Betty Knapp

Medium: Watercolors, pastels, acrylic, and oil with cold wax

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Hi, I’m Betty Knapp. I have always wanted to paint and draw but didn’t think I could. When I retired, a friend was painting scenes on saw blades and offered to teach me.  I loved it was was hooked on painting.  Then Fran Maedel, my friend & one of Monroe’s famous painters, introduced me to watercolor painting.  That’s probably now my favorite medium but I also love doing pastels, acrylic and oil with cold wax.  My favorite subjects are people, animals and country scenes. Impressionistic style is a favorite, too

  I’m mostly self taught with “practice, practice, practice” as a good motto for me. I try to paint everyday and join some great artist friends weekly to paint.

  Besides painting as my passion, I am an avid walker and joined a weekly line dance group at the senior center. 

Deborah Conner

Medium: Watercolor and acrylic paint

Color pencil, graphite, ink

Mixed mediums, weaving, fiber

Sculpture, recycled materials, clay pottery 

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Hello My Name is Deborah Conner, I teach elementary art at Jefferson Schools.  I have an art and biology background. BS from Central Michigan University. Masters in art education form Wayne State. Nature and being creative brings me joy.  Types of art- Watercolor flowers, drawing or painting animals, printmaking, sculpting clay, weaving, sewing… I enjoy a variety of mixed medias.  Each year my students create a large animal sculpture out of recycled materials.  I try to teach my students to be environmentally conscious.   We reuse, repurpose, recycle, reduce waste… Of course they clean up their own messes.

Gladys Drummonds

Medium: Acrylis and watercolors

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I’ve been interested in art since I was a child.  It has always been an enjoyable hobby for me.  I’ve taken a few classes and many workshops over the years but didn’t study it in college.  What keeps me interested is the challenge since there is always something new to learn, a new instructor’s workshop to attend, a new subject to try to capture in paint, or a new medium or technique to try out.

My favorite mediums are acrylics and watercolors.  I have tried many others also, including oils, alkyds, pastels, and pen and ink. For subject matter I usually go to nature.  I love to paint flowers, birds, butterflies, and animals, but I also do landscapes and other subjects too from time to time.

A fun fact you may not know about me is that I raise milkweed plants to help out the Monarch Butterflies.  At the end of the season I harvest and process the seeds and give them away to people in hopes that they will also plant them to increase the number of milkweed plants available for the Monarchs to lay their eggs on.  Since the caterpillars can only eat plants in the milkweed family and since climate change and habitat loss have greatly reduced the number of milkweed plants growing wild the Monarch butterfly population has taken a nosedive and we’ve lost so many of them nationwide that this year (2023) they were placed on the Endangered Species List.

Pauline Pierce Harmon

Medium: Acrylic, graphite, pen and ink, watercolor

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I’m Pauline Pierce Harmon. I adore animals, so I paint wildlife and pet portraits. I am self taught, I always dabbled in drawing and painting and graduated with honours in art, but never got serious with it until one of my twin boys took his life at age 35. I found painting was the only thing that helped to deal with the grief; it could keep my mind occupied and stop me crying for a few hours. He left me a gift!

I have used several mediums - pastels, graphite, pen and ink, watercolour, but my favourite is acrylic. I also like to do scratchboard.

If I’m not at my drawing table working on art, I’m either walking my dog, traveling somewhere to photograph animals (I work from all my own photography) or on the dance floor!  I do a lot of African animals - I have been there 3 times, to Kenya, Botswana and Tanzania, and have booked to go again in August. This time it will be to South Africa.

James Tidwell

Medium: Oil

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Simply put:

1. What got you interested in art?

      -I think it was genes

2. What is your favorite medium and subject matter?

     -Oil, certain people

3. A fun fact about you!

    -Any and all artistic advice I give should be ignored and the opposite course should be taken(including this advice which is actually pretty good advice)

Editors Note: Our beloved Jimmy has since passed in 2023. RIP, he'll never be forgotten. 

Susan Woelmer-Siebarth

Medium: Oil, acrylics, and colored pencil

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I have been interested in art all my life.  In high school I took art for 4 years, followed by 2 years of private oil painting lessons.  Then I started entering art shows in 1980 and never stopped.  I do up to 10 shows a year now.

I started in oils and acrylics, then moved to colored pencil.  About 4 years ago I started doing Rock Art. I have always loved to draw birds so that is 90% of what I do.

I recently retired from Gerdau Steel Mill, so I now have more time to travel to Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and Lake Huron for rocks.  For the last 25+ years I have taught the craft class for our church’s Vacation Bible School.  I have been an officer for the Monroe Art League for many years. 

Becky Mullins

Medium: Oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, color pencil, charcoal, and pencil

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Hi!

My name is Becky and I have drawn for as long as I can remember.

I started drawing seriously when I would sneak my sister’s mail order Art folders into my room.

I’ve never been an artist who learned from classes. Self taught is how I would describe myself.

I can’t pick a favorite medium. I work in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, color pencil, charcoal, and pencil!

I really love carving and wood burning. I didn’t consider myself a true artist until I sold my first piece.

A fun fact about me is that I stopped doing actual tattoos when I had my first cornea transplant and lens replacement. That was in 2009. I have since had that done in my other eye.  

David Gonyea

Medium: Watercolor, acrylics

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1.  What got you interested in art?

     -I got interested in art in high school and really enjoyed it, but the emphasis was always on academics.  30 years later I rediscovered my joy, when I took a watercolor class.  I’m still discovering!

2.  What is your favorite medium and subject matter?

     -I enjoy watercolors most, but I’m also enjoying what can be done with acrylics, too.

3.  A fun fact about you!

     -I’m a very diverse person when it comes to interests.  I collect and restore antique tractors with my brother.  I’m restoring an old Bronco.  I’m a jack of all trades and never get intimidated by a new challenge.  I truly believe you can never stop learning!

Leslie Dietsch

Medium: Oil

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I have been a creator my entire life but only within the last several years did I decide to start painting again.  Taking a class with a local Toledo artist set me in the right direction and I've never looked back. I am still in the workforce but many evenings and weekends are spent oil painting. 

My work tells a story.  Broad brush strokes and carefully chosen color palettes help push the narrative.  The luscious blending of oil paint creates the tale until finally, the viewer takes over and creates their own ending.

Using landscapes, figures, portraits, and still-life life, my art continues to tell my story. 

Fun fact:  I sail.  I also have a website.  Lostpeninsulafinearts.com 

Susan Chinavare

Medium: Acrylics

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I  entered the world of art after my divorce. It was a time a great adjustment to my life. Beginning at a paint n sip, I found great enjoyment and satisfaction in painting, which lead me to take classes through life long learning. Being in the company of many artists with talent encouraged my desire to learn more. In the winter of 2023, I will have an Associates Degree in Fine Art from Monroe County Community College. The journey that I have started has been so exciting and educational for me that I know it has just begun. 

Jenny Stereff

Medium: Oils, acrylics

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I grew up in a family of six children, our mother was an art teacher so I was exposed to the art world at an early age. We were always doing some fun art project, however we did not paint--paint and canvases were an expense for our large group and it was not in our budget. 

I've always had a love for art of all types and have dabbled in various art projects through the years. However, I did not puck up a paint brush until around 2018. I started painting with acrylics but soon switched to working with oils. I paint mostly landscapes and pets as of thus far. I've been painting for about 10 years now!

A fun fact about me is that I used to ride a unicycle (of course, when I was much younger)!

Vickie Richter

Medium: Fabrics, ceramics, acrylics

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Hi, I'm Vickie Richter. I've always been around art as my mother was an art teacher. I was born and raised in Monroe then moved to San Diego at the age od 18 and traveled a lot. 

I used to do a lot of fabric art. Then, when I moved back here adter 22 years I got into ceramics. 

I only recently started painting. And, as you can see, I love cats!

Julie Pillarelli 

Medium: Constantly changing :)

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From a young age, I have always had the desire to create. I taught Art for Monroe Public schools but, since retirement, I can now work on whatever inspires or challenges me. I don't have a favorite medium because I get inspiration from something I see or by something someone says and it floats around in my head. Then, I decide if I can make it into a watercolor, acrylic or paper collage. My scrappy Wood pieces "tell me" what to make when I move them around and suddenly I see an "aha, that's what it is" moment! 

The process is not always simple or easy but a lot of fun and very satisfying when completed.

Linda Rutledge

Medium: Sketching, watercolors, oils, and acrylics

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I have been painting forever. As a child one of my Aunts, a Toledo Artist, told me I had Artistic talents and every Christmas gave me art supplies. I started sketching, then did watercolors,then oils and finally acrylics. She wanted me to become an Art teacher but instead I became an investment advisor. Never giving up art in 30 years, I painted people's homes--having them pick up their pictures from my Monroe office. I have painted close to 300 homes over the years. I do not do it for the money (it helps), but for the tears of joy that comes to their eyes when they see the picture of their home. You might say I like to make people cry? (In a good way!)  All in all I love being an Artist.

Merle Arquette

Medium: Acrylics

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When I retired about 12 years ago I tried painting and found out I liked it so I have not stopped. It makes me happy when I can share what is in me with others.

Karen McLaughlin

Medium: Watercolor, Acrylics, and Oil

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My desire to paint grew out of my enjoyment of sketching for bulletin boards and decorating my classroom throughout my 37 years of teaching in Monroe Public Schools. Now that I have retired, I am devoting my time to painting among other interests.

The excitement of painting begins with my first glimmer of an idea for a piece. I enjoy using various mediums and have taken many classes from artists in oil, acrylic and watercolor. I enjoy oil paint because I love to take advantage of the easy blending of edges like the Old Masters. Pen and ink medium allows me the opportunity to work in detail on houses and other buildings. I painted in acrylic for a very long time, and now find that I enjoy watercolor the best! In the past, I have been quite realistic in my approach,

however, I strive to be more impressionistic. Watercolor is more unpredictable and I love that!

I have been a member of the Monroe Art League and the Magic Brush Art Club for several years. My husband, Terry, and I live in Monroe. We have two children and in the last 3 ½ years have become the happy grandparents of 3 lovely children!

Sherry Sutherland

Medium: oil, watercolor pencil, and acrylics

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Sherry Sutherland is native of Carleton, MI. At age 12 she struggled with health issues, thus limiting her activities. As a result, she became interested in drawing & painting. A self-taught artist, she describes her technique as "by guess and by golly." You can find her working with oil, watercolor pencil, and acrylic. She has won numerous awards for her work, participating in Monroe Art League, Monroe City/County Fine Arts Council Show, and various other art shows in Michigan and Ohio.  

"Every painting should tell a story, not necessarily my story, but the viewer's story"  Sherry Frank-Sutherland

Editors note: Sadly, our beloved Sherry passed away in 2024. RIP, she will be greatly missed.   

David Larkins

Medium: oil, watercolors, and acrylics

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What got you interested in art?

When I was seven years old and drawing all the time, my parents recognized my love to draw and found a private tutor and I started painting.

I studied under the tutor until I was sixteen and then at age eighteen studied under Ted Vassar and Gary Wilson for four years at MCCC.

Hired in at Ford Motor Company, completed my Bachelor degree and worked as an Illustrator and facility engineer for 33 years.

What is your favorite medium and subject matter?

Andrew Wyeth has always been my mentor and inspiration, he was a master in Abstract Realism and my genre has been the same.

I started out at age seven painting oils, switched to watercolors in college and painted in watercolors for 25 years. I then started in acrylics as my preferred media for 15 years, then back to the media I started with oils!

I am a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society (NWS) and also a Signature Member of the National Acrylic and Oil Painters Society.

Many awards and best of shows throughout my career, but my most prestigious accomplishments are; juried into the “Best of America” seven times, Toledo Museum of Art twice, the Butler Museum of American Art and published in the Artist Magazine.

 A fun fact about you!

Many league members do not know that I was once a member at age 14 back in 1969!

Like Claude Monet’s Giverny I also have three acres of gardens, pond and orchard, our property is registered as a National Wildlife Habitat.

I spend many hours working in our gardens and feeding all the critters that live on our property.

Charlie Rumschlag

Medium: Photography. Wildlife, landscape, and occasionally portrait.

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I enjoy the challenge of photographing wildlife in their natural habitat. It’s taught me patience and preparation. Sometimes I sit for many hours, and when the moment presents, you must be ready.

Subjects don’t voluntarily pose or give second chances.

I first became interested in photography through a high school class. The dark room became my favorite place. In college I put photography aside for a number of reasons. Then twenty-eight years later, I picked up a camera again for a trip to Alaska. The beauty was awesome. The highlight of that trip

was a rare opportunity to photograph four young wolves!

Growing up, I loved hunting with my Dad. I found the northern Michigan woods enchanting. In time I realized what I truly enjoyed most was being in the woods, spotting the wildlife and observing it. I

decided to try "snap and release"; hunting, using a camera instead. The trip to Alaska, coupled with my prior passion for hunting, ignited a new even greater passion, wildlife photography and art.

Photographing wildlife has taken me all over North America, from the southernmost tip of Florida to the northern most slope of Alaska, as far west as Adak Island, and many places between… but my favorite place is still Michigan!

You can find my work on my website or Facebook page. Website: www.brestbayphoto.com and

Facebook page: Brest Bay Photo.

Gary Gudes (GG)

Medium: Stained Glass, acrylics, collagework

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Local boy (octogenarian) lived in Detroit, Dearborn, Atlantic Ocean (4yrs USN), Novi, & Monroe.

I joined the league as a stained glass artist, & now do some acrylics, but my favorite atistic pursuit is collagework.

I'm a "lifetime" mal member & have held various positions (check out my minutes as secretary)

I was about half-way thru the art degree program at the MCCC, taking a drawing class  when they shuttered the class rooms due to the pandemic. Haven't been back since.

I collect artwork & art books & have many of each.

I am presently a "semi" non-meeting-attending member. but i do keep in touch with Eve & Nancy.

Unknown fact--I can cook short-order (I don't use seasonings)  not gourmet.

The MAL needs young members with young ideas!

GG aka duck

You're in luck the duck has struck

Durwood Coffey

Medium: Acrylics

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My interest in art came from my older brother, watching him draw dragons and cartoons, very cool. Then a little laterI I saw some of my fathers drawings.

Early on, in grade school, meeting with my first counselor, I was asked, what do you want to be when you grow up, and I said an Artist, 

and he said, "you will have quite a few other ideas of what you want to be as you grow older", and I said, "No, I'm going to be an artist." So I've done art all my life.

I was an Illustrator for 30 yrs plus, with a variety of subjects. At the beginning of 2000, I felt it was important to return to painting the world of the animal kingdom,

subjects that I enjoyed drawing and painting while growing up. Doing my own work, I have the freedom to paint with my own personal artistic expression. 

I've painted with all other mediums, but I've settled in with acrylics.

I've been into martial arts for the most of my life. Had my own dojo for twenty years, teaching "Isshinryu Karate" 

I always felt there is a close parallel with my art and karate.

Debbie Shuttie

Medium: Acrylics

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1. I have been making art since I was a small child. I was crazy about horses and drew them repeatedly. I've sketched and painted ever since.

2. Favorite medium at the moment is acrylic. Favorite subject is water.

3. My husband and I winter on our boat in Charleston, SC.

 Crystal Schumacker 

Medium: Three Dimensional Works and Multimedia Designs

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I went to school for art at University of Toledo, where I focused my studies in three dimensional works. I mainly worked in traditional materials like metal, wood or stone. Throughout my life, I have learned to make art from many different mediums. Ultimately, I feel a pull to make art from items that are no longer being used for their original purposes.

Multimedia art allows me a chance to create artwork dioramas while recycling materials into art. It allows me to problem solve and see both natural and human made items in a new light. In addition to my skills in the fine arts, I have learned how to preserve insects. I use these skills to build surrealist stories that touch on human situations. I view art as a way to convey important messages.

In my experience as an artist who creates from home, I have learned that storing dead things in food storage containers and then trying to use those same containers for leftovers later is a big no-no. Throughout the years, I've been lovingly dubbed "the bug lady". 

Crystal Schumacker is the artist behind Crystal's Curio Creations 

Gretchen Vandenberghe 

Medium: Colored Pencil

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Hello! My name is Gretchen Vandenberghe and colored pencil is my preferred medium but I also work in acrylics and pastels. I have a B.A. in Art History and am a Registered Nurse and Master Reiki Practitioner. I have been involved in past projects that are dedicated to supporting emotional healing from those experiencing grief, pain, fear and stress. With my background in art and healthcare, I hope to bring more awareness as to how art can enhance the wellbeing of individuals as well as community. As for subject matter, Botanical Art combines all the things I love- science, nature and art. I am inspired by botanical artists such as Pandora Sellars and Ann Swan, a contemporary who also uses colored pencil to create highly detailed drawings. A perpetual student, I continue to learn new mediums and techniques. Always drawing inspiration from nature, I enjoy tending my garden, reading from an ever growing collection of books, and visiting gardens here and abroad. 

Jeffery Albergo 

"The Neon Cat"

Medium: Photography

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Moved to Monroe in 2000 from the Plymouth/Livonia area.

Married to Leann in 2022.

An award winning photographer that has displayed his works in Japan, Toronto, and the Monroe area. He has been published in newspapers, magazines, and on websites. 

For the past 7 years he has been selling his many photos of Monroe on Saturday mornings at The Monroe Farmers Market. 

In 2019 started studying the life of Robert Ducancon and is a founding member and president of the Robert S. Duncanson Society of Monroe. He researches, designs, and prints all the displays and promo materials and is the website builder for RSDS. 

Member of the Monroe Art League and Monroe Historical Society 

One of his catch phases is "Monroe, where history lives on every corner."

Jon Womack

Medium: Acrylics, Mixed Media

    While I have always appreciated art, I didn’t actually start painting anything until my early forties. Looking for a hobby that would allow me to relax and meet new people, I ran into a painting class that was being offered at crafts 2000. So once a week I spent my day painting and learning from a self-taught artist named Troy Teague. I joined the ‘magic brush art club’ and stayed active for a couple years until that nasty thing called work got in the way. (retired in 2019) So I’ve joined this club to get inspired again and hopefully create something new, mixing photography with fractal geometry and acrylics and who knows what else!!

     A fun fact about me that most do not know is that I write poetry 

and recently had one of my poems selected for publication in the “Journal of Undiscovered Poets”