by Deborah Squier

Both Margaret Dyer and Suzy Schultz demonstrate in their paintings the skill and knowledge of the figure as well as insight into character, without which, the painting would fall flat and lifeless. Both artists have logged countless hours, measured in studies moments, fully concentrated observing, exploring the bold, tentative, gestural language of soul and psyche. The terrain is complex, yet universal to all humans. For the painting to work, the artist must capture the emotional nuances held in the mind and body of the sitter.

Suzy Schultz spends a lot of time drawing from live models. She is very process oriented in that her paintings often unfold rather than being carefully planned. She works in conte, graphite, watercolor and oil The constant in her drawings and paintings is the sensitivity in her drawing and her grasp of the presence of the sitter. She begins with a very detailed drawing. "In order to study the nuances of the subject." Her use of watercolor is fluid and loose yet detailed holding a clarity and spontaneity needed to keep the viewer moving around the painting. With carefully articulated values, Schultz directs the viewer's attention to what has inspired her and invites the viewer to experience the moment with her. In her own words: "As I get older, I realize that what I have been hoping to find in the winds, quakes and fires of life are often found in the whispers. The quiet moments of everyday things seem to hold great drama, beauty and mystery. Sometimes, I can capture some of that on my canvas, board, or paper. These are the pieces I share with you."

Suzy Schultz has been honored withe numerous awards and was a finalist in the portrait category for Artist Magazine twice, first juried by Everett Raymond Kinstler, 1999 and again by Richard Schmidt, December 2001. She was awarded second place at the "Paradox," ChristChurch Presbyterian, High museum of Atlanta with curator Laurie Hicks.

Margaret Dyer is a master member of the Pastel Society of America and a member of excellence with the Southeastern Pastel Society. SheÕs held 18 solo shows and has received awards nationwide. The works displayed at 16 Patton include posed and unposed figurative works as well as restaurant interiors and street scenes in New York City's Soho and Manhattan district.

Each painting is a moment, a phrase, a mood familiar to us all. That is what Dyer does best. She gathers up the gestures and nuances of her model's living experience and portrays an unself-conscious moment of existence. The paintings, done in pastel reflect a moment distilled from many moments in an ordinary life. Dyer works in the home or familiar surroundings of the model in the mode of Degas or Mary Cassatt. We are drawn directly in by warm and cool pastel tones, strong strokes of color in values which are carefully rendered for contrast and vibration. "Dyer is adamant about what she wants to portray: beautiful - not overly provocative - figures in action. She tries to avoid languid, sentimental posturing, and prefers to show her model in an unguarded moment..." wrote Madlyn-Ann C. Woolwich The Artists Magazine, June 2002.

Margaret Dyer has exhibited at the Fine Arts Museum of the South in Mobile, Alabama, the Appleton Museum of Art
in Ocala, Fla. and has been published in numerous journals.

Ceramist Marina Bosetti is a graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She introduces new works to the show which are organic and gestural in form and line. The stoneware tiles depict the feminine form in line drawing and are further embellished with raku overlay. One large mirror with a reclining woman floating at the top is entitled, "Repose #1." The Gothic shape includes tiles which are a matte finish, teal and turquoise. Marina's exploration of the feminine in form has gained her a widely appreciative audience.

It is a privilege to see and contemplate the works of three fine artists, Margaret dyer, Suzy Schultz, and Marina Bosetti with a command of their medium such that the skill and feeling of the works blend so beautifully. These artists awaken us to the quiet beauty and drama surrounding us daily and inspire us to read and savor those poems. So much beauty, so little time. Take the time to see these delightful offerings which may help you appreciate those gestural moments in your own life, body and soul.