Janice Spillane
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I started my career as a critical care nurse working in an environment that was largely black and white. To counteract the sterile look and feeling I began wearing brightly colored jewelry to provide a bright spot in an otherwise monotonous environment. Later I decided to make my own jewelry and started attending jewelry art workshops. Now more than 15 years and 20 plus classes later I express my love of color and expression using hot glass — enamels and fused glass — and handmade paper. Through my art, which often incorporates collage and assemblage, I continue to tell stories about life, hope, and humanity. My work has been shown at the East End Art League, at the Enameling Guild Northeast Conferences, and as part of collaborative works that grace the wall of numerous Children’s Hospitals in the Northeast.
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Judith Svanson
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If I had to describe myself in just a few words, I would say that I am a late bloomer. I have always enjoyed the process of creating and working with shapes, while experimenting with color combinations. It wasn't until my children were older that I could seriously spend most of my free time studying art history and taking courses in all types of art processes from printmaking to papermaking, from oil paint to stamping ink. I love all of it. I bring 3-dimensional ideas to my art work through the use of the collage technique, an area of art that gives me great freedom when I am creating. I have an art degree background, but my first degree was a certification to teach history, which led to my desire to study art history. This led me to an undergraduate degree in fine arts and eventually to a masters degree. So, the jump from teaching teenagers about American History to teaching art in a public school is not as far fetched as someone might believe. After teaching for 25 years I am now retired and doing art full time. I design cards, write children's books, collage on paper and canvas, and paint. The subject of my work is varied. From observations of the world around me to designing around a famous quote to women's issues to pure design. As I wrote earlier, I love it all.
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