John Andrea

Has lived in Western New York State all of his life and spends his free time taking in every aspect of the outdoors.  This has been the impetus for him to study and paint wildlife.  His work has been published on six covers of “Florida Woods and Waters Magazine”, as well as on the covers of “Muskie Inc. Magazine”, and “New York Conservationist, “Turkey Call Magazine,” and “Fur, Fish and Game Magazine” have also published his illustrations.  The Society of Animal Artists, Inc. chose him to have a one-man show at the Art and Animal Exhibition presented by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.  His paintings have been displayed in the Galerie D’Accord in Bemus Point, NY; the G&R Wildlife Gallery in West Seneca, NY; the Foxfire Gallery in Erie, PA; and the Gallery in Chautauqua, NY.  The Department of Interior displayed his Federal Duck Stamp entry for an extended viewing.  He has had shows at the Prendergast Art Gallery in Jamestown, NY and the Patterson Library Art Gallery in Westfield, NY.  His work has been auctioned at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Cleveland, OH; and 14 of his original wildlife designs have been used on T-shirts for retail sales.  “Walleye” is available here and others may be ordered through Something Unique.  He serves on the Board of Directors of the Chautauqua County Artists’ Society.  In addition, he is a talented jazz musician and jazz historian; you will enjoy meeting this talented and entertaining artist.

Rebecca Blair

Rebecca Blair, born and raised in the Erie, Pennsylvania area has a love for photography.  She has always joked, “When I grow up, I want to be a photographer” but for all who know here and her talent with the camera, she always comes through with that special photo.

Rebecca is a Registered Nurse by day and photographer by night.  While she has a love for Nursing, the camera is her rest and relaxation after a hard day’s work.  She is a member of the Presque Isle Artists’ Association, Inc., and the Erie Photography Club.  Rebecca was recognized as the “Featured Artist” at the Annual Spring Show of the Presque Artists’ Association 2008.

Nature and landscapes are among her best subjects.  She enjoys capturing bits and pieces of the outdoors that are enjoyed by all.  Some of her favorite subjects, however, are children – and as a grandma and great aunt, the family gatherings always include “Aunt Becky” with all the kids, and as many pictures as they want!  (She is grateful for the “digital era” and the ability to “click away”).  She has a great love for family and friends and catches those moments in time for lasting memories.

Rebecca looks forward to her retirement years so she can chase the sunrise, take a walk in the woods, travel to new places and walk the beach, ending the day as the sun sets, camera in hand.  Her hope is that the life she enjoys will always be an album away for years to come.  Her webpage is rblairphotography.com

Creation Station Stained Glass Studio

Stained glass has infinite possibilities.  Our work is grounded in a collaboration of texture, color, and dimension.  Glass challenges us, and in turn, we challenge the glass.

We take pride in our custom one of a kind 3-D objects.  Besides traditional stained glass works of art, we incorporate the use of “high end” art glass with “trash and treasure” objects, such as vintage plates, sterling silver, agates and beach glass.  Everything is capable of becoming a work of art in our eyes.

Creation Station is a family owned business comprised of arts Cyn Gailey and Barb Joy.  I received a Business Management Degree with a minor in art.  Barb Joy received an Associate’s Degree in Art.  Both of us have worked together in the field of art for over twenty years.  With our combined backgrounds and our love for creating unique pieces of art, we opened our Silver Creek, New York studio in 2004.

We not only sell to the Silver Creek, Dunkirk, and Fredonia areas, but also to Rochester, New York, Florida, and South Carolina.  In addition to local festivals, we participated in the Elmwood Art Festival and the MS Society Art Auction in which we took fourth place.  This was unique because according to a member of the panel, it was the first time a stained glass piece placed in their show.

Finally, we believe our unique style, which incorporates the traditional and abstract use of stained glass, brings out the unparalleled beauty of this medium.  Because of this, we will continue to work in this field in order to bring artistic pleasure to our customers and the general public.

Kristen Engstrom

Kristen, sculptor, massage therapist, and teacher, was born in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1944.  She received her B.A. in English Literature and Mathematics in 1969, her M.A. in Art in 1972 and her L.M.T. in 1996.

Seeking to broaden her education, Kirsten went abroad in 1976.  The Spanish spirit, the unspoiled countryside and villages of an island off the coast of Spain – Mallorca – captured her attention.  Here she put down roots and stayed 20 years.

She was director of “Es Retall”, art gallery, and school, in Palme de Mallorca, Spain 1979-82.  She has developed art programs in Cultural Centers throughout Mallorca as well as taught Art at the elementary , secondary and university levels in the USA.

She has exhibited extensively abroad, in Mallorca and Barcelona and stateside in New York, Florida, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.  Kirsten returned to live in the USA in 1995, and is now doing monumental outdoor sculptures in addition to her other work. 

Her sculptures in clay and reinforced concrete reflect her ever-present personal involvement in everything she does.  Whether it is running an Art Gallery, teaching or creating her own sculptures, she involves herself so completely in the activity that she is never quite certain if she has created “it” or “it” is in the process of creating or changing her.  Both are probably true.  There is definitely a back-to-earth heroic beauty in her work that has become her trademark.

Since 2000, she spends part of every year teaching in Hawaii.  She spends the rest of the year building sculptures, exhibiting and teaching in New York and Florida.  She loves to involve the community when she constructs a monumental piece, inviting school children and adults to observe the process, comment and participate in the creation.

Joanne Merrick Johnson

Joanne was born in Victoria, B.C. Canada but lived in Portland, Oregon for most of her life.  She sculpted in Micronesia for several years and then returned to Victoria, B.C. to her roots, where she was fulfilling her desires as an artist, sculpting.  Now, for many years, she has lived in Clymer, New York and is expanding her horizons to reach other levels of her inner imaginings.  Speaking to us in a series of visual expressions, she uses a variety of mediums to present them.  A language unspoken, but evident through her art of many years.

In Oregon, Commercial Art was her major in college, but there were many interests in other areas as well, such as, Air Brushing, Silk Panting, Figure Drawing, Charcoal, Pastels, Water Color, Acrylics, and Oil Painting.  Out of the love of the Arts came the name for her Studio, “Winds of Art”.

When Joanne first got her hands into the clay, and the forms seemed to have a life of its own, it somewhat narrowed down the avenue she was to take.  Figurative Sculpture is her main interest, fashioned into a full 3D image or a relief design.  Many of her pieces have come from her imagination with the clay seemingly guiding her hands to form itself, but she has also enjoyed the challenge of sculpting from live models.  Maneuvering the clay into a creation that seems to speak its depth of existence, in a frozen time.

Jerry Miller

I spent my work career in forestry growing and harvesting trees.  Now retired, I discovered the joy and magic of the wood lathe.  The opportunity to put a piece of wood on the lathe and create simply fascinates me.  The nearly unlimited possibilities of wood species and designs to work with now occupy my days, what a pleasure!

Scott Collier Miller

Born in Southern California and raised in Kailua (Oahu), Hawaii, Scott displayed early ability in the visual arts.  Scott studied painting from the age of six.  At the age of seven, a sculpture by Scott was accepted for display in Southern California’s prestigious Laguna Festival of the Arts.  In Hawaii Scott studied drawing with Robert Nelson, featured in the publication International Artist.

Scott divides his artistic life between oil painting and teaching.  Scott’s favorite style of painting is Impressionistic Realism, though he believes that the complete artist in any genre is a master of all that genre’s styles (hence the many styles of painting on Glorianders.com).

Scott is a graduate of Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii.  He holds degrees from Pepperdine University, The Master’s Seminary, and Case Western Reserve University.  Scott also studied in Heidelberg and (West) Berlin, Germany; and at The Louvre, Paris, France.

Scott’s paintings are currently displayed by Border’s Books and Music and Glorianders, Findley Lake, New York.

Bob Rogers

Bob is the owner of Something Unique Gallery & Frame Shop in Sherman, New York and the owner of Something Unique II at “The Little Brick Village Gallery” in Mayville, New York.  Bob received his formal training at the International Picture Framing School in Kingston, Ontario Canada and is a member of the Professional Picture Framers Association.  In addition to custom picture matting & framing, Something Unique also offers custom calligraphy work and calligraphy classes for beginners.

Paul Schonhart  (King Decoys, 1980 King Road, Forestville, NY  14062)

Paul, a retired college administrator, started carving in 1990.  His many years in the duck blinds provided him with the incentive to art carving.  Desire and carving skill were mutually exclusive so Paul enrolled in a few adult education carving classes at a local high school.  There he learned the basics and has improved over the years to a point where a few commissioned pieces are done each year as well as sales at decoy and craft shows.

An avid hunter and fisherman, Paul especially enjoys upland bird hunting with his Wirehaired Pointing Griffon.  Midwestern hunting trips each fall have been part of Paul’s travels for many years.  His goal is to hunt every species of North American upland bird.  He is well on his way to meet this goal with trips to Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, and the Dakotas.  Summer finds Paul fishing the Great Lakes (Erie & Ontario) as well as yearly trips to Canadian fisheries in Ontario and Manitoba.

It is important to preserve and continue the conservation measures embraced by the many sportsmen and hunting organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Pheasant Forever, The National Wild Turkey Federation, and the National Riffle Association.  Membership in these organizations is critical if we want to continue our hunting tradition.  It is especially important to involve young boys and girls in these clubs.  To that end, Paul works with Ducks Unlimited on Green Wing projects.

Paul also has a small collection of antique working decoys.  Some are from unknown carvers; but like most collectors of art “if I like the piece or if it has some unusual quality, I buy it”.  Paul specializes in collecting working decoys from Nova Scotia and Maritime Canada.  The Nova Scotia connection stems from Paul’s collegiate days at St. Francis Xavier University where he received his bachelor’s degree.  While at St. Francis Xavier, Paul played tight end on their 1966 National Championship football team and was named to the All Canadian Team in his junior and senior years.

Tamme Steffan

Tamme resides in Sherman with her husband, Douglas.  They have a grown daughter, Erica Shreve, who resides in Colorado.  Douglas and Tamme own and operate a small horse boarding facility.  Tamme rides and trains her horses in the art of dressage.  Tamme currently works as a veterinary assistant in Westfield, N.Y.  Prior to that, she worked many retail avenues; one of which was the buyer/manager for The Good Morning Farm in Stow, N.Y.

As far as the artist side of what she does, Tamme’s talents are God given, she has no formal training beyond high school, with exception to her pottery where she had taken a 6 week “throwing” class from Ron Nasca of Fredonia and now hand builds at his facility.  Tamme got into drawing and painting again when her sister who is attending art school, bought her some pencils and told her to draw.  When she took her drawing to the gallery in Sherman to be framed, she was asked to be a displaying artist.  Tammy has a show at Something Unique Gallery in Sherman, New York in October.

Lauralynn White

My background is diverse in influence and dense with life experience.  One of the most influential was my very first art teacher, Jon Smith of the Anvil Studio, who made me draw boxes for a year until I could make precise perspective from them.  In the course of my formal education, I attended Savannah College of Art and Design where I had many very influential professors.  I graduated magna cum laude and Outstanding Senior with a BFA in Illustration and Art history in 1990.  More recently, my summers at Chautauqua Institution are a rejuvenating breath of fresh air for the soul filled with intellectual stimulation and dialog in community with other artists in the midst of their own journeys.  There I have studied with sculptor Ed Smith who introduced me to the relationship between painting and sculpture.  Conversed with Trina Greene (sculptor), who validated my thoughts on our relationship to the earth.  Been inspired by the painter Stanley Lewis whose precise fusing of geometric form and composition with landscape is worthy of admiration and took figure painting courses with Jeremy Long whose own analytical geometric composition of everyday subject matter is a natural progression of modern art.

I have exhibited at Art Works and First City Club in Savannah, Georgia, CCVA Gallery, Chautauqua, NY and have an upcoming exhibition at Google Works, Reading, PA.

In the off-season I paint and give lessons at my studio home.  Ashgar Studios (www.AshgarStudios.com) is located in the rolling hills and valleys of Berks County in the shadow of the Nolde Forest near Mohnton, PA.  The sylvan location offers a ready community with the earth.  There is great inspiration to be found in the timeless and stately beings of old growth forests and trees.

My most recent paintings are an expression of deep human emotion through organic forms, saturation of color and use of natural light.  Much of my work relates to the infinite nature of living within our very unsettling times.  Never in the history of man has the world seemed smaller or more fragile.  No matter your political party or scientific belief, we should all be aware that we are using the natural resources of our earth at an unprecedented rate.  I cannot ignore the mandate to express, to create, to engage in an active dialogue with the world.

Within my work I strive for a progression of composition that comes from geometric form as found in the last works of Calder, Hopper and Picasso, the trueness of line as exemplified by Cezanne and Matisse and form defined by color illuminated by light as explored by Manet, Monet and Degas.  These influential painters are my inspiration as I strive to unify these principles.

Susan Tewinkle Wolfe

Susan, a native of Sherman, works primarily in oils, but is equally gifted in charcoals and pastels.  She works from sittings and/or photographs of people and animals.  Other popular subjects she works with include florals and local landmarks.  She has undertaken numerous commissions for private and corporate clients in the U.S., Canada and Europe.  Lucie Arnaz, Luckinbill and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki on the “Young and the Restless”) are recent clients.  Other selected commissions have included Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, major league baseball player, Spike Owen, former Buffalo Bill player, Pete Metzlaars, and Ugo Chiola, owner of Kosmos Horse Breeders, Littletown, Pa., and Chiola Winery in Italy.

Corporate clients have included Ladbroke at the Meadows Racetrack, Washington, Pa., and the Edmonton Northlands Racetrack, Calgary, Canada.  Her commissioned oil portraits are also currently displayed at The Trotting Horse Museum, Goshen, N.Y. and the Chautauqua County and Allegany County Courthouses.

Her commissions of dogs and horses have included many show animals and world champions, as well as beloved family pets. 

Susan has won awards in many regional art shows.  Several galleries throughout the Erie-Chautauqua region exhibit and sell Susan’s art. 

She has been resident portrait artist at Peek ‘n Peak Resort since the 70’s, where Ms. Wolfe has done commissioned portraits for many of the Peek’s patrons.

Ms. Wolfe can be reached at her studio in Sherman, N.Y. at (716) 761-6934 or by e-mail aristsusanwolfe@yahoo.com