On Saturday, December 9, 2017, I taught a class in how to construct a beautiful sand art terrarium at Tower Hill Botanical Garden Center in Boylston, MA. Everyone used the same materials, but their projects came out uniquely their own. Great job everyone and thanks for coming out in the first snow storm of the season!
Everyone had a great time at the Fund Raiser held for PAWS Cat Shelter located in Thompson, CT. The event was held at Liz’s Diamond Restaurant at Hopedale Airport and Lisa Lund was the organizer. There were about 25 budding artists participating, and by following our instructions stroke by stroke, everyone had success in turning their blank canvas into a snowman, uniquely their own, with lots of sparkle for the holidays! Great job everyone!
A Different Strokes Painting Party was held for the employees of Family Ortho on October 12, 2017. The Party was held at the Sorrento Restaurant in Milford, MA and there were about 20 students in attendance. The subject matter chosen by the students to paint was a tropical scene of some distant island. Everyone seemed so inspired by their results, that they were starting to plan their next visit to the islands! Great job and thanks again to Holly Kingkade for organizing the event!
Link to Interview with Jan Lewis https://youtu.be/fVwFJqBNQkM
Several weeks ago, I was contacted by Jan Lewis, Host, of “Be My Guest!” to appear on her show and discuss my finger painting for Adults Program called “Safari” and share some of my artwork as well. “Be my Guest” is filmed and taped in Upton, MA and is ½ hour in length. To access the show, go to uptonma.gov and once on the site, scroll down and click Video Streaming and click onto “Be my Guest”. There are many episodes on line, 24/7 with a wide variety of guests from New England and beyond.
We spoke again by phone, and I accepted Jan’s invitation to appear on Be My Guest August 2. The show was very comfortable and casual, and we discussed many of my finger paintings that I brought along to share with her audience. We then talked about how many senior centers in the area could benefit from such an activity because of the health rewards associated with the activity. Great time and looking forward to an encore soon! Thanks Jan!
On Sunday, August 6 Steve and I
were off again to present another Different Strokes Painting Program at Tower Hill in Boylston, MA called Celebration of Color. This three hour program began with a quick stroll through the patio area of Tower Hill to view our subject matter up close and personal. Then it was back inside to recreate our masterpiece. We all engaged in a series of warm up exercises designed to get those creative juices flowing, followed by step-by-step instructions on how to capture the shapes, textures, and colors of our composition. At some points, you could hear a pin drop because the concentration was so intense. By the end, everyone could see their paintings coming together, and then it was time for a real Celebration of Color with a photoshoot of the finished product. Great Job Everyone!
Saturday, August 5 my husband Steve and I headed out to present our Different Strokes Painting Program at a Bridal Shower held in Ellington, Ct. The event was hosted by Katherine Cederberg for her daughter, and she selected the “Tropical Paradise” painting for the group to recreate. After making our way through some very challenging weather, we finally arrived at a beautiful little church around the corner from a lovely lake in Ellington. Great group of people in a charming setting, and we wish the bride much success with her up-coming wedding!
Celebration of Color At Tower Hill in Boylston, MA
Thursday, July 20, 10am-1pm OR Sunday, August 6, 1-4pm
Member $45, Non-member $60 per class – (Includes all Materials)
Instructor: Suzanne Foxwell
New to acrylics as a painting medium? If you always wanted to try a painting class, but were put off because you could not draw a straight line, this program is for YOU! Suzanne will guide you with fun warm up exercises and expert step-by-step instructions designed to show you how to capture the shapes, textures, forms and colors of the flowers and foliage of Tower Hill’s summer gardens.
Suzanne Foxwell has many years of painting experience and has trained at the Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester Art Museum and with private instructors. Her work has been featured in galleries on the Massachusetts South Coast and locally.
She has always been attracted to color and has never met one she did not like!
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER – No Previous Painting or Drawing Experience Necessary!!!
To Register for this class, contact Tower Hill
On Saturday, June 17, I presented an interactive Finger Painting Program at the Shrewsbury Public Library. We had about 16 attendees where everyone had an opportunity to join me at the easel in an introduction to Finger Painting techniques. We eliminated paint brushes entirely giving us an opportunity to approach our subject matter from a fresh perspective. Whether we used one, two, or three fingers for modeling the paint along with other techniques, we were able to obtain a specific texture for our composition. It was fun and allowed us extra freedom for artistic self-expression. Thanks everyone for your participation!
On May 4, 2017 I was invited to present my Different Strokes Painting Program at the Staples Loss Prevention Department’s Annual Meeting held at Wentworth by the Sea in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Following lunch, 23 students joined me as we picked up our paint brushes and began the process of creating our own original paintings of the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. Refreshments were served through out the program and, at the conclusion, Yolanda’s painting won first prize. She did a great job, and I am including her picture and others taken during the program. These will make wonderful keepsakes of their time spent in Portsmouth!
I have been in conversation with Tower Hill Botanic Gardens in Boylston MA about presenting my painting programs to their guests in July and August. Will let you know when exact dates are firmed up but right now we are looking at a morning program on July 20 and an afternoon program on August 6. Summer is such a beautiful time of the year for gardens, so we have decided to harvest some blooms from their gardens and capture the colors and shapes on canvas with step by step instruction from me. These classes will be geared to the beginner painter and will be perfect for anyone who has always wanted to try their hand at painting, but never did.
