"Lovers of Paris and all things French, we are a group of ladies who have been gathering from time to time to share stories, create all types of art, and laugh through all of it.

    The romance of the belle époque period, days of King Louis and Marie Antoinette, and the haute couture of Paris itself was the inspiration that brought all of us together for this exhibition.  Our art is a reflection of our soul singing in melodic tones presented in a variety of mediums - watercolor, collage, acrylic, photography and various forms of multi-media.

     Most have experienced the gentle rolling hills of the french countryside and walked the cobblestones of the streets of Paris herself.  She calls to each of us to embrace the invisible ribbons of love, passion and romance that entwine our compulsion to share with the world our own interpretations of Paris and dear old France.  So drink her in like a fine Bordeaux from the Dordogne region, steeped rich in history and impressionistic shades of the fine art masters of their time."   ~   Statement by the artists of Rendevous en France.

This exhibit features the work of seven artists:
Cindy Banes-Burkholder, Marion Burkholder, Mary Grellner, Jeanne Rohen, Renea Erickson, Serena Boschert, and Joyce Spezia.
 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EXHIBITION ALBUM

About Artist Cindy Banes Burkholder:

     Cindy Banes Burkholder is a self-taught artist, whose passion is found in the art of lettering, art journaling and calligraphy inspired pieces.  The flow and movement of the hand as it connects with paper is the true inspiration for the type of art she revels in.  Making marks, the geometry of letters and endless ways to present these marks keeps calling her back to the drawing board, so to speak.  Cindy has experimented with several mediums in the last few years, but keeps coming back to loose sketches accompanied by the vibrancy of adding lettering.  That is why art journaling has demanded most of her attention when she sits down to acquiesce to the melody of her soul.  Getting lost in each stroke is her respite from the daily duties and requirements of life... finding places she has avoided or never knew existed deep inside when allowing herself. 

About Artist Marion Burkholder:

    Artist Marion Burkholder works in many media including acrylics, watercolor, collage and mixed media.  Her work often incorporates words and symbols giving a deeper insight to the viewer into the mind of the artist.  The viewer can feel the freedom in not only Marion's creative style, but also the joy in her work thru Marion's use of color.

About Artist Renea Erickson:

     Artist Renea Erickson works with organic designs, often fracturing the overall imagery into gridwork, where the images flow into one another and add new contrast and depth to the overall imagery. Working primarily in watercolor & collage, her inclusions of text vary between overt references and poetic phrasing to hidden and ruptured scripts that become one with the design. Learn more about artist Renea Erickson.
 

About Artist Mary J. Grellner:

      Multi-media artist  , Mary Grellner, currently resides in St Charles County. After retiring as an event planner in 2011, Mary went into fundraising for non-profit organizations for six years before rediscovering her passion for creating art.  She found her "Tuesday " group by accident at the St Peters Art Center where she has learned many wonderful ways to create collages,  journals , paintings, drawings, cards, books , etc. After digging out two of her favorite cameras, she started to photograph the many places that she has traveled to.... both here in the USA and Europe. Now having thousands of photos to share with her family and friends, she has fallen in love again with the photographic arts. Some of her photos have won awards and she is very proud of the ones in the Rendevous en France exhibition.  

About Artist Jeanne Rohen:

    Jeanne Rohen creates artwork that conveys expressive moods and gives emotion a tangible outlet in her work. Thru often bold use of color and tactile textures, her work begs to be explored by the viewer. Often she is inspired by using antique papers in her collage work. The forms and designs entice and delight leading the viewers eye to dance around the artwork, finding new movement in each glance.

About Artist Joyce Spezia:

     While working as an ICU nurse by day, artist Joyce Spezia,  painted murals in hospital nurseries, pediatric wards, and play rooms by night.  Painting with high gloss enamel paint for the murals proved to be challenging for these projects. After taking a several year hiatus, raising her three children and running a business along with her husband, Joyce was facing "empty nest syndrome".  With encouragement from family and friends, she decided to pick up where she left off almost thirty years ago. 

    Joyce was inspired by a trip to Paris and Giney, France, located within the Burgandy region between Chatillon-sur-Seinea and Chablis, France.  She decided to broaden her mediums to watercolor,  pastels, and charcoal under the instruction of Marie Donato. While in Paris, she visited the Louvre.  "Louvre" is her middle name so she decided to change her signature on her pieces to reflect this inspiration.   Joyce enjoys using a variety of mediums and subject matters including still life's, landscapes and contemporary art.