Pick A Color Artists
Below read about each of the artists that entered artwork into the Pick A Color show
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Mary Atwood
Robyn Freedman Jessica Hall Mary Joan Hinson Kim Hurt Maryna Kovalchuk Ed Malesky |
Michelle Mohler
Kathy Morris Amber Pritchett Moises Ramos Astrid S. Ramos Lynn Syrcle Danielle Warsansky |
Kathy Morris
I am a lifetime resident of the Jacksonville and surrounding areas. I currently live in Green Cove Springs. I first started painting over 40 years ago and like many others was greatly inspired by Bob Ross. I was always amazed at the beautiful paintings he could create in just 30 minutes. He inspired me to pick up a bush and give it a try. I followed as many of his tutorials as I could and eventually enrolled in a community oil painting class. There I learned new skills and my painting began to improve, but then life happened. I had 2 daughters and open oil paints, and thinners just didn’t work with two small kids running around. So, I put the paints away and told myself one day I would get back to it. As life went on, I was never able to find the time. But I told myself more times that I can count, “once I retire, I’m going to start painting again” …. Well, here I am more than 35 years later living that dream! When I started back, I naturally started with oils as it was all I knew. I watched some YouTube tutorials and attended some in-person workshops and classes. I also enrolled in a fantastic online pet portrait course where I learned not only how to paint pets but so many new techniques that I use today in all types of paintings! I have now been focusing on using acrylics for no other reason than the clean-up is much easier. I have yet to find “my thing” and instead, paint a very wide range of subject matter. I paint land and seascapes, animals, buildings, florals…. I just haven’t decided yet what I like best. Varity is the spice of life!
Lynn Syrcle
Lynn Syrcle is a photographer who specializes in nautical themes.
Mary Atwood
Author and fine art photographer Mary Atwood is a long-time resident of the Florida’s First Coast area whose deep appreciation of its natural beauty, rich history and diverse culture is often reflected in her work.
As the daughter of a World War II military photographer, Mary grew up with a camera in hand. Her earliest memories of taking photographs are of using a Kodak Brownie when she was six years old. From there, her experiences involved learning to use a wide variety of camera equipment from Polaroid to Hasselblad, and just about everything in between.
Mary’s fine art photography is included in numerous public, private, and corporate collections in the both the United States and France. She was the recipient of the Community Foundation of Northeast Florida’s prestigious Art Ventures grant in 2011, has done commissioned work for MOCA Jacksonville, and was invited by the Sister Cities organization of Nantes, France to exhibit her First Coast Reflections project as part of the inaugural celebration for la Maison des Etates-Unis (The American House) during the summer of 2013.
Mary’s work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and public art venues, with over twenty solo shows. To date, her photographs have won more than fifty awards in local, regional and national juried exhibitions.
As the daughter of a World War II military photographer, Mary grew up with a camera in hand. Her earliest memories of taking photographs are of using a Kodak Brownie when she was six years old. From there, her experiences involved learning to use a wide variety of camera equipment from Polaroid to Hasselblad, and just about everything in between.
Mary’s fine art photography is included in numerous public, private, and corporate collections in the both the United States and France. She was the recipient of the Community Foundation of Northeast Florida’s prestigious Art Ventures grant in 2011, has done commissioned work for MOCA Jacksonville, and was invited by the Sister Cities organization of Nantes, France to exhibit her First Coast Reflections project as part of the inaugural celebration for la Maison des Etates-Unis (The American House) during the summer of 2013.
Mary’s work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and public art venues, with over twenty solo shows. To date, her photographs have won more than fifty awards in local, regional and national juried exhibitions.
Artist Ed Malesky
Ed is a Board Member of TAC and the Immediate Past President.
Ed has always been interested in woodworking and developed his skills to focus on woodturning as art.
He feels that creating his art always starts with a beautiful form. Turning wood into these forms is a truly tactile and very enjoyable experience, complicated by the fact that wood is an organic material that moves and distorts as it dries or contains hidden defects. Sometimes he can use these features and sometimes he needs to plan ahead to get the form he wants.
A beautiful form can be enough, especially when he has used a spectacular piece of wood. However, his real goal is to draw an emotional response from the viewer, so often this initial form is just the canvas for his work. He loves adding color and texture to his pieces using dyes, paints, pyrography and other processes that allows the viewer to see something beyond just a piece of wood.
Ed has always been interested in woodworking and developed his skills to focus on woodturning as art.
He feels that creating his art always starts with a beautiful form. Turning wood into these forms is a truly tactile and very enjoyable experience, complicated by the fact that wood is an organic material that moves and distorts as it dries or contains hidden defects. Sometimes he can use these features and sometimes he needs to plan ahead to get the form he wants.
A beautiful form can be enough, especially when he has used a spectacular piece of wood. However, his real goal is to draw an emotional response from the viewer, so often this initial form is just the canvas for his work. He loves adding color and texture to his pieces using dyes, paints, pyrography and other processes that allows the viewer to see something beyond just a piece of wood.
Artist Danielle Wirsansky
Danielle Wirsansky is a photographer for 3 Muses Photography. A current theme of her body of work is anemoia, a longing for a time or place you have never known. She plays with the concept through dress, staging, setting, models, editing, and even the display style of the photographs. Her work is meant to throwback to an older time and invoke a feeling of nostalgia and curiosity in the viewer.
Upon graduating with her masters, Danielle began working as a studio photographer and freelance photographer. She was named a Top Local Artist by St. John’s Magazine in 2018. Over 2021, her work was published in over 25 different magazines internationally and displayed in six different exhibits in the North Florida area. She is currently pursuing a PhD in History at Florida State University. She is a proud member of FemArt Gallery.
Upon graduating with her masters, Danielle began working as a studio photographer and freelance photographer. She was named a Top Local Artist by St. John’s Magazine in 2018. Over 2021, her work was published in over 25 different magazines internationally and displayed in six different exhibits in the North Florida area. She is currently pursuing a PhD in History at Florida State University. She is a proud member of FemArt Gallery.
Artist Robyn Freedman
Originally, my career began in advertising and design. This was a time when we did everything by hand. That background has continued to be a part of my daily life. Florida-based, I have been honing in on my drawing and painting skills for the past several years. Going back to basics to exercise my hands with pencils and brushes, watercolors have become my favorite medium, again.
My goal has been to find a way to bring what I see, to be full of life on the page. My pencil and brushes don’t stop. There is constant use of movement and energy within my work, as well as a strong set of colors from my surroundings. The beach, the sand, the sky, the sunshine, the garden, the flowers, and all the beauty around me inspires my passion for vibrant color.
With my name being Robyn, it is fitting that I be associated with bird nests. theflyingbirdnest is symbolic of the numerous homes and locations that I have moved to while managing to maintain my artistic spirit. I find myself yearning to continue to learn and develop so I can continue to drop art into my nest.
My goal has been to find a way to bring what I see, to be full of life on the page. My pencil and brushes don’t stop. There is constant use of movement and energy within my work, as well as a strong set of colors from my surroundings. The beach, the sand, the sky, the sunshine, the garden, the flowers, and all the beauty around me inspires my passion for vibrant color.
With my name being Robyn, it is fitting that I be associated with bird nests. theflyingbirdnest is symbolic of the numerous homes and locations that I have moved to while managing to maintain my artistic spirit. I find myself yearning to continue to learn and develop so I can continue to drop art into my nest.
Artist Jessica Hall
Jessica Shockley Hall, previously a resident of Atlanta, GA, has called Jacksonville Beach home for the last ten years.
Jessica is an oil painter and has practiced sporadically throughout her adult life, learning and working with other artists, recently making painting her primary focus.
Putting her unique contemporary spin on a long-held tradition of artists who have been inspired by the beauty of nature, Jessica is currently working on a body of work based on and inspired by various flora. She is drawn to flowers, particularly for their vibrant beauty and endless opportunities to play with color and form.
As with all of her paintings, she hopes, “the joy I felt painting them is felt by the viewer and brings life to someone’s home.”
Jessica is an oil painter and has practiced sporadically throughout her adult life, learning and working with other artists, recently making painting her primary focus.
Putting her unique contemporary spin on a long-held tradition of artists who have been inspired by the beauty of nature, Jessica is currently working on a body of work based on and inspired by various flora. She is drawn to flowers, particularly for their vibrant beauty and endless opportunities to play with color and form.
As with all of her paintings, she hopes, “the joy I felt painting them is felt by the viewer and brings life to someone’s home.”
Artist Mary Joan Hinson
Mary Joan took painting lessons as a small child, developing a love of oils and the unique pigments they offered. She continued her studies into adulthood in the United States, Europe, and the Far East. She became a Professor of Fine Arts and Humanities at Florida State College, Jacksonville. In 2005, she received her PhD and continued to teach and exhibit throughout the eastern United States. In 2020 she decided to focus solely on her artistic endeavors and since has produced large-scale murals in the neighborhood of St. Nicholas and the NAS navy base. She also had a solo exhibition at the Goodyear Cottage of the Jekyll Island Resort.
In her work earth power reflects a world that exists deep in cognitive awareness. Looking at nature, she sees the organic interaction of color, shape and form. The momentary effects of light, air, and water movement are considered when she develops her compositions. Work is started without a preconceived notion, but executed according to the highest standards of technique and craftsmanship. The final presentation is professionally complete.
Education: PhD in Philosophy, Capella University, 2005
In her work earth power reflects a world that exists deep in cognitive awareness. Looking at nature, she sees the organic interaction of color, shape and form. The momentary effects of light, air, and water movement are considered when she develops her compositions. Work is started without a preconceived notion, but executed according to the highest standards of technique and craftsmanship. The final presentation is professionally complete.
Education: PhD in Philosophy, Capella University, 2005
Artist Kim Hurt
Kim Hurt is an emerging visual artist from Jacksonville, Florida. A third-generation photographer born and raised in Texas, she studied sculpture and photography at Abilene Christian University. Through surreal depictions of the human form, Kim seeks to prompt the viewer to look inward and examine attitudes toward purity, nature, isolation, and the longing for connection. Kim is a former photography instructor at Texas State Technical College in Brownwood and currently maintains a professional photography studio in Jacksonville,
Artist Maryna Kovalchuk
Art is in my blood. My grandfather draw beautiful masterpieces, and my father had workshops and work with clay. Nobody thought me to draw and work with colors, I had been doing this since childhood.
I began as an artist in Ukraine, work with galleries, made my own exhibitions, and organized workshops, and masterclasses. Some time ago, I decided to change my life and get new challenges, and now I’m in the USA.
I see a huge possibility here for an artist, and I’m impressed with Florida’s nature and wildlife. Flora and fauna are the most used characters in my art. The colors and diversity are magnificent!
I began as an artist in Ukraine, work with galleries, made my own exhibitions, and organized workshops, and masterclasses. Some time ago, I decided to change my life and get new challenges, and now I’m in the USA.
I see a huge possibility here for an artist, and I’m impressed with Florida’s nature and wildlife. Flora and fauna are the most used characters in my art. The colors and diversity are magnificent!
Artist Michelle Mohler
Michelle Mohler graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Florida,and subsequently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to continue pursuing her art education and career. She currently lives in Green Cove Springs, FL where she maintains her devotion to making all things art, including painting, drawing, and mixed media.
Artist Astrid S. Ramos
Astrid Ramos is an artist that resides in Jacksonville Florida. She is also a talented art teacher in the Duval County School System.
Artist Moises Ramos
Artist Amber Pritchett
