Video by Patty Stocker
WestfordCAT’s special series, PCA Artist Spotlight, focuses on regional artists that are scheduled to display their work at the Parish Center for the Arts’ Artist of the Month virtual exhibitions. Featured this month through mid April are 4 local artists whose artworks range from nature, animal subjects, and landscapes, created in oils, pastes, acrylics and ink drawings. Cindy Harris, Oksana Zotkina Peura, John Sturm, and Mary Sullivan have known each other for many years. Harris, Zotkina Peura, and Sullivan all work in the Harvard Public School system and all four artists create their art en plein air, or outside.
Ayer resident, Harris, who primarily works as an acrylic painter and with scratchboard, recently took an oil painting classe and uses oil when she is painting plein air. Her paintings are a reflection of her love of nature. “My passion is animals,” Harris said. “Especially birds. That’s what my daughter pointed out. I love birds….I have always been environmentally aware. Especially of the endangered species. I guess it’s what has inspired a lot of my paintings.”
Zotkina Peura lives in Shirley and enjoys getting together with other artists to paint plein air. For most of her landscapes, she either starts the painting on site and continues working later, or completes a small painting for future reference. It is her favorite paint medium, but she also does some acrylic paintings.
Sturm, who also lives in Shirley, has spent most of his art career doing street art in and around the New York City area. Sturm is never without his art materials and wherever people are, he is exploring the possibilities. While most of his ink art was done in New York City, when he moved to New England he started watercolor painting while hiking the trails of New Hampshire.
Sullivan is a graduate of Mass College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting and Illustration who also hails from Shirley. Mary works primarily in oil pastels and acrylics, concentrating on textures and shapes in landscape and figures. She has worked in interior decorating, freelance design, and education.
To learn more about these talented, plein air artists, visit the Parish Center for the Arts website at westfordma.gov/pca.
