Sheila Reigh, a WNY native residing in Tonawanda, first joined NFWS in 2007, and is a signature member and former NFWS Secretary.  She has BAs in Elem Ed and Psych, graduating 1st in her class from Mercyhurst University in 1981.  After 12 years of formal school teaching in grades K-8 and H.S. English; and then part-time medical transcriptionist, proofreader, calligraphy teacher, and summer camp art director; she made the switch to full-time self-employment as a professional face painter, artist, and art teacher. She currently teaches watercolor and drawing at the Tonawanda Senior Center, accepts several commissioned projects in various art media each year, and is a premiere face painter at many private and public events in WNY.

“After studying artistic concepts such as composition, perspective, color theory, and realism for several years at Partners in Art in North Tonawanda and elsewhere, I wanted to try a more challenging and surprising medium. So I dove into watercolor!  Under mentors Gail Bille, Jody Ziehm, Margaret Martin, Kathleen Giles, and many others, I have found joy in the fact that I can never duplicate the same result twice.  I love that watercolor can take ME for a ride!”

“I love the surprising blends of colors, the dramatic whites and darks, creating color harmony and balance, and even the challenges of ‘timing’ and ‘how-much-water-how-much-paint’.  In my ‘teacher brain’, I am always striving to better  break down into steps and explain, this wonderful world of watercolor to others.  I continually improve my curriculum so it works best for my students. I love painting from nature best, but I paint many subjects so as to give myself and my students experience with a wide range of forms, color palettes, and textures.  It’s so rewarding to find that all those art concepts finally DO merge together to create a whole, no matter what medium I am working in.  No telling what I will paint next!

We will be together again after a summer break, and what a treat to host Sheila Reigh!

Come and enjoy!