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Painter
Shelley Skoropinski makes her living selling her work, but she says her
painting "Friends," which is on the cover of The Guide to
Jewish Washington is not for sale. That's because this happy little
watercolor is actually her second brush at that image. She experienced a
little "seller's remorse" after letting go of her first
painting of "Friends," so she re-created it and decided to
keep it this time. She says the painting reminds her of New York's
Central Park, where she used to walk and see the old Jewish men sit
together or play chess. "I always thought of them as friends,"
Shelley says.
If
you really fall in love with the image, as did the creators of The
Guide to Jewish Washington, Shelley would be glad to sell you a
color copy. The Duvall, Washington artist grew up in Philadelphia in a
large Jewish community, celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at Horizon Synagogue
and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and the Tyler School
of Art. At age 21, she moved to California, where she met her husband,
Bruce. They have three grown children. |
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Shelley
has moved into sculpture and tile work, but painting remains her true
love. Her style includes both realism and impressionism, and she works
mostly in watercolor and acrylics, with al mixed media, including pen
and ink.
Although
she paints on a variety of themes, Shelley says her favorite subject is
the East Coast Jewish community she grew up in.
"As
time went on, my memories would keep taking me back to my roots, the
people I grew up with and the love I had for them," she says.
"I now paint what I remember in my soul, which is my Jewish
heritage."
Her
work has appeared at the Bellevue Art Museum Show and in an exhibit at the
Stroum Jewish Community Center. She has received numerous awards for her
art though out the state of Washington, where she has resided for the
last thirty years.
Her
paintings can be seen at Parallax Gallery in Startup, WA and on her Web
site. She can also be reached at (425) 788-8942 |
