Meet the Artists
ORANGE
Angela Crothers
Angela Crothers, a local artist from Ayer, MA, who has enjoyed many mediums in the arts throughout her life, has just begun her journey into the wonderful world of oil painting where she is falling fast in love with its qualities.
Babs Dasilva
I am a former graphic designer and Art Director in book publishing who is now retired, and happily paints as a hobby. I have also taught art to children for 7 years at the Groton Farm School and am a member of the Nashoba Valley Artists Guild. My art has been shown at Forge & Vine, The Herb Lyceum in Groton, Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, Grace Chapel in Lexington, Five Sparks in Harvard, Third Space Kitchen in Groton, Shuman Art gallery, and at Lawrence Library in Pepperell.
Beth Smith
My love of painting blossomed when I discovered watercolor with its transparency and fluidity. I’m drawn to landscapes where light, shadows and shapes intertwine to create beautiful scenes.
Being an instructor at Prescott offered me a new experience and a way to share my love of watercolor. I love teaching, it gives me joy to see how students learn and grow.
Bob Clark
What About Bob?
At six, I knew I wanted to be an artist but ran with humor, cartooning, scissors, and pencils. I drew comics and caricatures of teachers all through school. At sixteen, I attended the Massachusetts College of Art program for emerging young artists. The Xerox machine was invented, while anti-war posters led to my being banned from further use.
At 19 I attended Butera School of Art to study sign painting; however, soon I crossed over to the dark side into the world of advertising and started pursuing an education in this evil path of the dark side with advertising art. At 23 I went to Northeastern University for several years, studying Advanced Graphic Design, Branding, Logo Design, Marketing, Magazine Design, and other black arts of influence-peddling sorcery.
I worked as an Artist/ Art Director /Creative Overload for corporate America including Analog Devices, Honeywell, Northern Telecom, and Wang, to name a few. While working for these creative marketing groups, we won numerous awards for creativity: design, packaging, and product usability by using the magic of humor. I also won the Best of Show Award from the Currier Museum for the In-House Artist Show for my painting of a Vermont town.
Now retired, I began selling my art collection and teaching kids cartooning and animation at Chelmsford Art Center and Middlesex Community College. I’m still cartooning and teaching kids at the Prescott Community Center in Groton, MA. The classes include Basic Drawing Skills, Cartooning Shading Skills, Stick Figures, Fashion Figures, and iPad Procreate Animations.
Then off I go with the other teachers at Plein Air Painting Day.
Come hang out and shop @ https://www.facebook.com/PixelSwirlStudios
Claudia Owens
The earth has always grounded and stabilized me. I have been a life long lover of nature and being in the great outdoors. As an artist, I am constantly inspired by and in awe of the persistence and beauty of nature. This piece was inspired by tall and tangly trees that I have seen in both Europe and Asia; each time I have looked upon them I have felt their stability and their chaos. In this piece I aimed to combine these feelings while playing with some of my favorite parts of the mediums of watercolor and gouache: layering and transparencies, colors and brushwork.
Debra Boisvert
I am an emerging pastel artist inspired by the quiet beauty and intricate details of the natural world. After a forty‑year career as a graphic designer, I retired to pursue my lifelong dream of painting. My artistic foundation began in botanical illustration and watercolor, where I developed a precise eye for structure, color, and light.
For the past three years, I have focused on soft pastels, a medium I love for the vibrancy and immediacy it brings to my subjects. I paint florals, reflective waters, and atmospheric landscapes, blending botanical accuracy with expressive mark‑making. As I continue to grow my practice, I study with established pastel artists and stay active in local art communities, building a body of work that invites viewers to slow down and rediscover nature’s beauty.
Elaine Swain
Student studying watercolor, pastel and oil painting.
Elena Powell
The act of watercolor painting just relaxes me…. Even if I don’t quite nail my subject I enjoy the journey.
Gail Flannery
Gail is an award-winning artist working in Oil, Casein and Watercolor. Also dabbling in alcohol ink and sculpture painting. She also makes dollhouses, including the furniture, accessories and miniature paintings.
Gillian Draleau
I’m inspired by the quiet beauty of everyday landscapes. Using pastel and watercolor, I create layered, intuitive works, reflect memory, emotion, and a sense of place. My process is rooted in experimentation and each piece, an exploration of the unique within the ordinary.
Gloria I Oppen
Gloria Oppen is a healthcare provider who recently transitioned to art after finding healing and expression through creative pursuits. Her passion for helping others flows into her art. Embracing vibrant colors and the emotive energy of both impressionism and realism, she creates pieces that capture life’s fleeting beauty with warmth and vitality. Her work often reflects the balance between precision and spontaneity, echoing her journey from clinical care to creative expression. Gloria invites the viewers into a world where color and light evoke feelings of energy and happiness. As an amateur artist, she won first place in a local juried art event. Gloria’s acrylic and mixed media paintings have recently been exhibited in several local galleries, resonating with audiences for her vibrant botanical, coastal, and pet paintings.
Jessie Sullivan
I create art to share memories. I hope to tell a story through the context of each piece and use color and texture to connect with the artist inside everyone. While my body of work is strictly 2D, I often feel like each piece is a sculpture I am chipping away at, until I finally find the artwork inside. Each creation is a glance at the world through my eyes.
Kathleen Phelps
I came to pastels in 2023 after formal training in drawing and painting painting, and haven’t looked back. In the studio or en plein air, I work quickly, layering and building until the surface holds the quality of light I’m after. My subjects range from landscapes to still life to portraits (including pups!).
Selected Exhibitions
27th Annual Frances N. Roddy Open Competition, Concord Art Association, Concord MA, 2026
Concord Art Member Exhibition: Flowers, Concord MA, 2026
Expressions in Pastel, Newbury Court, Concord MA, 2025-2026
Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, 2025 Members Open Online Exhibition, 2025–2026
Fitchburg Art Museum, 89th Annual Regional Exhibition, Voitto Jarvi Watercolor Prize, Fitchburg MA, 2025
Pastel Showcase, Groton Public Library, Groton MA. 2025
Central Mass Pastel Society (CMPS), 2024 Members Show, 2024
Student/Instructor Show, Groton Public Library, Groton MA, 2024
Kim Ramsay
I am a native of Massachusetts and I work out of my studio in North Chelmsford, MA. My work is known for it’s great detail and vibrant color. My favorite subjects to draw include florals, still lifes, landscapes and architecture. I have many awards in area art shows. It can be found in a local shop in Groton, Welcome Home Furnishings and Decor. It is in the collections of many homes as well.
Kristina Lengyel
Kristina Lengyel has called Groton home since 2004. A retired executive, she now proudly embraces her role as a professional grandmother while pursuing her passion for art and creativity. Kristina is an enthusiastic amateur artist who enjoys experimenting with a variety of mediums, including watercolor, acrylic—particularly fluid and pour techniques—resin, and pottery. She especially enjoys exploring unique glazing techniques and the unexpected results they can create. For Kristina, art is less about perfection and more about curiosity, experimentation, and the simple joy of creating something uniquely her own.
Mary Athey Jennings
Taking a detour from art from early years in college, Mary Jennings has studied pastels in her retirement from being a school superintendent. Now a local volunteer and constant students, she is a strong supporter of the Prescott Community Center.
Melanie Hickcox
Melanie Hickcox has painted since childhood in many mediums, but most recently with pastels. She loves how painting requires keen observation of nature, light, and the shape of shadows.
Shelley Grove
I’ve lived most of my life in New England and have always had a love and appreciation for our natural world. I studied for several years in pastel with Margaret Geanisis in Littleton, MA. She taught me everything I know about the medium, and I have been creating with it for over 25 years. My pastel paintings of Maine and Acadia National Park are being represented by Argosy Gallery in Bar Harbor, ME. I began learning watercolor over 10 years ago and still take classes to improve, as I find it a more challenging medium. I am drawn to landscapes, especially the ever changing “sky drama.” I prefer the realist style and often spend hours creating the details I see in my subjects. I also enjoy painting birds and capturing the beautiful detail in their feathers. Being able to recreate nature through art feeds my soul!
Susan Diette
I attended Art school in Boston. I ended up having a career and technical illustration and then drafting. I designed printed circuit boards for the space industry. I loved working in oils, acrylics, and watercolor. I also do artistic wood burning as well. I have a large group of “Art” friends and I love to take classes and workshops.