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Artist goes beyond the face
Sandy Sheagren of Glenview created this oil painting called "Dancing Skirts." Karie Angell Luc~for Sun-Times Media
More info:
Visit www.sandyshea
gren.com.
Visit the Glenview Art League at www.glen
viewartleague.org/
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Updated: October 15, 2012 8:28AM
GLENVIEW — Leonardo da Vinci, known for his drawings and studies of anatomy, was a master who inspires a legacy of artists.
Sandy Sheagren, of Glenview, is one such artist with a drive to document what makes all of us human.
“I’ve been painting, drawing and writing since childhood and have always had a fascination with anatomy and the human body,” said Sheagren. “So I have a special interest in portraiture and the figure although I paint a variety of subjects.”
Sheagren, who pursued a nursing career, also studied the effect of medical illustration which gave her a knowledge base from which to work.
“In addition to rendering a likeness, I’m particularly interested in how posture, body language, and color contribute to establishing a mood or feeling,” she said. “Sometimes I capture the mood of the subject and sometimes it is my own mood, but I hope to touch something in the viewer to validate the range of human emotions.”
At a Glenview Art League (GAL) mid-August reception at the Northbrook Willow Festival Zapatista restaurant, Sheagren exhibited her works with other local artists to celebrate Mexican heritage.
Her oil painting “Dancing Skirts” mirrors Sheagren’s love of splashy color.
The focus in this work rests on the fabrics and textures worn by women in costume.
“I have worked on a series of portraits of women to explore the effect of focusing study from a position that does not include the subject’s face,” said Sheagren. The result allows the artist to “investigate how our bodies give messages about where our feelings lie and to depict the strength, beauty and wisdom of women.”
Sheagren showed 11 paintings at Zapatista. Both “Dancing Skirts” and “Outdoor Weaver” have been hanging at the restaurant for two years.
“I have (also) exhibited a series of portraits with lines of poetry in lieu of titles to add another dimension to the work and to stir a response from the viewer,” said Sheagren.
A 35-year Glenview resident, Sheagren and her husband Tom, an Advocate Lutheran General neonatologist, have four grown children: Carrie, Brian, Kim, and Elizabeth, and four grandchildren.
The Glenview Art League as an estimated 100 members.
“I joined the art league about six years ago, primarily for the chance to exhibit my work, which I did, and only went to a demo or two until I volunteered at the Summer Art Fair three years ago,” said Sheagren.
“I had so much fun meeting more artists and working with them that I became a co-chair for the Summer Art Fair the following year and since then chaired the Youth Art Fair for the last two years.
As a director on the board for two years, Sheagren is slated to be elected GAL president this month.
Of volunteerism: “It gives me a sense of pride and satisfaction to see students, parents, artists and visitors enjoying the art exhibits and the art fairs as well as a feeling of giving back to a community that has offered so much to my family.”
Sheagren, who also dabbles in watercolor, welcomes commissions.
