New Art Exhibit at the Ellicottville Library
New Art Exhibit at the Ellicottville Library
Local Mother/Daughter Duo Shares Their Snow Inspired Art
Several months ago, you read in this paper about a book by local authors Katie Benatovich and Charity Burlingame, Power Poems for Giraffes, illustrated/designed by Carey Ann Welch and Neal Steward. From now through March, you can see more of Carey Ann Welch’s work, along with delightful pieces by her nine year-old daughter, Simone Zella Phillips, inside the Ellicottville Memorial Library entryway. Prepare to be enchanted by their wonderful, whimsical presentations grouped around the walls honoring both Ellicottville and its famous ski culture, and the joy of being imaginative, joyful, hopeful, and maybe even a bit quirky.
Having an interest in the importance of kids enjoying education, Carey Ann started early teaching her daughter art since Simone was practically born, with a crayon in her hand. Like the book Carey Ann helped illustrate, her art focuses on how art makes one feel. Intentional or not, one cannot help but feel joy and lightness when looking at their combined works.
Called “Painted Winter” (Simone’s idea), their presentation features “glittering-snow-inspired-art. They are certainly in the right place to love snow as they both do, catching the magical sparkles of falling or fallen snow enhanced by the bright, crisp blue winter sky. We here in the Southern Tier are so accustomed to our environment that we often take it for granted. Carey Ann and Simone give us a gentle nudge to stop and enjoy all the beauty, playfulness and magic that surrounds us. Hailing from Dubuque, Iowa near the great Mississippi River, Carey Ann was accustomed to snow, but was amazed at what happens in snow country when we are visited by a Great Lakes driven lake-effect snow event.
I suppose it was inevitable that Carey Ann would be in touch with whimsy and magical mystery and unknown enchanted forest creatures. You see, per her bio, she was “made” in Ireland the day her parents risked life and limb to lean over and kiss the Blarney Stone. Those of you who have traveled to the Emerald Isle with Bobby McCarthy and possibly have kissed the Stone can surely appreciate the grit and mysticism involved in that ritual. To begin with, kissing the Blarney Stone at the top of the castle is said to give one the gift of gab, which might explain Bobby McCarthy. But it is not for the faint of heart. One must dangle down headfirst (used to be without safety bars which are now in place) and give it a smack. Carey Ann’s viewpoint was surely meant to be.
Carey Ann’s mom was an artist and her dad was a storyteller who grew up on a farm and told wild tales of fictitious (but believable to the child, Carey Ann) animals. She comes by all this talent quite naturally. Her mom, Ann, would give 4-5 year old Carey a brush as she was working a garden piece for example, and would encourage her to draw little animals onto the piece. It took no time at all for this budding artist to get bitten by the bug, which she then, fittingly, passed onto her child who also has an artist mother and writer father.
So, the beat goes on. Interestingly, Carey Ann’s mom was a southpaw, who are known to often be very artistic (think Michelangelo, DaVinci, Klee). Both doodlers, Carey Ann says Simone is the better of the two. Doodling is also a form of art (think Dali, Jackson Pollock, along with famous people like Marlon Brando and Queen Victoria), so these local doodlers are in great company. And they are willingly sharing their unique talents with us.
Carey Ann’s mantra, “Kindness Rules”, seems to have been handed down to Simone, as illustrated in her fine work. Having gone to the University of Fine Arts in Northern Iowa, Carey Ann keeps refining her work as time passes. Simone loves her art teacher at school and participates online in a Kids Cartoon Academy, honing her skills and developing new techniques in 3-d clay and cardboard design.
Carey Ann currently works at HoliMont in Customer Service and has had her hand in designing stickers and coloring pages for the young skiers when they come in for breaks. She loves her work there, loves her art, and loves Ellicottville. Quite a love affair, indeed.
Be sure to stop in at the Ellicottville Memorial Library on Maples Road to see their work. It is best described in this quote from Carey Ann: “Paintings created at the intersection of humor and imagination. Inspired by freedom in vivid dreams and childlike imagination, I adore creating images that have yet to be seen. Blending the absurd with the known is an intoxicating and humorous process. My art is impishly sprinkled with hope, humor and surprise.”
