Presidents' Corner
September is a time of many transitions - summer turns to fall, school begins, work replaces vacations - and NESBA held its annual meeting on September 15. The Board of Directors noted our solid financial position, our robust membership of 220, this past year’s programming highlights and the work of the Exhibits Task Force.
Many significant transitions occurred in NESBA’s leadership. Several Board members stepped down after lengthy terms and tremendous contributions: Vicki Rellas, Programs, Rita Edmunds, Treasurer, Susan Fulton, Membership, and Ellen Duarte, Member-at-Large. The Board and members thanked each of them for their great work. The organization could not have accomplished what it has throughout the pandemic without their support.
Several Board members were voted into new positions. Jackie Rockel is now heading Membership and the NESBA newsletter, Joan Strauss has moved into the role of Secretary and organizational record keeping and Tara Connaughton will become a Member-at-Large and will continue supporting website evolution. Joan will, of course, continue her work as process improver, extraordinaire.
Finally, the Board welcomed four new members: Lynn Shepherd as Treasurer, Elizabeth Rush as Member-at-Large, Suzanne Thorin as Member-at-Large, and our own Sarah Roche will join me for a one year term as Co-President. I feel so grateful that she will share the honor of leading this great chapter of botanical artists.
Read below for our new Board Members’ bios.
We are all looking forward to a bountiful year of learning, sharing, and camaraderie.
Diane Piktialis,
Co-President
Elizabeth Rush - Member at Large
BIO
I have always loved to make things. I learned to sew at an early age and do small carpentry projects. When I wasn’t actually making something, I was dreaming up a new project and working out how it might be fabricated in my mind.
I have fine art degrees and majored in printmaking. When I graduated I developed a small line of silkscreen cards that I printed myself. They sold mainly in small galleries and museum shops and I often created special designs exclusive to those organizations.
As a young mother, I became concerned with the toxicity of printmaking. I decided to shift my focus to illustration. This required that I work on my drawing and painting skills, to develop a portfolio and meet with potential clients. We were living in the D.C. area at the time and I worked as a freelance illustrator for such organizations as the Washington Post and the National Geographic Society. I found my true direction when the National Wildlife Federation commissioned artwork for scarves, linen calendars, cards and other products for their gift catalog. This combined my love of nature with my enthusiasm for making things.
While I have worked as an in-house artist and art director, most of my career has been spent as an independent artist and designer. With experience I was able to develop design collections to license to different companies. Many of these collections featured birds and floral subjects. My understanding of how things are made helped me to create artwork that would successfully adapt for use on fabric, ceramic ware and a variety of giftware products.
INSPIRATION
The original meaning of the word inspiration is to breathe, to inhale, to take in a breath of fresh air. It’s one of my favorite words and one of my favorite states of being. To inspire others is a real gift! I joined NESBA about six years ago and have found it to be a well of inspiration. Looking at an individual plant, trying to understand its structure and then attempting to represent it in drawing or painting demands calm attention. It demands focus and challenges your skills. Meeting others with similar interests, seeing how they meet creative challenges, participating in shows and workshops is a wonderful opportunity and way to grow.
When asked to participate on the board I felt this offered a chance to contribute to an organization that has already given me a lot of encouragement and opportunities.
Lynn Shepherd - Treasurer
BIO
Lynn’s career as an executive spans 40 years in financial services. As a project manager for large US and global IT projects in several trust departments and a broker dealer enabled both domestic and international travel. Retirement has provided the time to pursue creative endeavors and volunteering. Lynn is actively involved at both the Woods Hole and West Falmouth libraries. Lynn has spent the last 7 years studying in various mediums with a focus on watercolor at Cape Cod Art Center. She is a certificate candidate at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden. Lynn lives on Cape Cod where she paints and gardens. She is a member of NESBA, Cape Cod Art Center, New England Watercolor Society. She has exhibited at local venues. Her work is in corporate and private collections on Cape Cod.
INSPIRATION
I developed an interest in gardening and art as a child. I have been an avid garden my entire adult life. I took art classes throughout school and loved drawing nature. It is so exciting to be able to study botanical art to combine my love of gardening and art. Meeting others who share the same interests is a gift. Serving on the NESBA board with others who are passionate about sharing the botanical art world is a privilege.
Suzanne Thorin - Member at Large
BIO
Over the years of my career, I was first a music librarian and then a library administrator in institutions from the Library of Congress to Syracuse University. At each institution I was not shy about supporting special collections. I used my music degrees by singing in various groups and sometimes took courses in art, the Corcoran being my best experience. I am still on the National Board of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. One of the benefits of my career was that I was able to travel regularly to Europe and the Far East.
INSPIRATION
My mother, who was born in Western Massachusetts, was a fashion artist in her younger years, and I have her notebooks and examples of her work. She is my inspiration in part because she could not pursue her dream of going to art school in Chicago. Her father suddenly became sick, and my mother had to go to work to support her family. Sadly, she never drew again. Once I moved to Cohasset in retirement, I began to take courses at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset. I learned about the botanical art program at Wellesley College from my instructor Sarah Roche and was thrilled when she suggested I begin work on a Certificate. I have found helpful and warm colleagues and first-rate instructors. I hope to finish my “degree” in another year or so with a final project of apples. I am delighted to be able to contribute to NESBA and the important work it does for all of us. My mother was never interested in plants but excelled in creating the textures and patterns of fabrics. She would have loved painting the pillows in leaves.