BY PHYLLIS SIDES
Journal Times | Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 12:00 am
RACINE - For the roughly 40 members of the Wednesday Studio Art Group at Cesar Chavez Community Center, their weekly gatherings provide an opportunity to learn from one another.
Sitting in front of her easel on a recent Wednesday morning Monica West talked about painting and the group. West, 64, has attended the gatherings for four or five years. She got involved because of her friend, Barbara Blaha. West comes every Wednesday, unless she's on a trip.
"I like to get here early to get my favorite seat," said, West, who works in acrylics and took classes at Wustum. "We don't have teachers, although a lot of former art teachers are part of the group. We call ourselves the
geezers."
Blaha said they use photographs or pictures from books as models for their work. Wednesdays are the only days she paints.
"I don't paint at home," said Blaha, 70, who has been involved with the group for three or four years. "I was involved before, years ago. You learn watching other people paint. Painting is an evolving thing. There's no instructor … only the critique at the end. It's just fun to do," said Blaha.
Jean Sullivan knew she wanted to work on a series of unfinished watercolors. Sullivan, 82, started with the group about 14 years ago when they met at Memorial Hall. She started coming because she had the time.
"My husband passed away and I was looking for things to do," Sullivan said. "I did oil painting when I was younger but switched to watercolors because I wanted to do something quicker." Sullivan attended the Layton Art School in Milwaukee and took classes at Wustum.
Like Sullivan, Tony Kozenski, 85, started painting when he was younger. "I started painting in grade school," Kozenski said. "I stopped for 40 years when I got married. I put it aside for the kids."
Kozenski's sister, Marie Skowronski, also is a member of the group and at one time five of their siblings belonged. However, time has taken its toll, Kozenski said.
Skowronski has belonged to the group for about 23 years. "It's a wonderful class and the seniors here are great," Skowronski said. "The people, who come here, are not just coming to paint."
Carol Madsen said they paint, talk and visit at the same time. Madsen has been coming since 1993 after she retired from teaching art at Gilmore Middle School. "It's a lot of fun," Madsen said, pointing to Mary Burant as her inspiration.
"We share everything we know," said Burant, 71. "It's like a family. We started at Memorial Hall. I retired when I was 54 but they told me I had to be 55 to join. You don't have to have any training - it's for anybody."
Like some members of the group, Ellen Cardwell also painted when she was younger but stopped to pursue other things. "I was an actor and a singer," said Cardwell, 66. "I stopped painting and I didn't do anything until 15 or 16 years ago." Cardwell joined the group 11 months ago, after she and her husband moved to Racine from Virginia.