Easter Seals 2005 Seal Artists

In summer 2004, amateur and professional artists from around the world -- the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, England and India -- submitted more than 200 pieces of lily artwork to the 2005 Easter Seals’ Seal Art Contest for consideration as one of six prestigious, springtime seals.

Easter Seals then posted the artwork online for the public to vote for their favorite “seal art.” Nearly 2,500 online votes were collected, and the following six talented artists rose to the top. Each of the artists’ beautiful lily designs captures the true Easter Seals spirit and will provide help and hope for so many people living with disabilities. Congratulations to Easter Seals new seal artists!

	Barbara Landry Vero Beach, Florida Art has always been such an integral part of Landry’s everyday life that only in her adult years did she realize not everyone possessed the same ability to create. Landry’s mother and two of her three sisters were decorative artists. She began her formal training in high school with instruction in antique decorative art and continued in college, until marriage and children interrupted that pursuit. Landry, however, never gave up decorative art classes. She rummaged the antique shops in her native New England looking for the perfect old tray or gold leaf or other wonderful items to restore and decorate. It became a fun hobby.  In 1988, her family moved to Vero Beach, Florida, after selling their Inn on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Inn was the perfect place to showcase her pieces, but Florida seemed to call for a different outlet for her creativity. Landry discovered the Vero Beach Museum of Art and a new direction emerged. Such wonderful educational opportunities were available with art instructors sporting resumes she envied. Landry retired her #0 round brush for a #12 filbert brush and redirected her focus to canvas. The rest is history! Landry considers herself a landscape artist whose representative paintings are presented in a colorful format. Her decorative art background is evident by the presentation of many works framed with a faux border. Her work appears in local businesses, private homes and galleries. She has done commissioned paintings and has participated and received recognition in juried art shows and exhibits, including the Art in Public Places programs. Landry’s current exhibits include 2005 Florida Capital Exhibition Program in the Governor’s Office Gallery this summer in Tallahassee. She is a member of the Vero Beach Art Club, The Strawbridge Art League, The Artist’s Registry, Plein Air Painters of the Treasure Coast and Florida and The Indian River Cultural Council.
	Carrie Rockett Natchitoches, Louisiana Rockett is honored to be chosen as one of this year’s Easter Seals artists and is thankful that her talents are being used to benefit people with disabilities. Rockett lives in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with her husband Steven. Currently, she is a senior at Northwestern State University where she is majoring in Fine and Graphic Arts. As an artist, Rockett enjoys experimenting with watercolor and a variety of other media including oils, photography and computer graphics. She is glad to be able to contribute to the Easter Seals organization.
	Dodd Holsapple Santa Monica, California Holsapple is founder and president of Dodd-Art, Inc., a multi-disciplinary fine art studio and gallery specializing in original sculpture, paintings, drawings and mixed medium fine art. Dodd-Art, Inc. and Holsapple are most noted for the View Planter sculptures series. These works incorporate organic materials combined with industrial materials to create a living work of art. Holsapple received his BFA in 1990 from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and moved to Santa Monica in 1991, opening Dodd-Art Studio in Santa Monica, California in 1992. Holsapple’s artwork has been widely shown and he has received numerous awards, public art installations and Artist in Residencies. He and his work have been featured in an A&E Television interview, House Beautiful 2000, Environmental Artists and Architects, LA Architecture 10/01, Los Angeles Times Magazine 11/97, Organic Style 9/01 and The Indianapolis Star 1996 & 2000.  Public art installations include The Fields Project, Oregon Illinois in 6/2003 and Copper Mountain College’s Earthworks Now in 2/2003. A Manhattan Beach Pier installation is currently scheduled for competition in 2005. Holsapple has been an active participant in the environmental arts and the community for the past decade with participation in numerous organizations, committees and community leadership roles. His professional affiliations include the American Ceramic Society, The Saint Joseph’s Center, and The City of Los Angeles Transportation Artist Pool 2000-2002. In addition, Holsapple has served as Artist Educator for the City of Los Angeles, Artist Educator for the City of Santa Monica and an Art Instructor at Crossroads School in Santa Monica. Holsapple’s artwork has been gaining attention steadily over the past decade. The innovative View Planter works have been received well by art collectors and environmental enthusiasts and have been shown in galleries and environmental art lectures. Holsapple’s ability to be responsive to the environment and to produce art that visually captures organic space is has made his artwork nationally recognizable.
	Ingrid Neuhofer Dohm Rockford, Illinois The raison d’etre for Dohm’s floral and landscape paintings can be traced directly to the influences that surrounded her early childhood. Born and raised in a small town in Austria near forests, glens and mountains, Dohm was constantly seeking out the many varied kinds of floral beauty found across the countryside. During the summer months, in a high mountain lake enclosure, Dohm and her siblings would make daylong forays into the forested areas solely to see what kinds of flowers they could encounter. A difficult find, but a most sought after one, was the edelweiss. This was so because one had to climb up the side of a mountain to see them growing as an outcropping in the rocks. The edelweiss would become the trophy of the day! Another favored sight was the Christrose, commonly called the schneerose or snow rose, because it could be seen popping up out of the snow cover on the ground. In school Dohm was always fascinated with any instrument, be it pen, pencil or crayon, that could make anything from a straight line to a complicated image. She did not understood at the time why she had this strong attraction for art supplies and could not yet make the connection between it and her love of nature. It wasn’t until Dohm came to the United States and married that the association was made. A casual remark by her husband, that she had a natural talent and propensity to draw and paint, made Dohm realize that she ought to get going. And so she purchased a starter paint kit. Today, Dohm paints in a representational and impressionistic style. She takes her cue from nature, utilizing watercolors and acrylics, and hopes to bring out the myriad shapes, forms and colors that the cosmos has bestowed upon the world. If she can lend her own interpretation to it, then she is satisfied. Born and raised in and a citizen of Austria, Dohm is married with three children. She divides her career between the U. S. and Austria exhibiting her works and conducting painting workshops. She has been featured in The Artist's Magazine, (09/00), as an Easter Seals’ seal artist for the years 2001, 2002 and 2005, and as a finalist in the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., Illinois Chapter Millennium 2000 Show.
	Janice Peroni Richland, New Jersey Peroni is an artist, photographer and illustrator. She lives in New Jersey where she uses her environment throughout the seasons to work her creative concepts. While attending Richard Stockton College in New Jersey, Peroni enjoyed working with professional artists. She did extensive work in black-and-white photography and darkroom printing, graduating with a B.A. in art and a certificate to teach art. In photography Peroni developed a unique sense of perspective and use of existing light and shadow. As she decides her composition, her visual feelings find a main focus. Color attracts her first, then she sees the line or edges. This moves her attention around until it feels like an inanimate object is looking back at her—and, then, she clicks. In painting Peroni becomes an intricate part of her concept. Her surroundings disappear leaving her with colors that explode from the palette. Doing this helps Peroni move through her idea as a viewer would. She enjoys the richness and joy of painting. Peroni experiments with different media to continually practice her art. She has been blessed with numerous awards and has art collections shown throughout the United States. Featured highlights of Peroni’s resume include being selected to design the Christopher Reeves Paralysis Foundation holiday greeting cards for 2002 and 2003, having a painting hanging in the permanent art collection at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, in Boston, and having The Maxwell House Coffee Company purchase Peroni’s art and present it to former first lady, Barbara Bush. Additionally, being the recipient of The Italian-American Heritage Cultural Society and The Sicilian-American Club of New Jersey’s 1999 Spirit of Achievement Award has brought Peroni a sense of community and family closeness. Peroni’s objective is to express her feelings through unique subjects and scenes. She wants her viewers to spark a special memory or go on a visual journey. Peroni believes creativity is a gift from God and her gift in return is to share this with others.
	Mayumi Mitsuzono Chicago, Illinois Bio not available for Mayumi Mitsuzono.