JUNE 2021
Ann Marie Dipietro

Ann has always enjoyed various forms of art since she was a child. Projects that involved drawing were always her favorite in school. Ann has tried many types of arts and crafts through the years. Sewing, crochet, paper mache, stained glass, cross stich……....She is the go to person when her family has an art project.

Ann is the photographer in her family. She has taken thousands of photos over the years, many times thinking, “I’ll paint that someday.” She finally worked up the courage to paint with watercolor and she loves it! Ann says, “I feel a sense of accomplishment.”

Time flies when Ann is painting. She is still trying to find her flow in planning and getting started but when the paint touches the paper it starts to relax her. “When I see the final project, I’m amazed that I did it. I feel accomplished and pleased.”

Ann says, “I’ve learned to be patient with myself. The first step to learning something new is the first step. Someday is today. Just relax and don’t be too critical of ‘mistakes’. Let them work for your painting.  Having a creative outlet really feeds the soul. It helps me see the beauty around me.”

MAY 2021
Larissa Perez

Larissa first starting enjoying art when she was around 7 years old. Art was an elective for her school and she was fascinated with all the bright colors and the intricate shapes but felt that she was not learning anything about the details of Art. This was when she started taking private art lessons.

Larissa enjoys all the art mediums although she says watercolor and acrylics can give her a headache. Larissa says, “For me Art is precision, which is why I enjoy oils the most.” When she is painting in oil she can just block out the world. It is harder for her to do that when painting a loose painting. Larissa loves to paint the details. “Art has developed my eye for details in all aspects. I can never be less than perfect.”

APRIL 2021
Katelyn Manucy

Katelyn has enjoyed Art all of her life. She has created Art as long as she can remember. When she was 7 years old, her mom found The Art Room and she began attending painting classes. Later on, she started to attend Mr. Cooney’s classes and began creating sculptures and stop motions animation videos.

Katelyn’s favorite mediums are polymer clay and stop motion animation. She likes both of these mediums equally. When asked how she feels when she is creating Art, Katelyn said, “I feel happy when I’m creating Art, like I’m in my own little world. Creating Art has taught me that not everything is going to be perfect and that’s OK!”

Katelyn would like to thank Mr. Cooney for being an incredible teacher and for teaching her how to do so many of her favorite things. She says, “I always have a wonderful time and go home feeling happy.”

MARCH 2021
Ana Maria Veiga

Ana has enjoyed art from a very young age. Both of her parents were talented artists and they encouraged her to sketch and color when she was in grade school. Ana says, “I believe I was the only child that shaded and highlighted when I colored with my crayons.” 

Ana enjoys the unique qualities of all the art mediums. She feels most comfortable painting in oil because of the lengthy drying time that allows her to develop her painting and easily correct mistakes. She likes the great range of rich and beautiful colors and the smoothness of the paint application. She finds painting in oil both peaceful and soothing. 

Ana feels like she is connecting with the beauty in nature when she is painting. She says, “the subtilties of color, light, movement are easily overlooked and underappreciated. When I paint, I focus on light to create a mood, then include a gesture or element that is awkward or unexpected to tell a story. It could be a tilt of a head or gentle pass of a hand or a distorted way of sitting or a twitch of a nose to take my artwork from static to one that visually tells a story.” 

Painting has taught Ana that to categorize all beings and natural creations into a group is a great disservice to Mother Nature. “Everything is unique,” she says. “You will never see the same sunset, smell the same flower after it wilts, hear the same rustle of wind, or touch another individual or being as the ones that are in your life. The emotions might be the same but the object or subject cannot be replicated. So, I eliminate the noise and appreciate what I love and try to preserve the memory in my art.”

JANUARY 2021
David Ziglar

David’s earliest memory of enjoying art was when he came to Mrs. Allison’s Preschool class at The Art Room. He looked forward to coming to paint every month. His favorite mediums are acrylic and clay. He says, “I like to paint cool pictures and make cool sculptures out of clay. You can get messy and make really cool stuff.” David says he feels happy when he does art because he is having fun. “When I am painting, I am thinking about what I will paint next and how it will look when I get done.” He says that art teaches you not to get frustrated about your art. “If you get frustrated, then you think you can’t and then you can’t.”