MONROE - Jeanne Ruchti, a Wauzeka watercolor artist, loves to portray the innocence and wonder of children and the wisdom and character of the elderly, and has been doing so for more than 30 years.
Ruchti attempts to go beyond the outward physical appearance to the inner thoughts and moods of her subject matter. The main theme of her paintings is the love and dignity of all people from the very young to the very old.
"Due to the spontaneity and beautiful transparency of watercolor, I feel this is the perfect medium for painting portraits," she said.
Ruchti studied under well-known Chicago portrait and character artist Joseph Fettingis, who taught her to let colors mix on the paper to retain their brilliancy. She has painted more than 70 commissioned portraits and is certified by the American Portrait Society. She is a juried member of the Wisconsin Watercolor Society, Wisconsin Painters & Sculptors, Madison Watercolor Society, and the Madison Art Guild. Her paintings of Ronald Reagan and Tommy Thompson hang in their respective collections.
An opening reception, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled from to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in the Monroe Arts Center Frehner Gallery. During the Artist Gallery Talk from 5 to 5:30 p.m., Ruchti will speak about the inspiration behind her work and will open the floor for questions and discussion. This informal, come-as-you-are event is for art lovers of all levels.
This exhibit has been made possible by Monroe Arts Center Season Underwriters, BIG Radio - Green County Broadcasting and Monroe Publishing. Additional support for this exhibit was provided by Michael and Shelley Muranyi and Adair Price Najat.
Ruchti attempts to go beyond the outward physical appearance to the inner thoughts and moods of her subject matter. The main theme of her paintings is the love and dignity of all people from the very young to the very old.
"Due to the spontaneity and beautiful transparency of watercolor, I feel this is the perfect medium for painting portraits," she said.
Ruchti studied under well-known Chicago portrait and character artist Joseph Fettingis, who taught her to let colors mix on the paper to retain their brilliancy. She has painted more than 70 commissioned portraits and is certified by the American Portrait Society. She is a juried member of the Wisconsin Watercolor Society, Wisconsin Painters & Sculptors, Madison Watercolor Society, and the Madison Art Guild. Her paintings of Ronald Reagan and Tommy Thompson hang in their respective collections.
An opening reception, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled from to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in the Monroe Arts Center Frehner Gallery. During the Artist Gallery Talk from 5 to 5:30 p.m., Ruchti will speak about the inspiration behind her work and will open the floor for questions and discussion. This informal, come-as-you-are event is for art lovers of all levels.
This exhibit has been made possible by Monroe Arts Center Season Underwriters, BIG Radio - Green County Broadcasting and Monroe Publishing. Additional support for this exhibit was provided by Michael and Shelley Muranyi and Adair Price Najat.