New England has such diverse landscape elements, from sea to mountain, and different seasons offering ever-changing light and color opportunities. I am continually inspired by this region.” She considers her style that of classical realism, and has an affinity for the Boston School and Cape Ann School painters. As an equestrian and animal-lover, she also paints commissions of beloved pets or images that explore animals and their relationship with humans.
Joan continues to be inspired by animals, seacoast landscapes, New England vernacular and gardens, and recently, travel to Italy, which has inspired a series. “I am drawn to these places where the power of nature and light takes your breath away. Painting is an opportunity to slow down an embrace those moments to share them with a larger audience.”
Joan is a member of Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists, The Wellesley Society of Artists, Dedham Art Association, North River Art Association, and Cape Cod Art Center. Visit her website at joantwiningfineart.com for more information or to view more of Joan’s work or to commission a painting or private instruction.
Gianna Bird
“Hi! I am an artist, maker, problem solver, and teacher, with a strong interest in how things work. After a lifetime of crafting, 25 years of silversmithing, and a deep love of nature, watercolor has become my lasting obsession. In 2011 I began taking classes from local artists, Imadiel Ariel and Nan Rumpf, and my life was changed. I love watercolor for so many reasons, but I think it’s mainly for its challenge. Every time I pick up the brush I have to be ready and present for whatever adventure, and surprise, is coming.
A few years ago I began working at the Dedham Library, offering programs for adults, and although I didn't feel like I knew quite enough to teach watercolor, I knew that if you really want to learn something, teach it! So, I taught beginner watercolor classes during the pandemic and these classes are still going. I have learned so much! Joining the Dedham Art Association has also helped me broaden my learning, through the wonderful demos and talks that have been offered, and the plein air events I've been fortunate to attend.
I recently realized that my creative work not only involves making my own art, but also creating opportunities for others to explore their world and themselves in new ways. So, I’ve taken this realization and built an online space for classes and workshops. In these classes, I try to encourage adult students to experiment and explore, to feel confidence in their own artistic abilities and discover novel ways of self-expression. This has fostered a sense of community and connection, going beyond technical skills, that makes me really happy.
Through my online platform, which is donation-based, my goal is to create a virtual space where individuals from all walks of life, and from around the world can come together to learn, grow, find inspiration, and be creative.
Crafting an Artful Life, can be found on my website, giannabird.com.
Jonathan Ralton
“Focusing on the constructed architecture and natural landscapes around us, I aim to frame storied perspectives that convey a sense of place and time.
From early college studies through continued workshops and self-learning, I was trained in film on the crest of the digital wave. Opportunistically combining my technical acumen, creative mindset, and explorer drive, my journey is not just about producing a finished artwork… I enjoy discovering and traveling to new places and experimenting in the field — or capturing an unexpected inspiring view along everyday routes.
Always endeavoring to evolve my techniques, I am venturing into drone photography.
I've very much enjoyed the opportunities to exhibit with the Dedham Art Association, as well as contribute some of my various talents on several volunteer projects!”
Nancy Zacks
My art is the manifestation of a life-long habit of observation. I use color, shape, and line to record my impressions of the beauty and diversity of the natural world. My current work is based on daily visits to the fields and forests around my home in Medfield, MA and the observed lives of my companion animals.
“I grew up in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and spent my summers in the scientific community of Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Julie Child, a neighbor and biological illustrator, sparked my early interest in biological illustration - the accurate representation of nature in the service of science. In college, I majored in Art and Biology with a focus on medical and biological illustration. A full-time job in research chart illustration brought me to Boston where I attended the Boston University Graduate Program in Scientific Communication. I moved to Providence, RI in 1994 and worked as a scientific and technical writer while taking art courses at The Rhode Island School of Design, the Rhode Island Watercolor Society, and The East Side Art Center, a community studio school. I retired from writing in 2019 in order to study drawing and painting full time.”
Naomi Wilsey
Naomi Wilsey paints primarily in watercolors with traditional subject matter. She also paints in the Japanese brush painting style called “sumi-e” which means “ink painting.” Naomi is an art teacher and has a background in graphic design and marketing and communications. She majored in Fine Arts and Education at the University of Colorado and holds a master’s degree in Communications Management from Simmons College where she taught graduate school after graduating.
“A special part of painting to me, is to get lost in the ‘flow.’ That is, to be focused and in the moment of the process where time and place disappear. Florals, landscapes and seascapes are among my favorites for subject matter. Plein air painting is my way to connect with nature. It’s peaceful and gives me time to appreciate natural beauty,” comments Naomi.
She adds, “One quirky type of painting I do is to sketch watercolors in moving vehicles – planes, trains, cars and boats. Don’t worry. It’s when I’m a passenger. I sometimes use pen and ink before or after painting. It’s good practice because when I paint in my stationary studio or at our Dedham Art Association weekly Painting Group, it feels easier!”
In the past couple of years, Naomi has been invited to display her artwork in solo exhibitions at Goddard House Assisted Living in Brookline and Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea, Natick. Her paintings have been juried into national and member exhibits with New England Watercolor Society and Rhode Island Watercolor Society and exhibits at the Rockport Art Association & Museum, Gallery Twist and Zullo Gallery.
Communicating through art and about art is important to Naomi. She enjoys participating in Needham Open Studios to be able to talk with visitors about her art and processes. She’s given demonstrations / workshops and served as a juror for art associations and loves meeting other artists as a result.
Naomi is the current Programs vice president of the Dedham Art Association and a past president. She belongs to local art associations and participates yearly in Needham Open Studios.
Her career roles include public school art teacher, Advertising Manager at Prentice Hall publishing, Senior Marketing Manager for IBM and Marketing Director for Optum (United Healthcare Group.)
She paints and teaches art lessons in her home studio in Needham, MA and is married to kind and patient David, who is a member of Dedham Art Association.
Website: https://naomiwilseyart.com/
Ivona Bogojevic
“I began drawing and coloring since I was 5 years old and developed two loves for creating colorful art and studying music— the piano. I chose to dedicate my time to piano that later became my life's profession in performing and teaching. Though I never completely abandoned art, I continued drawing as a hobby. After I married my husband, his uncle, a famous European painter, inspired and encouraged me to take up oil painting. My husband and I are from Belgrade, Serbia. We moved to Paris, New York and Boston to become US Citizens. Having more time for art, I explored pastels and watercolor then discovered my true passion for oil painting…”
Inga Dankers
“I was very surprised and honored to be asked to be the Artist of the Month.
I am happy to be part of the Dedham Art Association, taking workshops, going to events, and now especially to be part of the Tuesday Painting Group. It is this great talented group that I am joining to stimulate, motivate and revitalize my art life again. Upon recently retiring and moving out of a home of 36 years in Medfield and now living in Arlington and doing elder care and becoming a grandmother, I am trying to figure out my new art life which has sadly been minimized…”
Richard Pepp
“After I retired from a busy schedule teaching English at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, I became a part-time teacher at Suffolk University. I thought I needed a hobby as well, and I decided to join a class to try to paint with watercolors. After all, I reasoned, I used watercolors as a kid; how hard could it be?…”
Grace Carroll
“Thank you Dedham Art Association for this honor!
I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I have lived a very full life. I married an American, and his job lead us to move around, which bolstered my life long fascination with local languages and art.
Eventually we moved to Puerto Rico where l raised my children and lived as a single mother. I worked for a large pharmaceutical company in the field of Health & Wellness traveling across the entire island. After 30 years in Puerto Rico l moved to Boston where l got married and started a new life. In spite of the dramatic change in temperatures and leaving behind the beautiful Caribbean, l loved Boston from the start…”
Linda Mellen
I am truly honored to be chosen as the Artist of the Month!
I started painting ten years ago but have always been interested in art. I began painting when I joined a weekly painting group with a small group of wonderful women lead by Diana Hampe. There is always Andrea Bocelli playing in the background for us which makes the class very enjoyable. I paint with water - based oil, watercolor and acrylic. I like to paint landscapes and scenes from my travels, flowers, birds and sometimes eyeballs! My current painting that I am working on, is a landscape from Tuscany, Italy.
Many years ago I took a few pottery and sculpture classes which I really enjoyed. I was awarded a scholarship to Mudflat Studio, which was then in Cambridge. I later took a few wheel-throwing courses at Henriette Dresden’s studio in Norwood…”
Lauren Karp Kinghorn
Lauren Karp Kinghorn is a Boston-based printmaker, painter, and mixed-media artist. She is the founder of Charles River Art in Needham, her creative and professional home for fine art, studio work, teaching, and art therapy.
Lauren received a BS in Psychology from Union College, a MA in Expressive and Art Therapy from Lesley University, and also studied at the Decordova Museum School…”
Judith Stein
“I am a painter and mixed media artist from Needham, Massachusetts. Even though I was convinced that I could never be an artist, I began painting relatively late in life (in my 60’s) on a whim. Painting was supposed to be my husband’s new pastime, but after seeing how much fun he was having slathering paint on a canvas, I joined in immediately and I haven’t stopped since!…”
Richard Scott
“I am now a retired surgeon. I am a self-taught artist and began painting and drawing shortly after I eloped with my wife in 1963 during our Junior year in college. I started out doing abstract paintings and sold them to help make ends meet. I soon decided to try to emulate the impressionists so I could learn their technique…”
Sheila Davis
“I have been involved in the art world all of my life, both professionally and personally. I taught Elementary School Art in Needham for 24 years, then Middle School Art for 3 years and I continue to be a representational artist showing work throughout New England. I feel very fortunate to have a passion and love for painting and have taken advantage of many educational opportunities. I attribute many of my accomplishments to the creative path I have taken. As a painter, I work with oil paint and soft pastels. Although oil sometimes feels more professionally acceptable, I am more partial to pastel for the vibrancy and complexity that can be achieved layering the color. Having spent many years on the Maine coast, I am often drawn to ocean and marsh themes. I love the challenge of capturing the color, light and movement. I seem to waver between power and peacefulness. I remain very grateful to have my art…”