Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1521319
Art Lovers Selma Leighton (at le) is a woman of many words and she delighted her fellow Art Lovers with her interesting stories and favorite art pieces which she showed to our group. She is a wealth of information and has met so many colorful people during her career. She and her late husband, Norman have had a personal connection with these artists and each artwork brings back special memories. Molly Dee was from Buffalo, NY and was an artist whose work the Leightons admired for many years. Dee worked from old photos that she acquired from estate sales, family collections and historical archives. Selma has one of Dee's paintings but at 4 . by 6 . is too large to bring to our meeting. In describing her own work, Liberty, Molly said, "I don't attempt to paint the photographs as they are, but I try to transcend time, so they become not a man, woman or child but a faceless pulsation of human emotion." William Wharton, who painted the portrait above of Selma's late husband Norman, adopted a pen name. His real name was Albert Du Aime. He felt that his family name was unique and he didn't want the name out in the public. e Leightons met Wharton while spending winters in Solana Beach. e rest of the year the Whartons lived on a houseboat moored on the River Seine about 20 miles outside of Paris. William Wharton also became a world-famous author. At age 53 he published his first novel, Birdy, which was made into a movie starring Nicolas Cage and Matthew Modine. Birdy won the National Book Award for best first novel in 1980 and was a finalist in the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. William Wharton still preferred to think of himself as a painter. omas Dunlay was another of the Leighton's favorite artists. ey first met him when he was painting the landscape which Selma brought to our meeting. It is called Summer Breeze and is a signed print. Almost all of Dunlay's work was done in and around Nantucket. Another painting is called Martin's Lane and is dedicated to Selma and her husband. ank you, Selma, for bringing these artists to light for us. Written by Rita Montjoy | OHCC LIVING | JUNE 2024 | 29 We welcome you to the current exhibit in the Art Studio; a visual study in contrasts! You will note the broad differences in the use of water color versus oil, ranging from the use of so, delicate pastels to bold, strong statements, including mosaics that conceal special mementoes of loved ones. We are delighted to display the work of the talented artists (listed by first name): Andy Fulton, Bruce Taylor, Carol Davis, Gary Warmuth, Jeff Powell, Joyce Chaney, Karin Leszinski, and Lily Christensen. Enjoy the colorful exhibit and let our artists know that you appreciate their willingness to share their time and talent. If you would like to have your art on display in the Art Studio, giving you an opportunity to share your artistic skill with our community, please contact the writers of this article. Submitted by Judy Harris and Lainy Vinikow. Art Studio Liberty, by Molly Dee Norman Leighton, by William Wharton