Sharon Punty

Sharon Punty

  • topical getaway palm tree painting

I started my career at Parish Hill Junior/Senior High School in Chaplin, Connecticut.  As an public school art teacher, I taught students appreciation of masters’ artwork and of contemporary art.  I encouraged all students to work to their best and to enjoy the process of creating art.  After having my first child, I ran a family daycare home.  I began teaching art in Manchester in 2000 and retired in 2017.   Since then, I have been re-discovering my artistic passions, like as pottery, painting, and mixed media.  I still love the art of teaching, most recently through zoom lessons.
Contact Information:  sharonpunty@gmail.com

MEET OUR 2020 AAC SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Ashford Arts Council Scholarship
AAC awards two scholarships per year to graduating art students at EO Smith High School – one for the performing arts and one for the visual arts. These students are chosen because they have taken two or more courses in their area; exhibited enthusiasm, interest, honesty, and integrity; and produced quality work viewed or open to the public. The recipients plan on pursuing their interest vocationally or as an avocation.

MADISON ADAMS – PERFORMING ARTS

Madison Adams

Hi! My name is Madison Adams and I am a senior attending E.O. Smith High School. I am a passionate and determined student always looking for new and challenging opportunities to learn from. I am looking forward to my future endeavors at Western Connecticut State University in the fall while studying Music Education, a subject I have been enthusiastic about since I was a young girl. I have been a devoted member of E.O. Smiths Choir and Chamber Singers, and have been accepted into Eastern Regional and All-State level choirs all four years of my High School experience, and in the 2019 production of Guys and Dolls, I was cast as one of the leading roles Adelaide, which led me to grow in so many ways as a musician and an actress. I look forward to continuing to sing and act at Western Connecticut State University in the fall!

SARAH JOHNSON – VISUAL ARTS

Sarah has always been and hopes to continue being an active member of the arts community. In both the performing and visual arts, she has met some amazing and talented individuals. Her undying love of nature shows through her work and her ability to use the outdoors as her inspiration. She attributes her love of art to the many teachers, mentors, and peers she has met throughout her life. She firmly believes that everyone is an artist; the arts reflect the inner soul of a person. No matter the medium or size, Sarah finds beauty in all forms of art.

Linda Rogers

Linda Rogers

Linda Rogers has been working with the Encaustic process since 2008 after viewing this unusual process at a gallery in Charleston, SC. Switching over her studio was a bit challenging as Encaustic painting requires good ventilation, heated pallets to melt the painting medium and torches to fuse the work.
The painting medium she uses is made from refined beeswax and colored pigments. Linda also applies shellac mixed with pigments to create lacy intricate patterns that look organic when burned off. The entire process requires a controlled burn method to achieve fine detail and translucency. Most of Linda’s work reflects her love of nature including landscapes from her travels around the world and botanicals of all sorts. Recent work also includes portraitures using the Encaustic method often with paper collage additions. All work is available, contact her here.

Christine Acebo

I am a recently retired research scientist and lifelong photographer.  Both my science and my photography required me to develop and hone my abilities to observe, be it patterns of behavior, patterns of light and darkness, the detail of a caterpillar’s skin, or the stretch of a mountain range below storm clouds. Both have also enabled me to visit that special place where the intensity of focus puts me squarely in the present moment and utterly involved with the object of that focus.  I gravitate towards deep, rich, old-world colors and light, and I aim for “painterly” images.

Three of my photos were licensed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for use in an Ad campaign in 2011.  I have exhibited in juried shows at the Salmagundi Club in NYC, the Fairfield Museum and History Center, Arts Center East in Vernon, and others.

Although my goals are not primarily commercial, I am willing to consider requests for professionally printed and mounted images. 

My photography is showcased on my personal website:  https://www.christineacebo.com/

I can be contacted by email:  ChristineAcebo@gmail.com

Artisans at Middle River

Artisans at Middle River

60 Main Street, Stafford Springs, Connecticut 06076
Dot Drobney, owner of Artisans at Middle River has awesome craftsman’s work in her Gallery! PrimeChime windchimes creates amazing chimes/mobiles out of upcycled metal and glass parts…real works of art! She also has jewelry made from many different media, paintings, textiles, ceramics and other unique handcrafts.

Dot does all types of photograpy portrait sessions – family, children, pets, senior high school, corporate, fashion – as well as product shoots, nature, travel, landscapes, macros, and small events. Stop by to see the canvas mounted portraits on display to see what Dot does.

Her mini-studio is located within Artisans at Middle River, a new fine art gallery and gift destination at 60 Main Street, in Stafford Springs. Artisans at Middle River offers gift cards, both traditional and e-cards, curb-side pickups, local deliveries or mailing small items when feasible…so people are able to shop. Contact business owner Dot Drobney via email.

Maggie Kendis

Maggie Kendis
860 423-0337
email Maggie

Animals are a big part of my life and focus on my prints, because they are all around me.
Whether it’s my dogs, cats, horsies, birds, my friends are now asking for pet portraits of their pets. I have also translated those pets into personal pins, pendants, and earrings. Also, since my teens, when I lived in Mexico and was mesmerized by their art, the retablos, the carvings, the colors, and the joy. I am bringing that influence into my work now, creating a combination of my prints incorporated into the Mexican retablos (originally devotional paintings of saints, and made thanking a sacred person for their protection). These are cut out panels I make, pasting my prints onto them, and then embellished with acrylics.
My prices vary from framed prints between $20 for mini prints, to $60 and up for commissions.

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Pat Morris

Pat Morris

Purchase Pat’s work on Etsy
Around Connecticut and on Cape Breton Island Pat Morris is known for her spectacular wildlife paintings especially on unconventional surfaces. In particular her wildlife paintings on feathers. She has painted on slate, birch bark and other natural materials. Owning her art or her book, Lessons From The Geese, will be a treasure for anyone!

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Deb Gag

Deb on Facebook

Ashford native Debra Gag is inspired by nature to be a painter. She has exhibited watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings for three decades and her paintings are in private collections all across the country. Debra retired from a public school art teacher career (33 years), followed by 3 years teaching painting to children-adults at Arts Center East. In addition, Debra has led critiques for art guilds, has juried art shows, and offered paint events and workshops with a local gallery. Debra has been a part of the Northeast CT Open Studios Tour since 2014, showing at the Old Warrenville Post Office with 4 other artists.

Contact Deb.

Listen to Debra Gag speak about her work on Windham Arts Radio

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Sharon Punty

Sharon Punty

Sharon is offering art classes remotely using Zoom! She is a certified art teacher (retired) with 30+ years experience working with children from preschool through high school. She also enjoys working with adults. Her specialties are painting and ceramics, although she enjoys creating in a variety of media. Her proposals are flexible and could be tweaked in a variety of ways (hours, number of classes, age groups, etc.) depending on community needs.
She can be reached by email.
Paintings by Sharon shown here are 9×12 acrylics

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