Cathleen McCoy Bristol was an artist all her life
More than 100 artists participated in the 21st Annual SOMA Artists Studio Tour.
The tour was open to the public and held in art spaces and artists home studios throughout South Orange and Maplewood. The SOMA Artists Studio Tour was initiated in 2003 by Ellen Greenfield, president of 1978 and Judy Wukitsch, director of the Pierro Gallery.
Cathleen McCoy Bristol was one of the participating artists. The Maplewood resident has been an artist all her life. “As a little girl, I started out drawing on the walls,” she said. “Then in margins of books, then on drawing paper.”
She works in acrylic, but has also used watercolor, oil, and pastel.
“Most of my work is figure and portrait. People said, ‘Your work depicts happiness,’” she said. “There’s nothing more enlightening than the human experience. I like people seeing we have a common ground.”
Gina Petrecca, of Springfield, has been a photographer for over 10 years. She liked taking pictures of friends and took classes in college. “I like color and different shapes,” she said. “I like retro style with a little modern.”
She takes pictures of landscapes, nature, architecture—everything.
Jill Vondervor-Frank, of Maplewood, works in watercolor. She’s painted 70 commissions of people’s homes. She’s an exhibiting member and past president of the Essex Watercolor Club.
Steven Marion of South Orange was representing the work of his late husband Xiang Lan.
“Art was a way to be expressive and playful,” said Marion.
The couple moved from Jersey City to South Orange in 2017 when Lan was diagnosed with cancer. “Close to the city, get fresh air and be creative,” said Marion.
Lan grew up in southern China and passed away in June 2023 at the age of 36. He went to art school and practiced art, which he found liberating and joyful. He worked in a mix of acrylic, oil, and Sharpies.
“He didn’t want rules or restrictions,” said Marion.
Barbara Schneider, of Maplewood, has been seriously painting since 2021 and uses acrylic paint. She said, “I’ve been an artist my whole life, but life gets in the way. I was a student, I was working, now I have time to paint.”
Alison Price-Rom, of Maplewood, works mostly in watercolor. She’s done children’s book illustrations and likes to paint florals and people.
Doris Cacoilo, of South Orange, explores themes of craft and ceramic medium. Some of her work reflects traditions of doily making and wearable art.
“My mother was a Portuguese immigrant and died when I was a child,” she said. “I take from her generation and re-imagine it, playful, making them quirky, weird.”
Felix Aarts hosted himself, three other artists, and his daughter Emilia’s art at his house in South Orange. It was his second year of hosting. He describes his work as duality between two-dimensional and three-dimension. “What is a painting? What is a sculpture?” he pondered. He makes three-dimensional shapes flat, creating the duality.
Emilia, who is 10, took an art class at age 8.
“One day I decided to turn my room into my imagination,” she said. “Hot glue is my specialty. And watercolor. Abstract and realism.” Emilia also works with acrylic paint.
“I love flowers. I love nature,” she said.
She paints nearly everything, from a four-leaf clover she found to tulips when she visited the Netherlands.
To learn more about SOMA Artists Studio Tour, visit: https://studiotoursoma.com/
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