Tower Hill School • 2011 - 2012

Jeanne Watson Smith “Recent Drawings”Opening Reception: September 9, 6 - 8 p.m. Gallery Hours: September 2 - 23, 8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., Monday - Friday

About the Artist

Jeanne Watson Smith received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Philadelphia College of Art (University of the Arts). She also attended the Leeds School of Art in Leeds, England, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts. She is currently an art teacher at the Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

In the Gallery brings you a comprehensive view of the artists who will be displaying their works in the Founders’ Gallery during the 2011-2012 school year. Join us for the opening receptions for our visiting artists whose displays are part of the Wilmington Art Loop or just drop in the gallery to view the wonderful works of art on display! Mark your calendar now for the student events in the spring.

Gail’s Cactus, 18” x 24”Graphite on Bristol Vellum paper

At a Glance

September 2 - 23 Jeanne Watson Smith

October 1 - 28

George Martz

November 4 - 25Sarah Yeoman

December 2 - 21 All Faculty/Staff

January 6 - 27Abigail Patterson and

John W. Bartlett

February 3 - 24New Wilmington Art

Association

March 2 - 16 Art Faculty

April 13 - 20 Studio Art/Advanced Studio Art Students

April 25, 6 - 9 p.m.

Evening of the Arts

(Continued on page 5)

About the Artist

George Martz was born in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, and attended the University of Delaware. He studied in Florence, Italy, and at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. After teaching in Laurel, Delaware, for 13 years, he moved to Tower Hill School in 1983. During his 27-year tenure at the school, he studied at the New York Studio School in Greenwich Village and the Maryland Institute College of Art studies abroad program in Sorrento, Italy. George also worked for several months at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and painted during his sabbatical in the Greek Islands. In the past 20 years, he has exhibited his artwork in more than 70 shows in 11 states and Italy. Although George is retired, he still continues to teach a volunteer art class at the Methodist Country House that he started 17 years ago. His artwork is represented at the Station Gallery in Greenville.

This exhibition represents the past 20 years of Martz’s drawings and paintings (1991 - 2011). From the very beginning with the Birth of Clouds to his recent big sky interpretations in a small format, one can find a general progression that is clear and logical. His artwork was most influenced by his journeys to the Amalfi Coast, the Greek Islands and the New York Studio School.

The Artist’s Statement

The work in this show represents a wide variety of sizes and configurations. Drawings have been done in pencil, charcoal and pastel. Paintings were created with oil paints but are done on wood, canvas, canvas board and linen. “When developing my images, I rely heavily on visual sketches that are often memories from my travels. It may be the combination of an idea from Santa Fe and an idea from the eastern shore of Maryland, or it might be a one-minute sketch at a tram stop in Amsterdam added to one-minute sketches at the next four or five stops!” In each case, the end result is an imaginative place. Martz’s paintings evolve by manipulating or moving form and space. His drawings take a slightly different direction by forcing the viewer to imagine the lines that are really not there. In both mediums there is a sense of newness and a unique way of looking at the world.

George Martz“Clouds, Sky, to Earth and Back”Opening Reception: October 7, 6 - 8 p.m. Gallery Hours: October 1 - 28, 8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.

Paestum: Greek Column Study #5 Graphite on paper, 11” x 17”, 1994

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Heirs to the Sky Oil on canvas board, 9” x 11”, 2011

About the Artist

Sarah Yeoman was born and raised in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and now resides in Northern Delaware – “just a pothole away from the Pennsylvania line” says Sarah from her Ashland Studio. Her husband Paul Skibinski is also an artist.

Sarah’s artistic pursuits have included singer/songwriter, sculptor, jeweler and finally painting where she has found her most expressive voice through watercolor.

An outdoor enthusiast she is often paddling, hiking or climbing in search of her latest subject matter, whether it’s in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York where she spent her childhood summers or in the Chadds Ford area.

Sarah teaches workshops and classes in her studio in Delaware, the Adirondacks and the Poconos.

Sarah Yeoman“Atmospheres”Opening Reception: November 4, 6 - 8 p.m. Gallery Hours: November 4 - 25, 8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.Monday - Friday

Shadows and LightWatercolor 16’ x 22’

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The Artist’s Statement

The play of light and shadow and its influence on form are the foundation of her watercolors. She is fascinated by the symbiotic relationship that objects have with one another, influencing color, line and shape. For her the poetry of color and the music of line

“New Wilmington Painting” Opening Reception: February 3, 6 - 8 p.m. Gallery Hours: February 3 - 24, 8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.Monday - Friday

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About the Artists/Artists’ Statements

Abigail Patterson was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and received a B.A. from Prescott College and an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute. Her drawings and collages begin as glimpses of a passing vision or memory that become a point of departure and develop through formal explorations. She reinterprets the images with systems of mark making which become obsessive without being precious. The resulting structures feel raw and vacant yet have a sense of space and purpose, leaving the viewer with the potential for narrative.

Abigail Patterson and John W. Bartlett“Abigail Patterson and John W. Bartlett”Opening Reception: January 6, 6 - 8 p.m. Gallery Hours: January 6 - 27, 8 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.,

John W. Bartlett was born in San Francisco, California, and received a B.F.A. from the University of Oregon and an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute. His recent artwork includes large woodcut prints on paper and carved blocks as relief sculptural objects. The subject matter explores themes of myth, extinction and the relationship between humans and nature. His artwork has also posed interaction between layers of antiquated technology within the subject matter and printing processes. The imagery combines archaic means with telecommunications, genetic engineering and mass production. Many of his pieces have interchangeable parts, functioning individually, as well as serial components in larger assembled compositions. John joins Tower Hill this year as an art and photography teacher.

Untitled

Tasmanian Tiger Wolf, Woodcut print, 50” x 38”

Jim’s Plant, 18” x 24”Graphite on Bristol Vellum paper

The Artist’s Statement

As a trained wood sculptor, Jeanne is intensely interested in the surface texture of objects, both man-made and natural. For the last three years, she has made numerous studies of ordinary items using various grade pencils on bristol vellum board papers.

She captures both the light reflected off each surface and the shadow cast by each 3-D form in a classical way. She usually carves a piece of wood without making previous studies and lets the inspiration come from within the wood.

These recent drawings are a visual journey in preparation for the next series of wood or stone sculpture. She is preparing herself for the next level of patina articulation by exploring light on curved, smooth and rough forms.

Jeanne Watson Smith (Continued from the front page)

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Hummingbird Vine, 18” x 24” Graphite on Bristol Vellum paper

Tower Hill ScHool 2813 w. 17TH STreeT wilmingTon, De 19806

On October 22, 1994, a large crowd gathered around a festival tent for the ground breaking of the Pierre S. du Pont Arts Center. After brief remarks, digging began, and all children present were invited to take a turn!

Tower Hill’s original auditorium had been built in 1919 for a student body of 206. By 1994, the enrollment had more than tripled, and the performing/visual arts curriculum had expanded significantly.

With the completion of the Pierre S. du Pont Arts Center, the school has been honored to present professional and student exhibitions by local and well-known artists from across the nation: David Em (Los Angles), Arthur Ganson (Boston), Tony Trezza (Philadelphia) and Tower Hill alumnae Marianne Dages ‘00, Jessica Berlin ‘96, Heather McEvilly ‘93 and Lydia Thew ‘99, to mention a very few of the scores of fascinating personalities who have passed through our beautiful gallery and shared their visions with our fortunate community.

In 2010 the vestibule area in the P.S. du Pont Arts Center was identified as a perfect location to pay tribute to Tower Hill’s 11 founders. A mural was created based on the book entitled

Forever Green, the history of the first 75 years of Tower Hill. With this mural celebrating the school’s history, the Pierre S. du Pont Gallery was renamed the Founders’ Gallery. Today the gallery is stronger than ever, and we are grateful to all those who have and will continue to support it. Enjoy the shows!

About the Founders’ Gallery