The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown last week hosted its latest artist demonstration at Newtown Senior Center, where it recently began presenting many of its programs.

Grisell lives in Gaylordsville and is well known across the state for her artistic talent. She is an award-winning artist who believes “a painting should be suggesting rather than carefully rendering its subject.”

She works primarily in oils and has been painting professionally for more than 50 years. Her work emphasizes light and color, focusing on figurative, landscape, and still life subject matter.

Among her many awards are Best in Show at in the Meetinghouse Show in Roxbury and more recently The Barbara Goodspeed Award from SCAN.

She has painted and exhibited across the country as well as painted in Italy and France.

Flowers In Oil Demo

Next week, SCAN will host Kathy Anderson demonstrating painting flowers using oils.

Anderson will be at Newtown Senior Center, 8 Simpson Street, on Tuesday, May 12, at 7:30 pm. The demonstration is open to the public and admission is free.

Anderson is best known for her unique interpretation of flowers and gardens, and intimate scenes of landscapes. Working in oils and painting mostly from life, her focus is on a strong design and movement in the painting, keeping the subject as naturally as you would find it.

Her style is representational, but goes a step further into reality, often depicting weeds in the garden, flowers past their prime, etc. Anderson’s work is included in many prestigious private collections. The artist is a master signature member of Oil Painters of America, an artist member of National Art Club and Salmagundi Club N.Y., and is in the permanent collection of both prestigious organizations. She teaches workshops in the US and abroad and has three popular videos.

She was lucky to be able to call as personal friends two great contemporary artists — Richard Schmid and Everett Raymond Kinstler, who have both died. She spent countless years with each, soaking up their wisdom and life stories.

“What I learned the most from these two masters was their high standards of excellence and the absolute joy of painting,” Anderson shared. “I see paintings everywhere — every flower, rock, tree, dapple of light, sparkling waterfall. There there’s no end to subject matter for an artist when your eyes are always open.”

Recent awards include a Silver Medal-Masters Division, at the 2023 Oil Painters of America Western Regional Show; 2022 Best in Show, Salmagundi Club Landscape Show; 2021 Gold Medal-Masters Division Oil Painters of America Salon Show; and second place Salmagundi Club, Sylvia Maria Glesmann Floral Award and second place, Masters Division, Virtuosos of OPA, both 2019. She is represented by Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Susan Powell Fine Art in Madison; Horton Hayes Fine Art, Charleston, S.C.; Turner Fine Art, Jackson, Wyo.; and Illume Gallery West, Philipsburg, Mont.

Reservations are not needed for SCAN programs but additional information may be found at SCANart.org.