Anna Harding

Oct 2021 – Jan. 2022

Workshops Oct 2021 – Jan. 2022

Fractur Painting method January 15, 2022

Poetry Workshop – Saturdays, October 9, 16, & 23

Ashford’s Poet Laureate, Tony Paticchio, lead a poetry workshop focusing on close readings of poems, including favorite poems of the workshop participants. They were looking to identify those features that contribute to the making of a successful poem. They paid close attention to discovering each poem’s form and structure; how it employs sound, rhythm, words, phrasing, and sentences; how it builds and releases tension; how it uses lineation and stanzas; and how all these features work together to convey sense and meaning.

Stained Glass Ornaments – Nov. 3

We had a funtime making stained glass ornaments in time for the holidays! Participants chose from a few different designs (pre-cut) and learned to use the “Tiffany” method of copper foil and solder. They went home with
a finished piece, ready to hang! Contact Anna Harding for Spring pressed flower waitlist.

Location: Ashford Senior Center
January 15, 2022 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Dan Rackliffe

Dan’s Website

For the past 6 years, pottery has been my passion. In addition to creating my own work in my home I share with my wife, Jane, in Ashford, I now teach pottery and stained glass in our winter residence in North Port, Florida. My inspiration comes from the calm lakes we are lucky enough to live on in both places and am currently experimenting with combining blue glazes to get some great effects. My traditional stoneware is oven safe, dishwasher safe and microwave safe as well as being lead free. I have many practical and functional pieces to offer.

Have a look at my website or come see my Pottery Shed display by appointment. I am in Ashford right off Rt. 89, under two miles from I-84.

2021 Art and Garden Tour of Northeastern Connecticut

This free self-guided tour features 11 artists’ gardens displaying the works of 17 area artists. Enjoy paintings, sculpture, ceramics, woodwork, photography and other works of art in gardens in Ashford, Coventry, Mansfield and Willington. The gardens, which vary in style, include a handmade greenhouse, a hydroponic greenhouse, ponds and pools, a stone arch, paths, terraces and an abundance of flowers, shrubs, vegetables, trees and herbs. Artwork will be available for purchase. All current Covid-19 protocols will be followed, including masks.

More information can be found on their Facebook Page or go to their website for a virtual tour.

2021 Scholarship Recipients

Every year the AAC awards two scholarships 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.

Alissa Recchia – Visual Arts

I create art to cheer people up and brighten the space around me. I still remember when I was a kindergartener sitting at the kitchen counter scribbling dogs for hours on end, and it’s been exciting to see how far my skills have developed. I would describe my style as cartoonish, andI hope to create a few animations of my own in the years to come. The subjects of my work are usually the same few characters I draw over and over, placed in all manner of fantastical settings. My inspiration comes from nature, my fellow artists, and a good amount of the thousands of books I’ve read. I want to thank my high school art teachers who helped me learn and grow my skills: Ms. Elizabeth Andrews, Ms. Tammy Glaeser, and Ms. Heather Bunnell. I’m currently taking AP Studio Art, and I’ve taken a variety of art courses in the past, such as Drawing, Painting, Jewelry, and Ceramics. I’m honored to receive a scholarship for one of my lifelong passions and favorite hobbies, especially since I didn’t expect this at all!

Rebecca Drake – Performing Arts

I have spent my last four years following my true love for music and the performing arts. While at E.O. Smith, I have been a member of the E.O. Smith Chamber Singers, the Concert Choir, and the Women’s Treble Choir. I was honored to participate in the Eastern Regional Music Festival for four years, the All-State Music Festival for three years, and last fall I was privileged to perform in the All-National High School Honors Choir. Outside of school, I have studied Classical Voice with UConn faculty through Jorgensen Auditorium’s JOY! Conservatory Program. I have thoroughly enjoyed singing with the Windham Theatre Guild’s Broadway Chorus and performing in the TYSCT (Tolland Youth Services Community Theater) summer musicals. Recently, I auditioned and placed second in the 2021 CT NATS competition in the category “Upper High School Classical”. This fall, I will be attending Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and will be majoring in commercial music performance and will be minoring in music business. I can’t wait to further my music education and grow as a musician at Belmont!

Christine Acebo: Receives Two Awards

Christine Acebo received a Certificate of Merit for her photograph “Golden Years,” exhibitedat the Salmagundi Club’s Figuratively Speaking Juried Exhibition in New York City (Feb 2 – Feb. 19, 2021).

She received the Council’s Award for her coffee-toned cyanotype print “Last Tram Out of Alfama” exhibited at the Connecticut Women Artists Members’ Juried Show (April 17 – May 14, 2021).

Poet Laureate

The Ashford Arts Council and the Town of Ashford have proclaimed Anthony Paticchio as our town Poet Laureate. Ashford now joins a group of more than 30 towns in Connecticut to have a Poet Laureate. In celebration we plan to honor Tony’s appointment with a virtual party on Zoom with poetry by Tony, virtual toasts, and then an Open Mic for town well-wishers to read their own poems. March 21st 4:00 – 5:30
Please email Christine Acebo to register for this event and get the Zoom link. Event is FREE to attend.

Sharon Punty

Title: Wave Patterns Description: Paint swirls and interacts as m a big wave emerges. Media: Paint Pour Size 10”x10” Price $14.00
Title: Tropical Getaway Description: Two palm trees on a tropical island with a rainbow. Size: 11×14 Media: Watercolor Price: $15.00
Title :Secrets of the Universe Description: Interstellar Thoughts on the Meaning of the Universe Media: Acrylic paint pour Size. 7 ¾” x 9 ¾” Price $10.00
Title Pet Portraits to Order Description: Surprise family with a portrait of a much loved pet. Media: Acrylic paint on canvas Size: 9”x12” Negotiable Price: $40.00 Negotiable
Title: Fall Splendor Description: A striking pumpkin is the focal point of this impressionist fall painting. Media: Acrylic Paint on watercolor paper Size: 11” x14” Price: $14.00
Title: Fantasy Flowers Description: Painterly fall colored flowers on an impressionistic background Media: Acrylic paint on watercolor paper Size: 10” x 6 3/4” Price: $6.00
Title At the Shore Description This painting depicts an orange sunset reflecting on water. Rocks are washed up in the small waves with some spray. In the foreground is a depiction of rosa rugosa on the upper shore. Media Acrylic Paint on canvas Size: 9” x 12” Price. $40.00
Title: Dynamic Daliah Description: A red dalia with lively brushstrokes is featured on a smooth black background Media: Acrylic on watercolor paper Size: 6” x 6”
Title Proud Description Adult bald eagle and her eaglet sit proudly in a rocky, textural background Media Acrylic paint on canvas with texture gel Size. 9×12 Price $40.00
Title: The Wave Description: Shades of blue mix and swirl in this vigorous, dramatic wave Media: Acrylic Paint Pour Size: 28” x 293/4” Price: $40.00
Title: Magestical Description: Bald eagle with sponged background Media Watercolor and oil pastel Size: 11” x14” Price $25.00
Title: Fantasia Description: Lucid colors swirl and marbelize in this acrylic pour painting Media Paint Pour Size 7 ¾” x 9 ¾” Price $13.00

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

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 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