Published Friday, July 12, 2002
SHARON
Herald Staff Writer
She paints from life. He paints from photographs.
She works quickly, and he takes much longer.
Her subjects are varied, including people, animals and landscapes. He paints only women and girls.
While there are pronounced distinctions between the way Debra Shingledecker and Samuel Gunnett work, Ms. Shingledecker believes there is an important similarity.
"Our work and subjects are very different, our styles are very different, but our subjects are traditional," she said.
Ms. Shingledecker and Gunnett, both of New Castle, will open a show of their paintings at 7 p.m. today at the Valley Arts Guild, Sharon.
Gunnett has his neighbors model for him, and his request that Ms. Shingledecker model for him led to a friendship between the two of them and Gunnett's wife.
"We get together and talk about our work," Ms. Shingledecker said.
Ms. Shingledecker paints her subject directly, which explains why she has many more paintings of animals than people. It's easier to find a dog, cat, horse or goat on her farm to pose for her than it is a person.
"They became probably my primary subject this time around," said Ms. Shingledecker, who received a bachelor's degree in art and religion from Westminster College, New Wilmington, and a master of fine arts degree from Edinboro University.
The landscapes are taken from scenes in her neighborhood.
"All my work is my immediate surroundings," she said. "You don't have to go and see your subject. There are a variety of ones right in front of you."
Working in oil and acrylic, Ms. Shingledecker responds to the forms created by her subjects.
"It's very spontaneous, very immediate," she said. "It's very specific to the subject, which is what my work is all about."
She applies paint thickly and loosely to try to convey her emotional response.
"I always go back to the expressionistic, painterly styles, which tend to have an abstract quality," she said.
Gunnett, who is in his mid-60s, photographs his subjects.
"He can go through three rolls in a couple of hours," Ms. Shingledecker, 38, said of posing for Gunnett, who included some photos in the show.
Ms. Shingledecker said she is comfortable posing for Gunnett, and modeled during graduate school.
"It's interesting to see how someone perceives you," she said. "It's not always gratifying, but it's still interesting."
The photo sessions with Gunnett, who also works in pastels, tend to be open between the artist and model.
"Sam and I get into great conversations about art and painting," she said. "You have a great dialogue, as opposed to poses and composition."
Gunnett, who has taken drawing and painting classes, but is largely self-taught, often clothes his models in sexy attire and poses them mildly provocatively.
"Sam really makes me look pretty good," said Ms. Shingledecker, who teaches art at Butler County Community College, Youngstown State University and Pennsylvania State University's Shenango and Beaver campuses.
Ms. Shingledecker said his single-minded output probably relates to his love of Renaissance, Neoclassical and Romantic paintings, which he was exposed to while serving in Europe in the Army.
"I think it falls in with the Romantic notion that he'd rather do beautiful women than other subjects," she said.
The show runs through Aug. 2. Information: (724) 983-1834 and www.artgally.com/vag
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at
jpinchot@sharon-herald.com