AbZOOlutely Chestnut Hill Artists & Architects

Elena Maria Aldrete
Community Audio/Chapline Computer artist

Born in Berkeley, California, artist Elena Aldrete spent her impressionable and formative years in San Isidro, Peru. The mixture of indigenous cultures and European and South American influences created the foundation for the later work of Ms. Aldrete. As her family fled Peru soon after a coup d’etat, Ms. Aldrete’s fledgling art beginnings were halted. However, in the 1980’s Ms. Aldrete began working in fine crafts, especially hand built pottery and basket weaving. A pattern of representing traditional and primitive images began to emerge in her study at Fleischer Art School.

Soon after beginning her study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA), oil and acrylic painting took center stage. Intaglio, lithography and monotype printmaking were added to her skills in more recent years. From early earth tones to radical, colorful abstract expressionism themes including primitive forms in the midst of abstract medium became her signature. Ms. Aldrete has sold her work in three recent exhibitions. Her paintings have also been included in shows at the PAFA 1301 Gallery, the Mt. Airy Sedgewick Cultural Center, and the Woodmere Museum.

Ms. Aldrete current work includes her abstracts, colorful figure paintings, occasional still-lives, and various prints. She continues to create both in the PAFA community and her art studio in her home in East Mt. Airy. Ms. Aldrete is a member of a recently formed group of artists who create, live and exhibit in Northwest Philadelphia.

Nancy Beck
Carol Schwartz Gallery artist

Nancy Beck received her B.F.A. from the University of Utah with a concentration in painting in 1978. After graduation, she moved to Rhode Island to work as an art director for Stricker and Co., an advertising company in Providence, R.I. During this time she took drawing/painting courses at Rhode Island School of Design. She went on to become the art director for WJAR_TV, the NBC affiliate of Southern New England, where she was responsible for all on-air graphics, print material and promotional graphics. Her graphic work continued as she and her husband and three children moved from Rhode Island to Maine to New York and finally to the Philadelphia area.

Nancy always continued to paint and as time passed the balance between graphic art and fine art started to tip heavily toward painting. She began working at The Carol Schwartz Gallery, located in Chestnut Hill, PA , in 1998 and painting again in earnest. She has exhibitedat jureied shows at the Philadelpia Sketch Club, Women in Art show, Woodmere Arat Museum and the Hilton Head Art League. She was the recipient of the Alfred G.B. Steel prize in 2002. Nancy works in oil paints, primarily on canvas or linen. Her subject matter is varied, consisting of beautiful florals, intimate sstill lives, land and seascapes and portraits, most frequently of wonderful and beloved pets.

"I am a representational painter that looks for the nugget within each subject that inspires me to want to paint it. I try to create the light I see at daybreak on the harbor water, to capture the mood of a person, to show the delicacy of a beautiful, old china teacup or the loveliness of a rose. My graphic background has influenced me to be interested in exploring color combinations and contrasts as well as in designing interesting compositions. My goal is to produce paintings that will remind people of a moment or a mood that they have enjoyed.

John Bieniek
Susan Higley Bray artist
(267 879-4318 / jybeen2002@yahoo.com

Studio owner, Creative Director, Art Directo, Illustrator, Photograph, and Painter for over thirty years. Working in print, film, video, print, books, magazines, annual reports and marketing materials.

"Research into the Victorian style gave life to a series of drawings based on a Tiffany-like fish in a stained glass window that caught my attention. After drawing a few pieces, I found myself 'hooked on fish' and the creative possibilities they present. Over 120 others have joined the initial drawings and paintings. I am currently working on a new series of 'butterflies' utilizing the same techniques and in larger sizes and another new series based on 'Bridges, Towers, Balconies, and Steps.'

My painting and design style is unfettered by reality and reflects a variety of influences from the Renaissance, Celtic, Art Nouveau and Slavic decorative arts."

Zach Bird
O'Doodles artist
www.smartworkstudio.com

In 2001 Zach Bird began a company that helped him to realize a life long dream. That company is called Smartwork, a small organization of highly skilled artists who are devoted to creating only the finest murals, faux finish, trompe l'oeil, textural and decorative painting. After 13 years of exclusive design service to the famous Palm Restaurants, Smartwork now offers the same level of high-quality design and service to the public. My clients include casinos, nightclubs and restaurants as well as many private home owners.

Currently Zach's company is working at Cliveden. Cliveden is considered one of the most lavish mansions of its era, built between 1762 and 1767 by Loyalist Benjamin Chew. The building was occupied by the British and attacked by Gen. George Washington's army in October, 1777. Smartwork has been asked to restore the doors, trim and grand stairway of this beautiful historic site by replicating the stylized mahogany faux that once graced its interior. At Smartwork we always provide free consultation and accurate quotes. Moreover, we finish our assignments on time and within agreed budgets.

Ellen Brooks
Woodward artist

A graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Ellen Brooks has studied and continues to study at art schools and workshops both locally and in Ireland. She has worked extensively in Ireland, returning most recently for an extended residency at the Burren College of Art. "I consider myself to be a conceptual artist, both as a printmaker and muralist. I need my work to be free from limits, so my images range from realistic to abstract and expressionistic. I let the medium and subject matter direct the creative process so that I'm always exploring and being surprised." Her work has been featured in numerous juried shows and exhibitions, including Woodmere Art Museum and Reading Museum of Art. She is represented locally by the Chestnut Hill Gallery and her work can be found in many private and corporate collections Nationally and Internationally.

Brooks has developed an outreach of her work through various channels, including residencies with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and The Philadelphia Art Museum's Art Futures Program. Her projects ranged from printmaking to a historic mural on an outside wall for a local elementary school. She is currently heading the Fine Arts Department and teaching art at Villa Joseph Marie High School. "I am excited and grateful to have this unique opportunity to be part of a community art project, especially being a member of the Chestnut Hill community! I am looking forward to the idea of painting a whimsical spider monkey for the Woodward Company. I hope to continue doing community and public based work in the future."

Joanne Dhody
National Penn Bank artist

Joanne Dhody, a lifelong resident of Chestnut Hill, attended John Story Jenks School and graduated from Ravenhill Academy in 1959. She received a scholarship to attend Moore College of Art and Design, graduating in 1963 with a B.F.A in advertising art. Mrs. Dhody has worked in the graphic design field for over thirty years, founding Design Unlimited, a graphic arts and illustration studio. She has designed for many prestigious institutions such as; Chilton Publishing, Shearon Environmental Design, Children's Seashore House, Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, Please Touch Museum, School of Veterinary Medicine and the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Dhody was also an Associate Professor at Moore College of Art and Design where she taught typography and basic design to graphic design and illustration and majors.

For the past two years Joanne has been focusing on painting, taking classes from Mark Bockrath and Mary Beaumont at the Chester Springs Studio. Mrs. Dhody is active in the community and serves on the Chestnut Hill Community Association Board and on the board of the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library.

Christine Drake Donahower
Kilian's Hardware and Robertson's Flowers artist
www.Christinedrakedonahower.com

Having lived in Chestnut Hill for some 30 years I am very excited to participate in "AbZOOlutely Chestnut Hill. After raising my children I decided that I would like to pursue my interest in art . I graduated from The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1997 and have been painting ever since. I am very grateful to be given this opportunity.

Andee Dubin
Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors artist

Andee Dubin received her BFA from Moore College Of Art in Philadelphia with a concentration in painting.

"Creating is a never ending journey for me. I seem to be involved in all things creative including doll making, painting, commercial art and licensing. I recently created a line of tote bags, cosmetic bags, and sleep shirts that are sold all over the country. My paintings are sold in galleries in the Philadelphia area."

"Being the animal lover that I am, it is an honor to be involved in Abzoolutely Chestnut Hill!"

Molly Ellis
BE Monogram artist
www.bemonograms.com

Molly Ellis: artist/monogramer/business owner

Alice Flint
The Hirshorn Company artist

Alice is a mural artist, and Assistant Designer at Designer's Nest.

"I have been painting murals and producing art ever since I was a child. My parents let me paint giant bugs on the basement walls in their home when I was about 11 or 12 years old (you could say that was my first mural). I guess, they saw the need to enroll me in classes at the Main Line Center for the Arts (a controlled atmoshpere, or maybe they ran out of wall space.) While there, I took courses in ceramics, drawing and painting. I continued in the Arts throughout High School always taking art each semester. I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and majored in Painting when I was in college. Since then I have been painting murals, decorative furniture, and have been in the Interior Design field. I have painted other pieces for auction at The Springside School. I am honored to be chosen to participate in this event."

Kathleen Scott Gallagher
Chestnut Hill District artist
www.kathleenscottgallagher.com

Chestnut Hill’s Kathleen Scott Gallagher is painting the first animal – a giraffe that is being sponsored by the business association to serve as their “kick-off” animal. Kathleen is generously donating her artist stipend to the project. "It's important to me to be part of a project that is here in my own backyard." This turns out to be the literal truth since Kathleen's studio, where she worked on the giraffe, is in her backyard.

A graduate of Tyler and Moore who continues to study at Woodmere Art Museum, Gallagher, best known for her floral compositions, has been exhibiting at the gallery, “as long as I’ve been here,” Schwartz says. Kathleen Scott Gallagher's work has been published in Coastal Life 2000 and 2001; Windows and Walls, Better Homes and Gardens Supplement, Winter 1997 and Decorator Showhouse, Traditional Homes, June 1997. She has won awards in Georgia and in Pennsylvania.

Jeanne Guerin-Daley
PECO/PECO Wind artistwww.JeannesMagicalMurals.com

Educated at the University of the Arts, the Memphis College of Art, and more recently, the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, Jeanne Guerin-Daley portions her time between murals and canvas paintings. She will be exhibiting (this Spring/Summer) at the 2006 Alumni Exhibition of Memphis College of Art, Memphis, TN and has started a mural business called "Jeanne's Magical Murals". She generally prefers representational pieces encompassing landscapes and botanical subjects that celebrate the beauty of Mother Nature, although currently, she has also launched an exploration of portrait painting studies.

For the past twenty-two years, she has volunteered at the Philadelphia Folk Festival's Graphics Committee, working with a crew of artist volunteers to help decorate the festival. Last year, she headed the main gate project, which consisted of 1500 square feet of painted faux stone arches (aqueduct style) with fields of sunflowers in the distance. "Fest gives me an outlet for my creative spirit and the opportunity to paint outdoors where I can feel the sun and wind as I work!"

"I paint to express an appreciation of the wonders in our world, to spread the beauty, to bring the outdoors in, and to attempt to re-create the awesomeness of nature. When I paint I feel an energy that I can get from no other activity. It invigorates me to feel the power to create something new, something that evokes an emotion in the viewer, or gives a sense of mystery. I am very thankful and thrilled to be selected to be a part of this project. This mama gets to paint a llama!"

Rebecca Hoenig
RecycleBank artist

Through a wide array of media including drawing, watercolor, printmaking, book arts, and experimental sculpture, I strive to reflect the essential mystery inherent in all natural and artistic creation. Much of my work provides a microcosmic map of a macrocosmic universe. Through my small landscape paintings of Prince Edward Island, Canada, I try to portray the large panoramic island of earth, air and water. In my mixed media sculptures, I try to capture nature, time, space, and human relationships. My experimental sculpture reflects my fascination with early childhood experience and vision. I seek to reflect the wonder, magic, and delight of a child's early discovery of the beauty in nature. My work reflects my interests in autobiography, nature, and time. I focus on documenting the present and trying to capture the elusive past.

I am honored to have been selected as the artist for the Recycle Bank sponsored sculpture. It is particularly satisfying to know the fruits of my artistic work will be used for my neighboring community of Chestnut Hill as I was raised in Germantown and currently reside in East Mount Airy.

Lisa Webb Howe
Chestnut Hill Community Center artist

Lisa Webb Howe lives in Wyndmoor with her husband, Arthur, three children and four dogs. She has been decoupaging and painting furniture and decorative pieces for many years. With her partner, Georgia Doyle, she owns and operates Artisans On The Avenue, a retail store on Germantown Avenue. Lisa says, "I love the idea of Abzoolutely Chestnut Hill. It is fun and creative, and will bring tourists and shoppers to our little village. Chestnut Hill is full of history, fabulous architecture and wonderful gardens and the AbZOOlutely animals will add another dimension to our crazy community. Thanks form letting me be a part of the festivities."

Patricia Ingersoll
Solaris artist, in collaboration with Jack Ramsdale
www.tishingersoll.com

Patricia Ingersoll's paintings have been exhibited in Pennsylvania, New York and throughout the U.S. She is represented in Pennsylvania museumcollections, as well as in many private and corporate collections.

In addition, Patricia has been a commissioned artist for the City of Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program. Her 8 outdoor murals can be seen throughout various neighborhoods of the city. She is also a featured artistin the the book, Philadelphia Murals and the Stories they Tell.

She has beena guest lecturer, has been featured in several publicationsand has appeared on television. She was the recipient of an Independence Foundation Fellowship in 2000 and created a large scale installation exhibited 3 locations from 2001-2002.

Judith McCabe Jarvis
Michael Hickey Insurance artist
www.judithmccabe-jarvis.com

Judith Mccabe Jarvis has always had passion for the visual arts. She studied Art at The Tyler school of art and spent a year in Rome studying Art History and painting extensively and graduated in 1981. During the 80s she exhibited in the Philadelphia area at many reputable Art Galleries including Gross McCleaf, Woodmere Art Museum and the Hahn Galleries. She spent a lot of time painting and drawing commissioned portraits in a unique personalized style to reflect the subject's individual personality.

Her iconoclastic style incorporated wit and whimsy. Judith McCabe Jarvis has had many influences in her art, she loves the subtle and humorous New Yorker magazine covers, the powerful narrative Religious themes of the Renaissance painters and the modern American painters such as Wyeth, Hopper and Fairfield Porter. She is in awe the controlled abandon of Andrew Wyeth's watercolors. . Since her move to Chadds Ford with her two daughters and husband, she has had the opportunity to paint the local landscape adding a unique interpretation of the much painted Brandywine Valley.

Robyn John
Chestnut Hill Local artist
roguestjohn.deviantart.com

Creativity has always been part of the next step to my future. Since 4th grade I have always been tuned in to right-brained concepts, art classes, finger paints, cartoon contests, colláge, and pottery.

In 1995, I attended Drexel University enrolled in their graphic design program, which provided a strong foundation to my career. Later, I transferred to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where I graduated with an associate’s degree in graphic design in 2000. After graduation I worked in Pittsburgh as an assistant art director for Carson Publishing, Inc. Now, I am the production manager for the Chestnut Hill Local. As well, I do freelance design work for photographers, doctors, estheticians, makeup artists, bands, renovation companies, the local community and friends. I try to craft the best aesthetic quality for any given project depending on its criteria. My design style is streamlined and modern, yet my illustrations range from Macabre to mere expressionist. I enjoy being artful, fun and weird.

I am very grateful to the people who believe in me and value my efforts as an artist because I work hard and savor the satisfaction creativity brings. I enjoy fine arts: painting, drawing, photography and writing. Other interests range from astrology to fitness, cinema, skateboarding, tattoos, politics, football, psychology and music. One of my life’s goals is to participate in the Philadelphia Mural Arts program to paint a mural for the city. I am currently a South Philadelphia resident where I enjoy a wide variety of social activities in my spare time.

“Cats and rabbits would reside in fancy little houses and be dressed in shoes and hats and trousers, in a world of my own …,” – Alice.

Emilie Lapham
John Alexander Ltd. artist

Emilie Lapham, a graduate of the University of the Arts, has continually expanded her artistic and creative horizons to encompass photography, graphic design, stenciling, decorative painting, interior design, landscape design and jewelry design. A hands-on participant in all of her projects, Emilie's creative vision leads to exceptionally well crafted results. She has won numerous awards in the Philadelphia Flower Show's artistic classes including several best of show and she is currently chair of the jewelry classes.

Emilie's focus is on exceptional craftsmanship. She believes that each project reflects the integrity of its workmanship - attention must be paid to each detail and the artist must follow through to make sure the final result matches the original vision.

Emilie and her husband and daughters moved from Chestnut Hill to Wyndmoor in 2001. Her unusual house and garden have often been featured on local and regional tours. Emilie is a board member of the Chestnut Hill Historical Society.

Paula Mandel
Kids First Chestnut Hill artist
www.paula-mandel.com

Paula Mandel graduated from Temple University with a double degree in Fine Arts and Psychology. During her 30 year career she worked as a Play Therapist and then as a professional painter. Her metaphorical paintings and mixed media are animated, colorful and richly textured as they stem from her personal experiences as a woman, wife and mother. Five years ago Mandel wandered into the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. This was her first exposure to grand scale glass sculpture and it inspired her to return to school. She has now completed 2 full years of flameworking, kiln-casting, fusing, slumping and cold-working courses at Salem Community College in addition to workshops and courses at UArts, Corning and Urban Glass. She is thoroughly immersed in the 3-D world of glass/sculpture.

Mandel's most recent series is based on toys which were important to her and her children. Although fragile in nature, her sculptures are interactive, begging the viewer to touch and play. "When I was invited to participate in the AbZOOlutely Chestnut Hill project, I realized that it would benefit from my current interest in mixing painting with sculpture as well as my interest in toys. Each of the sections of the Moytle the TOYtle's shell features a colorful mini-painting of a universal childhood icon. It is satisfying to continue to explore my interests in a way that benefits the community." Mandel works directly with children in her native Philadelphia as she brings art to them in an after school program. She also works as a docent at the National Liberty Museum. Her favorite solo exhibitions have been in school galleries where she conducts workshops with the viewers. Most recently she was invited to exhibit in "Best of Philadelphia Glass Artists".

Marianne Mitchell
The Philadelphia Print Shop artist
www.mariannemitchell.com

"My mission is to create art that connects and resonates with the human soul."

Outré Art
Manuela's artist
Stephanie Lubin & Natalie Eisen
215-896-9278
www.outreart.com

Stephanie Lubin and Natalie Eisen for Outré Art. Artists working together to complete one piece is considered highly unconventional. We are two artists with different styles and subject matter interests who have found a way to work simultaneously on the same piece. While working together we not only see color realms from two different perspectives, but get to explore the humorous side of life! The resulting works are still life in the contemporary realistic realm where it is impossible to distinguish where one hand stops and the other begins and thus a new artistic style has been created.

Kathryn Pannepacker
Sovereign Bank artist

Kathryn Pannepacker is a textile/visual artist living in Philadelphia. She graduated from Penn State University with a major in English and a minor in art. Back in the late 1980s, for 4 years in Berkeley, California, Kathryn apprenticed with 3rd generation French tapestry weaver, Jean Pierre Larochette and his partner, Yael Lurie, a painter and designer for tapestry. She then went to Aubusson, France, to continue weaving as an artist-in-resident. Kathryn also had the opportunity to be an artist-in resident in Hachioji, Japan, through the Japan Foundation.

Though still weaving pictorial tapestry, she also weaves with unusual materials. Kathryn is the former director of the Da Vinci Art Alliance, and still serves on the board. She is a rostered artist for both the PA Council On the Arts/Artists and Education and Young Audiences of PA. Through the Mural Arts Program, Kathryn just completed a 7 x 500 foot wide painted mural called Wall of Rugs: the global language of textiles at Girard and Belmont Avenues, featuring the textiles of 43 countries.

Laura Pritchard
Monkey Business artist
www.laurapritchardbatik.com

Laura Pritchard is a fine artist who makes paintings with dyes on silk using the ancient batik technique in which molten wax is used as the resist. Her resulting paintings are a technical achievement. Her paintings are usually large, fantastic faces in a field embellished with patterns and designs based on meaningful decoration from various cultures and eras. The faces are meant to invite the viewer to contemplate the details.

Ed Sozanski, Philadelphia Inquirer art critic, said this about her work that was exhibited at the Rosenfeld Gallery, "...her paintings transcend the traditional product. Her figures are almost comically lighthearted, her colors vivid, and her shapes resolutely flat. [Her work has a ] lively spirit."

Jack Ramsdale
Solaris artist

Jack Ramsdale is a local photographer of considerable note. He has worked as the full time photographer for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, with his images featured in Philadelphia Murals and the Stories they Tell, and will appear in the forthcoming More Philadelphia Murals. Jack has collaborated with Patricia Ingersoll on a piece for "Flights of Fancy" at City Hall, and the two have created a sculpture, "Key Volt" for an exhibit on City Line Avenue.

Peg Ridgely
Hill Company artist

Peg Ridgely is a talented painter and sculpter who specializes in natural history subjects. Peg is well known for her charming garden sculptures carried by the Hill Company, and her paintings combine a keen eye for natural details with a delightful sense of wonder of the world around us.

Mary M. Rice
Intermission artist

I was born an artist. As children growing up in Germantown, paper, paints, paste and clay were the stuff of magic for me and my little friends, and we spent many happy hours making puppets and marionettes from papier-maché or doll houses from an old peach basket, chicken wire, sticks, stones, feathers and whatever we could find on our many hikes through Valley Green. I am now an illustrator, painter, quilter, and most especially, a doll artist specializing in original, one-of-a-kind dolls made of polymer clay. My dolls have been featured in galleries in Philadelphia and New York City. My dolls are also regularly featured in the windows of “Greenberg and Hammer” in Manhattan. I enjoy a loyal and growing base of customers who have been collecting my work for a few years now. I have also taught children the art of puppet-making at ‘Our Treasure Tree’ in Glenside, PA . I am now in the process of developing crafts and art classes for a number of retirement villages and nursing facilities in the Delaware Valley area.

Becky Roller
McNally's Tavern and Roller's Restaurant artist

Becky Roller has long been known as a restaurant owner AND talented artist. Her illustrations and lettering have graced many a menu, logo, T-shirt and cookbook and have a charm that is instantly recognizable. These culinary graphics were hatched back in the glory days of FROG and The Commissary.....restaurants at the epicenter of Philadelphia's restaurant renaissance in the late 70's. Her AbZOOlutely pig continues the tradition by representing two great Chestnut Hill food establishments, McNally's and Roller's, with images of the finest foodstuffs, simply drawn, joyfully colored and seasoned with plenty of character and whimsy!

Faye Rose
The Hill House artist
www.artandsoulyoga.com

Faye's portraits and paintings and various works can be found in corporate America as well as in hundreds of private residences. As a graphics designer, she crafted the New Jersey Transit Logo, which can be seen on every bus in the Garden State. Her artistic abilities became apparent as a young child. While raising her two sons and designing packaging for the cosmetic industry, she developed her love of painting portraits of people and animals. Her love of oils, acrylics, stained glass and mosaics are evident in her works. As her livelihood, she created a school which teaches art and yoga classes as a therapeutic method of helping people heal themselves.

Faye's works reflect the many places she has traveled in the world. A most sought-after portrait artist who knows how to bring the canvas to life. A recent showing of her works raised money for the National MS Society.

Steven D. Schindler
Eichler & Moffly artist

Schindler is known for his varied styles, ranging from naturalistic the delicate--subtly colored pen-and-ink drawings in the Catwings series and the colored pencil drawings in Johnny Appleseed, to cartoony--the Halloween darks and brights of The Big Pumpkin, and the eerie, elongated, Edward-Gorey-like, frostily colored pen-and-inks of One Witch, to encyclopedic--Don't Know Much About Mummies and Don't Know Much About the Pilgrims, to historical--The Trouble With Henry: A Tale of Walden Pond.

Sara Steele
Chestnut Hill Health System artist
www.sarasteele.com

Watercolorist Sara Steele's exhibits in the U.S. and Europe include solo shows in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain in 2000 and "Blueprints for Paradise" at the Berman Museum of Art in 2005. Planning for that exhibition's tour is now underway. A major new monograph of her work has just been published, titled Blueprints for Paradise, The Watercolor Paintings of Sara Steele. The book explores her passion for ecology, evident throughout her painting career. Images range from nearly-traditional botanicals to landscapes, still-lives and abstractions. Even her most representational works are expressionistic, and natural forms echo throughout her most abstract work.

Steele's work with progressive organizations over a span of three decades illustrates her conviction in beauty as an instrument of social change. The National Domestic Violence Hotline, the Nature Conservancy, the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, National Wildlife Federation, SANE/Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, Action AIDS, and Living Beyond Breast Cancer, are but a few such organizations. Her work has also been distributed widely to women's shelters, clinics, hospices and prisons throughout the U.S. and Canada. Last fall she completed a 2-story mural at the corner of Mt. Airy and Germantown Aves. for Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program. In 2003 Steele was a recipient of the Leeway Foundation's Window of Opportunity grant.

She is well known for her internationally distributed calendars, continuously in print for 27 years. Her paintings, drawings and pastels are included in several hundred private and public collections. In Bloom, an earlier monograph of her floral work, was published in 1994. Her new book, calendars, limited edition prints and more can be found at www.sarasteele.com.

Sharon Steinhofer
Artist for the shops in the Farmer's Market/Chestnut Hotel center

King of Prussia Artist, Sharon Steinhofer received her B.F.A. from Arcadia University with a concentration in Painting in 1979. Since then, Sharon devotes much of her creative energy to Fine Art-Mixed Media works and Photography. The passage of time has nurtured her artistic ability as well as mental insight. The recipient of numerous awards, acceptances to juried exhibitions in Pennsylvania and New York City, publications of paintings and photography and the honor of her work in permanent college and private collections, she still feels the need for artistic growth. Sharon says, "to me Art is like Life itself, always evolving. It is a courtship between chaos and chance…running with the chaos and depending on the resolution of an agreeable chance."

While composition has generally been a basic concern for the artist, color and texture is not overlooked in her most recent works. Shobha Menon, M.F.A., artist and historian, recently wrote that…"the importance of color and texture is evident in the way Sharon layers paint…creating an atmospheric, somewhat mysterious dimensionality in her abstract painting." Sharon is most grateful for the opportunity to be a participating artist in the AbZOOlutely Chestnut Hill project. She noted that, "bringing Art OUT to the Public Arena is very exciting!"

Susannah Hart Thomer
Rotary Club artist
www.susannaharthomer.com

Having grown up in Wyndmoor, educated at GFS and Moore College of Art and worked in Chestnut Hill, I am delighted to be part of this wonderful community project. One of my goals as an artist is to communicate the joy of art with the public and so I am heavily involved with many art organizations and local museums. This event is an additional opportunity to share my work with lots of people so we can all enjoy the experience!

Rebecca McKillip Thornburgh
The Eye Institute of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry artist
www.rebeccathornburgh.com

Rebecca has been illustrating children’s books (and other stuff for children) full-time since 1996, and since then has illustrated over sixty books. Her two most recent picturebook titles are The Shelf Elf and The Shelf Elf Helps Out. Rebecca is happiest when drawing fairies and dragons and strange little creatures, and the pictures she creates are always full of odd little details added just for fun. When she's not drawing pictures, Rebecca sings with a band called Reckless Amateurs. She lives in a pleasantly spooky old house in Chestnut Hill with one husband, two daughters, two dogs.

Contact: For further details and information on AbZOOlutely Chestnut call the Zoo Staff at 215-247-6696