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.”

DECEMBER 2020
Roohi Khan

Roohi first enjoyed art when studying Fine Arts as a subject 48 years ago in Morocco…Now she is loving painting again. She especially enjoys painting with oil, acrylic and watercolor. When Roohi paints, she feels relaxed and peaceful. Her subject matter is almost always peaceful landscapes or seascapes. As she paints, she realizes that every picture has a story behind it. 

Roohi says, “Sometimes I want to express sadness of the world in my paintings. There is always a story about everything in life.”

NOVEMBER 2020
Wanda Gomez

Wanda grew up an only child and needed to find ways to entertain herself. At a very young age she began trying to use different art mediums. She didn’t have any training so she didn’t pursue art at that time. Today, she is experimenting with different art mediums again and she likes them all. She has yet to find a favorite. 

When Wanda is painting, she feels relaxed. She says that all her anxieties fade away when she is creating art. “It is never too late to try something new. It has been a great experience making new friendships also.”

OCTOBER 2020
Reyna Martin

Reyna is born and raised in Orlando.  She first starting enjoying art on a first grade field trip to the Orlando Art Museum.  That was the day that she decided that she wanted to be an artist. She majored in art at UCF and received her BA in Art.   Reyna has worked at Walt Disney World for 20 years in costuming.  She currently supports all the entertainment costumes on the Disney Cruise Line.

Reyna loves working in oil paint and textiles.  She also enjoys photography.  When she is creating art, she feels happy and relaxed. Reyna says, “Art is a stress reliever for me….a way to escape and clear my head.”

When creating and enjoying art Reyna has learned that, “ Art is subjective, and you are always your own worst critic.  Have fun with art, experiment and try new things.  No one is perfect and perfect is boring….Everyone is an artist.”

SEPTEMBER 2020
Morgan

Morgan remembers enjoying art when she made a pony and did a really terrible job.  She was 5 years old and threw the pony away.  Then when she was 6 years old, she tried again and made a great pony.  She also remembers making fish in the big sea at her school.

Watercolor is her favorite medium.  She likes to paint different colors on top of colors to make new colors because watercolor is transparent.  Her favorite subjects to paint in watercolor are fish, ponies, mermaids and her most favorite subject to paint is dogs.

When Morgan is doing art she says she feels creative and kind.  She says, “I feel like I can make it good and it makes me smile.”  She likes to do art to relax at night and sometime she says, “to relax and then keep going and keep going and keep going.”

Morgan enjoyed art camp at The Art Room this summer.  She loved making dogs in the Dog Days camp.  Morgan also enjoys Mr. Cooney’s sculpture classes.  Morgan is a very creative and dedicated artist and she works hard to make her art better and better.

JULY 2020
Bo Faulkner

Bo has always had a passing interest in art and loves museums.  In 2016 he went to the Chicago Institute of Art and was so blown away.  He particularly was blown away by the Monet paintings and the realism of the Rembrandt paintings.  He knew then that he wanted to take up painting.

He took his first class against everyone’s advice in oil painting and really hasn’t found anything that he likes as much.  Acrylic dries so fast.  Bo likes the time flexibility that oil gives you.  When he started painting, he had a cheap set of paints and a gallon each of industrial paint thinner and linseed oil.  Now he uses artist grade Gamblin, Winson & Newton, Chauvin and Lukas colors.  Since taking classes at The Art Room he has started using Liquin and Liquin Impasto.

When doing his art, Bo says, “I forget about my problems and focus on the work.”  He feels happy when he paints.  He says, “If you don’t like something, paint it out.  To steal from ‘The War of Art’, a book that has been very motivating for me- ‘The muse has to find you working’.

JUNE 2020
Sandi Baier

Sandi first started enjoying art in high school however, she does remember painting a horse at her grandparents in Sant Rosa, California when she was 10 years old.

Sandi’s favorite medium is watercolor.  She says, “It has such a luminosity.”  Colored pencil is another of Sandi’s favorites because of the minute detail she can achieve. 

When asked how she feels when doing art, she said.  “I become quite focused when painting.  Painting in watercolors can be challenging…’the thinking person’s medium’.  I am determined to improve with each painting I create.  When I finish a painting, I am happy with……. I feel so accomplished.”

Sandi has learned many life lessons from doing her art.  She has learned patience with herself and with the medium.  (Even when she feels herself becoming frustrated.)  She has also met some wonderful supportive friends through painting.

Sandi says, “With every new piece, I learn a new lesson and have a new experience.”

MARCH 2020
Mary Martinez

Mary’s earliest memories of loving art began in kindergarten.  She was a shy, quiet child and one day the teacher took one of her drawings and held it up to the class to announce how beautiful it was.  She hung it on a special bulletin board for everyone to see.  Mary felt so happy and that feeling persisted every time she was able to create something.   Mary loves photography, stained glass, ceramics, crafting or scrapbooking.  Art has always brought her indefinite joy.

Mary has been taking classes at The Art Room for about a year now.  She has enjoyed taking an array of classes.  She says, “PJ’s drawing classes have strengthened my art foundation. She has taught me perspective, shadowing and so much more.  Having better drawing skills helps everything else. In Linda’s oil painting I’ve learned to focus on value and pay attention to composition. PJ’s acrylic classes have taught me to work with color and focus on techniques such as glazing and mark making. Linda’s watercolor classes have made me appreciate the translucence of the medium. Every amazing artist that has shared their talent in the wonderful workshops has added to my treasury of art nuggets.”  When asked which medium Mary likes best, she said, “it’s hard to pick just one, the buttery smoothness of oils, the looseness encouraged by acrylics, the transparency of watercolor, they all offer something to love. I can’t even wait to try one of Allison’s collage classes. It’s a work in progress, still learning and enjoying the journey.”

Mary says, “painting or drawing the mind escapes and leaves everything behind, all my worries are forgotten. The focus becomes the brushstroke, the shading, the color; the hours turn into minutes and time melts into creativity. There is a sense of renewal and achievement after time at the easel.”

“Art often imitates life or life can imitate art, either one works.  When painting mistakes happen and there is nothing that can’t be fixed with a little turpenoid, water or a q-tip. You can fix it or embrace it, work around the “mistake”. In life you do the same, fix it or embrace it. We grow from our missteps, there are no failures just lessons.  I had an unexpected change in my life and fortunately found The Art Room, it provided a place to heal my soul and feed my mind. I am forever grateful for the wonderful team of talented and warm human beings at The Art Room”

FEBRUARY 2020
Greta Shores

Greta has enjoyed art as long as she can remember.  She loves oil painting, watercolors and clay.  She enjoys them all but really finds clay the most satisfying and watercolor to be the most surprising and challenging.

Greta remembers her favorite quote from Goethe, ”When being creative, it is counterproductive to obsess about perfection.”    Greta paints with a very keen eye and has learned to conquer her painting through perseverance and thinking ahead when she does watercolor.  Her colors are soft and her values are very strong. 

Greta says, “I have been a student for many years at The Art Room, attending classes and workshops from time to time.  I always come back to enjoy the company of artists of all levels in a welcoming atmosphere.”

JANUARY 2020
Jim Martin

When Jim was a child his father picked up a paintbrush one day, dipped it in some acrylic paint and started painting…..something inside of him just gave him  the desire to express his creativity.  Jim thinks he just picked that up from him.  When he was 12-13 years old he dabbled off and on in art throughout high school and into his adult life.  When he retired, he had promised himself he would take some art classes and so that’s what he did and here he is at The Art Room.

Jim wanted to do something new and different so he is trying his hand at watercolor.  He knew it would be challenging, “but it’s that challenge that drives me.  I don’t think I could have envisioned a better environment.  The other students are so friendly.  I just enjoy being around them.  Linda is a talented and supportive instructor.  I love that she shows us her success as well as her failures.  She’s taught me to literally paint outside the lines and lets me know that it’s okay to not play it safe.”  Jim loves watercolor because the rules are different and that not only excites him but it gives him freedom to think outside of the box. 

Jim says, “When I’m painting, I feel calm and at peace.  I can block out the rest of the world and just concentrate on my art.”