Image Caption: Erica by Nancy Guzik, 26 X20, Oil

PRESS RELEASE ORGANIZATION: Women Artists of the West a non-profit organization promoting excellence in the profession of women’s fine art www.waow.org

CONTACT: Kathy Cooper, WAOW, 2nd VP/Show Chairman 23 Morrison Lane, Westford, MA 01886 978 589-3840 www.KathyCooperFineArt.com [email protected]

SUBJECT: National Fine Art Show

SUPPLIED IMAGES DOWNLOADABLE AT www.waow.org/hilleditorial.shtml:

Image file name Image caption Guzik_Erica3.tif “Erica” by Nancy Guzik, Oil, 26”x20” Guzik_peachesban3.tif “Peaches and Bananas” by Nancy Guzik, Oil, 24”x36” CAnderson_portrait_3.tif “Portrait of a Man” by Carolyn Anderson, Oil, 20”x18” Frantzen_sewing.tif “Sewing” by Rose Frantzen, Oil, 42”x66” McGraw_Ewa3.tif “Ewa” by Sherrie McGraw, Oil on Board, 17”x13.5” Scott_CochinChina3.tif “Cochin China” by Sandy Scott, Bronze, 17”x14”x9”

Women Artists of the West presents Nancy Guzik with the “WAOW 2007 Award of Excellence” at their 3 8 t h A n n u a l M e m b e r a n d I n v i t a t i o n a l s h o w , “E a s t t o W e s t – M e e t i n g i n t h e M i d d l e ” a t H i l l i g o s s G a l l e r i e s

Women Artists of the West (WAOW), a non-profit organization whose objective is to promote excellence in the profession of women’s fine art, will be showing 160 works of women’s fine art in numerous genres and mediums from Across the United States of their members and ten invited artists on the “Magnificent Mile” at Hilligoss Galleries, 520 N. Michigan Ave., in Chicago from November 9th to the 21st. WAOW considers this show a unique collection of some of the most important women artists of our time, presented by one of the finest galleries of our time. Through an exciting opening weekend of events, and the two-week exhibition of works, WAOW is delighted to take participants on an exciting journey into a world of sensitivity, emotion, and beauty found in the works of the fine art created by eighty-six women artists. Over one hundred sixty, two- and three-dimensional, works of art showcase the diverse talents of our guest and member artists from the East to the West of the United States. We meet in the middle – on the “magnificent mile” in Chicago! WAOW is pleased to honor Nancy Guzik and member award recipients at their show banquet at Hilligoss Galleries on November 9th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are required for this exciting evening of a slide and keynote presentation by Nancy Guzik discussing her work and her catalog, as well as a presentation by Kristen Thies of her recent book, “Wisdom & the Dreamer: Achieving Fulfillment in the arts.” Both Nancy and Kristen will provide a Q&A session as well as a catalog and book signing opportunity following the presentations. Ms. Guzik’s artistic accomplishments and high standards in her business practices exemplify the objectives of Women Artists of the West (WAOW). She has elevated the quality of her work to a superb level worthy of recognition by her peers and collectors. For the past nineteen years Nancy Guzik has been quietly perfecting not only her skills, but the focus of her work, and the result, in one critic’s words, is “something like Joy.” She brings to the world of art a warmth unseen in painting for generations. Rarely has art come to us from so pure a spirit. Her underlying themes are consistently those of faith, and trust, and love. She is the recipient of many awards including the Grand Prize from International Artist Magazine for her floral still life, “Openings,” three Gold Medals from the Palette & Chisel Academy in Chicago, and the First Prize Award from the Midwest Pastel Society. Her work has been featured in the International Artist, Art of the West, Art Talk, and Southwest Art magazines. Nationally acclaimed invited artists come to Chicago to celebrate as one of their own, Nancy Guzik, receives the Award of Excellence from WAOW. Many of these invited artists have roots in the Chicago area. WAOW welcomes Nancy Guzik and our ten invited artists, Sherrie McGraw, Rose Frantzen, Sandy Scott, Kathy Anderson, Carolyn Anderson, Rosemary Ladd, Karen Vance, Ann Hansen, Carol Guzman, and Cheryl McClure to our own spectacular member show.

Sherrie McGraw enjoys the freedom and solitude of her historical studio nestled in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. There, pure light and thought unite on canvas. Elements of Rembrandt, Pushman and Velazquez exist in the pure Northern light which permeates each of McGraws oil paintings. McGraw’s accomplished paintings and teaching of art are are highly revered by collectors, private mentors and students in art schools across the country. Blessed with parents who encouraged her artistic interests, she left home to study at the Art Students League of New York at age 23. McGraw eventually taught at the League and has become one of America’s foremost artists and teachers. Her work has received many awards from prestigious New York art organizations and has been shown in major institutions throughout the nation, including the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Gilcrease Museum, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Tucson Museum. McGraw lectures and demonstrates for art institutions such as the Portrait Society, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Brigham Young University, and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. McGraw’s successful new book, The Language of Drawing, is garnering worldwide attention from its new home in the Metropolitan Museum of Art bookstore. She is presently writing a book on painting.

Rose Frantzen - Born and raised in Maquoketa, Iowa, Rose’s Chicago ties include attending the American Academy of Art in Chicago. She also spent many hours at the Palette & Chisel Academy where she worked under the mentorship of Richard Schmid. With her husband and fellow artist, Charles Morris, she currently owns and exhibits at her large studio/gallery located in the old city hall in her home town of Maquoketa. Over time, Rose’s paintings have taken on an allegorical quality in which an abstract or surreal setting presents the subject as an archetypal character on his or her own internal stage. For these multi-dimensional works, she incorporates diverse stylistic elements along with gilding, stained glass, and mosaic. All of her paintings are presented in handcrafted frames that play an integral part in the piece. Rose recently finished a project where she painted the “people of Maquoketa”, completing 180 same sized portraits of individuals ranging in age from 4 to over 100. She plans to exhibit them in an abstract installation surrounded by surrealistic references. Among other recognitions, Rose’s work has been featured in US Art Magazine, ArtTalk, Southwest Art, and Portrait Signature, the journal of the American Society of Portrait Artists.

Carolyn Anderson was born and raised in the Chicago area. Anderson attended school at Illinois State University. She joined the Vista program (Volunteers in Service to America) in the early 70's and was assigned to work on an Indian reservation in Montana. She eventually returned to Montana and now lives in Havre, a small community in north central Montana near the Canadian border. She is a member of the Northwest Rendezvous (NWR), participates in many of the nation's largest shows, and has had her work featured in numerous publications, including Southwest Art, Art of the West, and most recently, The Big Sky Journal, Awards include the C.M. Russell Artists' Choice in 1999. She is also the recipient of several NWR Award of Excellence, most recently in 2005. Anderson teaches numerous painting workshops across the country. She has taught for the Frye Museum in Seattle, Walt Disney Imagineering, The Scottsdale Artists School, and the Fechin Artists School. Her work is in the collection of many well-known artists, and also in the collection of the Montana Historical Society.

Sandy Scott, sculptor and printmaker of Lander, Wyoming, feels very strongly for, and about, her subject. She has quickly climbed to the top of her field using observation, incorporating a sense of motion and mood and attentively fine tuning her skills. A widely admired printmaker of sporting scene etchings in the 1970s, Scott turned to sculpting in the early 1980s, focusing primarily on birds. Nearly two decades later, she has matured technically and artistically moving adeptly between subjects wild and domestic, including keen-eyed eagles, sinuous trout, elegant dogs, robust pigs, powerful horses, exotic macaws and arrogant roosters. Today Scott is recognized as one of the country's premier animal sculptors. Sandy's work has been collected throughout the world by major art collections. Her unique background has enabled her to capture the spirit of her subjects with a heartfelt vitality and technical skill. "With a father who is an outdoorsman, my love of the outdoors was cultivated at an early age," explains Sandy. "I've always loved to fish and I've backpacked and camped in some of this country's most beautiful places." This life-style has left lasting impressions on Sandy, and it is this feeling of love for nature which radiates from her work. Kathy Anderson – Kathy Anderson’s work gravitates toward her garden. “My passion for painting is rooted in my garden. I strive to translate my excitement about the experience of growth, light, and translucent colors from the earth to my canvas. Nature has always spoken to me whether it is the rushing of a waterfall or the burst of new green in the Spring. I am awed by the beauty around me and I love to share my vision through my paintings.” Kathy is a “Putney Painter,” a tutelage of Richard Schmid. For the past six years she has traveled to Vermont several times a month to paint with Schmid, Nancy Guzik, and her fellow Putney Painters. She has also studied with Frank Federico, Jeremy Lipking, Clayton Beck, and Dennis Sheehan. In that time, her work has blossomed and gained ever widening recognition. It has been recognized in many presigious shows such as the Hudson Valley Art Association where she won the Rayma Spaulding award and the Catherine Lorillard Wofe Art Club where she is a signature member. Rosemary Ladd, a native to New England, with artist John D Smith, and is affiliated with Village Arts of Putney as a painting teacher and a regular " Putney Painter". Rosemary met master painters Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik and became one of their ongoing group "The Putney Painters". Rosemary has also taken influential workshops with Jeremy Lipking, Albert Handell, Diane Rathe, Kathy Anderson and Dennis Sheehan. Working in a "traditional" style, Rosemary paints small pieces which strive to capture the transcendent beauty she sees in simple scenes and objects. She is best known for her intimate portraits of found objects - nests, feathers, shells, and flowers. "It is the small things, beauty in bits of nature, acts of kindness between people, that sustain our spirits - I would love each of my paintings to be one of those small things." Rosemary has won the Leonard Meiselman Award for Traditional work at the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club Annual Exhibition NY, "Best in Show" award at the Regional Hospice Arts Festival CT, been featured in "100 Ways to Paint" published by International Artist Magazine, and been an invited artist to the National Art Club Round Table Show NY.

Karen Vance was born in Chicago into the Swartwout family of artists, of six generations. Her upbringing and education; the Art Institute of Chicago, Village Art School with the late Joe Abbrescia, in Skokie, Illinois, Northern Illinois University, Denver Art Student’s League, and numerous studies with many of the finest living painters; Carolyn Anderson, Clyde Aspevig, Scott Christensen, Quang Ho, David Leffel, Michael Lynch, William Reese, Richard Schmid, Burton Silverman, Michael Workman, and many of the Plein Air Painters of America, brought her to her passion and profession. "I have walked though delicate fields of tundra and have climbed magnificent peaks of granite. In my life, I have experienced debilitating pain and the triumphant joy of overcoming it. In nature, as in humanity, there are fragile vulnerabilities as well as great strengths. In my paintings, I try to express these beautiful parallels and dichotomies in both the subject matter and the visual elements."

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Carol Guzman’s oil paintings transcend alla prima painting. She loves painting in her studio, working over a period of time in layers creating visual texture and interest. Her subjects range from still life including florals to intriguing native American artifacts and landscapes. Her subjects range from still life including florals to intriguing native American artifacts and landscapes. Carol was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She studied in New York City and the Hudson Valley for 13 years where she received a bachelor’s degree in Art and Art History. She studied Old Masters' techniques at Parsons School of Design, painted portrait commissions, landscapes and still life in her Tribeca studio and has worked as a editorial illustrator. She now lives in south central Montana with her husband, artist Clyde Aspevig, near the Shields River, surrounded by three mountain ranges.

Cheryl McClure is an internationally collected abstract painter from Longview, Texas. She states, “Rather than paint what is in front of me, I prefer painting what I’ve experienced, places half-remembered, imaginary and/or designed spaces. Beginning a painting without any real result in mind is freeing myself from preconceptions of what it will turn out to be. The work I love the most, when complete, covers the worst mistakes. By the time I get to where it doesn’t matter what happens and it couldn’t be worse, some magic takes over and just leads me through the process. The process IS the magic. The work becomes an amalgam of good design visited on my experiences.” Cheryl’s paintings are collected throughout the world in collection such as museums such as the Longview Museum of Fine Art to private collectors in Tokyo. Her work is frequently chosen to illustrate poetry books and is on the cover of “The New Creative Artist,” by Nita Leland and “A Unified Theory of Light,” by Theodore Worozbyt. Cheryl’s work has also been included in the USA Master Painters Showcase of International Artist Magazine, and featured work in Watercolor Magic.

Opening Weekend Events at Hilligoss Galleries

Banquet Festivities will get underway at the Hilligoss Galleries, Studio of Long Grove with an award banquet Friday, November 9th from 6 to 9 p.m. for the artists, collectors, and sponsors. Following an eloquent buffet meal and awards, Nancy Guzik will be joined by Kristen Thies in two presentations vital to the success of women in today’s art world. “The Art of Nancy Guzik” Nancy Guzik will take us on an unforgettable journey into her life as an artist as she narrates her latest digital presentation. Experience her love of the world–especially the children and animals in it as they grace her paintings. “Creativity versus the Business Mind: The Art of Business” Kristen Thies, director of West Wind Fine Art, will wake us up to creativity and common sense from the viewpoint of a successful gallery owner, graphic designer, publicist, literary agent, art publisher, executive producer of videos and DVDs, Marketing Executive for Richard Schmid’s best-selling Alla Prima, and author of her own best-selling book, Wisdom & The Dreamer: Achieving Fulfillment in the Arts. The presentations by Nancy and Kristen will be followed first by a question-answer period, then by book-signings. For banquet reservations and tickets ($60 each), you may purchase tickets via paypal at www.waow.org, email Velida Palmer at [email protected], or call 918-299-2785.

Saturday Events, Nov. 10th The opening weekend excitement continues Saturday, November 10th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an informal time in the gallery for collectors and the press to meet over 35 national artists. There will be three painting demonstrations and two presentations by WAOW member artists. A wine and cheese opening reception is open to the public and will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday evening, collectors, artists, and sponsors are invited to a wine and cheese reception. All Saturday events are free to the public.

Meet the Artists: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. There will be around 35 national artists from the show attending the banquet and Saturday events for the press to interview and public to meet.

Women Artists of the West demonstrations and presentations (free to the public):

Pastel Portrait Painting with a Live Model: Ilene Geinger-Stanfield, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. From a blank surface shapes of color connect together as a face emerges with strokes of bravo and movement in the background. Such is the execution of painting a portrait from a live model for Ilene Gienger-Stanfield. Ilene will demonstrate her process of painting a portrait. The demonstration will include questions from onlookers as Ilene captures the spirit and likeness of the model. Gienger-Stanfield is gaining international recognition for her strong and colorful figurative paintings. Ilene teaches workshops nationwide and is a signature member of Pastel Society of America, NW Pastel Society, and Women Artist’s of the West. Gienger-Stanfield has been featured in The Pastel Journal and The Artist’s Magazine with a multitude of awards under her palette.

Watercolor Portrait Painting with a Live Model: Jeanne Hyland, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Ms. Hyland will demonstrate painting a portrait in watercolor from a live model at the gallery. Jeanne paints in several steps/layers to build a portrait after first completing a loose sketch to block out the general shapes, values & gestures that she finds in her subject. Several different watercolor techniques may be used to create the sense of the sitter’s character. Some of Hyland’s early art influences were sculptors—Rodin, Degas, Michelangelo, and painters such as Botticelli, Jacopo Portormo, and VerMeer. Her original training in sculpture carries over in to her approach in painting portraits—seeing the light as is falls across forms creating shapes that lend themselves to the flat paper surface patterns and graphic compositions. At her studio she works both from life and from photographs—most often using a combination of the two. “I get much more direct emotional response working from life. Then with photo references I can enhance, exaggerate, and finish out details.”

Two Pastels: Snow Scene, & Housecat: Mary Ann Cherry, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Ms. Cherry will demonstrate painting a “Snow Scene” in soft pastel on sanded paper. She will discuss the color temperature in a winter landscape. She will also demonstrate a second soft pastel pastel painting titled “Sun Therapy,” which is a backlit housecat on a colorful carpet. She will discuss working with strong lighting effects and keeping the focal point well established. Cherry will be stressing good basic skills such as backgrounds, composition, eye-path, color temperature and harmony as well as tips and tricks for animals in general. Mary Ann is a signature member of both the Pastel Society of America and the Women Artists of the West and is a co-founder of the Pastel Society of the Northern Rockies. She is a member of the Snake River Plein Air Painters in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and recently won People’s Choice at their annual exhibition. Mary Ann works in soft pastel, watercolor or oils. Cherry’s studio is near the Snake River in Idaho, where wildlife and birds are abundant. Consequently, wildlife and animals are a favorite choice of subject. She is, however, comfortable with any subject matter and is a prolific painter.

Painting my Passion: Hands of the Women of the West Carol McIntyre, 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. For ten years, McIntyre worked to create a large body of work commemorating the women of the 1800’s. This work has traveled nationally, she has written a book and been featured in magazines. Carol will tell how and why she pursued her passion, how she structured the series, give tips on drawing hands and humor you with “life as an artist” stories.

Purse-uing Publicity Libby Cameron, 4:00 p.m - 5 p.m. Elizabeth Cameron has been a portrait painter for 20 years, originally specializing in animals. She credits much of her success to the humble advantage of carrying a purse. Thus her talk is “Purse-uing Publicity”. She describes how she has done her own self-promotion and will illustrate her talk with images of her work and tales of her life, struggles and successes as an artist. Sister of Julia Cameron, who is the best selling author of The Artist’s Way, “Libby” has much to say and Julia often mentions Libby’s colorful stories in her books. Libby’s purse got her an introduction to the Cassini family when she launched her career in Spain and has been a passport to more work ever since. Artists, animal lovers, or anyone curious about the life of an artist will gain inspiration, art career survival tips, as well as amusement from hearing her talk.

Opening Reception, 6 p.m – 8 p.m. Wine and cheese reception is open to the public.

Location of all show events: Hilligoss Galleries, 520 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, (312) 755-0300 www.HilligossGalleries.com

For more information on the show, you may visit Women Artists of the West’s website at www.waow.org. For banquet reservations and tickets ($60 each), you may visit www.waow.org, email Velida Palmer at [email protected], or call 918-299-2785.

______About WAOW

Women Artists of the West (WAOW) is a non-profit organization whose specific objectives and purpose include uniting women artists; promoting appreciation of art created by women; encouraging technical excellence by educating artists and the public through exhibitions and workshops; encouraging professionalism by advising women artists regarding business practices; providing publicity and national awareness for members through advertising and web presence; and developing a spirit of unity among its members.

Our Beginnings as Women Artists of the American West Women Artists of the American West (WAOAW) was founded in 1971 in Norco, California by a small group of women wanting to network as professionals and compete in the world of art. They pooled their efforts and began promoting their careers with shows and advertising. WAOAW soon became known for its high caliber of artists and distinctive western style. Their debut exhibit was held in Palm Springs, California. They continued to show in locations such as the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and then on to other areas of the country including New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Mississippi, and Arizona. In these early years, the membership was limited to 35, each of whom played an active role, investing time and money in shows and advertisements to promote their professional growth. Eventually the decision was made to increase membership in order to support the increasing demands for financing and coordinating the group’s activities. WAOAW artists were known for their western pieces in various mediums. However, as many women artists in non-western genres wanted to become a part of the group’s legacy, in 1988 the bylaws were changed to embrace additional genre, subject matter and style. The membership chose to drop “American” from their name and became what is known today as Women Artists of the West.

Women Artists of the West as it is Today Women Artists of the West (WAOW) is a unique and respected organization of approximately 200 professional women artists. WAOW has experienced many changes and much growth in its decades of supporting and promoting art created by women. Within WAOW’s definition of fine art, there are few restrictions on genre or subject matter. Member artists work both in their indoor studios and en plein air. They paint and sculpt still life and floral, landscapes and seascapes, figures and portraits, ranch and rural life, old west and contemporary west, wildlife and domestic animals, historical events and Native American subjects. Styles include abstract, impressionism, expressionism, realism, representational and contemporary in most fine art mediums in two and three dimensions. The membership of WAOW now reaches throughout the country, with members in more than 30 states. Some members live in remote areas, while others live in suburbia or the fast-paced city. Another facet of WAOW’s mission is to educate artists in the areas of art and busines. Many of its members share their expertise through workshops and books and, for the members’ proprietary benefit, an online forum for art tips and extended discussions. The common thread of WAOW artists is the passion for their work and the desire to express the joy and beauty of the world around them. During the organization’s existence, WAOW members have collectively made their mark on the art world. They have done this as a team of professionals, with plans to continue their journey upholding high quality in art and high professional standards. © 2007 Women Artists of the West

For more information on how to join or support this organization, visit: www.waow.org