Shoray Wolfe
The PebbleCreek Art Club is pleased to name Shoray Wolfe as our Artist of the Month for April.
In the formal setting of my upbringing, school and education played a significant role in children’s lives. So, when I doodled birds, bees, and flowers, if it looked like my biology homework, it was encouraged. Both my parents had artistic capabilities, and, although they didn’t practice it, they passed it on to my sister and me. I was fortunate to have their encouragement.
In 1969, I was sent to America to further my education. I spent my young adult years in the Midwest, where I completed my undergraduate and graduate degrees and joined AT&T. The company believed management should have wide and expansive experience in all aspects of the business, which gave me the opportunity to live in many different states. For more than three decades, between my job and raising my family, there was no room for art.
It wasn’t until I retired, when I joined a local art club, that I had my first formal training with “negative drawing” in charcoal, which soon became my favorite medium.
We soon moved to California, where I discovered an art club that provided workshops and open studio sessions. I started learning to paint with acrylics and, with the encouragement of friends, I entered art shows where some pieces placed first and second in my category. I also began to work with charcoal again, using a technique known as “reductive charcoal drawing,” also known as “negative drawing,” in which you first darken an entire sheet of paper and then using erasers and other tools, bring your image out from the depth of the darkened paper. I also explored “melted crayon art” on wood, which involves many crayons, a torch, a long handle, and a vision. I found the possibilities in art are endless.
In 2016, we moved to a new Trilogy community that did not have an art club, so I started one. Here I experimented with alcohol ink, acrylic pouring, and watercolor. Experimenting with different mediums gave me the opportunity to create portraits in charcoal, abstract paintings in acrylics, and realistic impressions of nature in multimedia with acrylics and oils.
When we decided to move to Arizona in 2021, my top criteria was to find a location with an art club. I joined the PebbleCreek Art Club with excitement and started painting again. When the position of vice president for education/instructors came open, I told the president I would be happy to help. I have worked closely with the board and other artists to bring classes that everyone enjoys and also expand our scope of experiences. Here I am surrounded by talented, skillful, and excellent artists. I truly enjoy sharing time with them and I look forward to their friendship and learning from them.
Please visit Shoray’s artwork displayed at the Creative Arts Center and the Tuscany Falls and Eagle’s Nest Clubhouses.