This script was written by my daughter, Jane:
“ART IS THE MOST INTENSE MODE OF INDIVIDUALISM THE WORLD HAS KNOWN”
The artist whose work you see is Rita Callan. A NYC native, my mother moved to Nyack in 1958 with my dad, Charles and their three young children, Jane, Chuck and Jimmy. Her life was (and is) an active and fulfilling one. Besides helping to raise us, she worked outside the house and volunteered for many different causes, with little time to pursue her natural talent in drawing and painting.
Upon retirement she began to pursue her artistic side, inspired by her first art teacher and it was in this class that Rita began to express herself through her art.
She branched out from charcoal to oil, pastels and watercolor. My mother has painted portraits, landscapes still life and old houses. As an aside she paints cards for mailing and framing and has several steady customers. She has been featured in many exhibits in Rockland County.
Rita has taken lessons with several teachers (regrettably her first teacher moved to another state). However, she considers herself a “Sunday painter”.
Presently, she teaches English as a second language. My mother volunteers two nights a week and finds it most rewarding.
My brothers and I, among many, find our mother to be a person of warmth, intelligence and spirit. Her seven grandchildren, one grandson and six granddaughters, now ranging in ages 10 to 25, simply adore her. In her portraits you will see serious and emotion filled faces, in her still life, her vivid colors, and in her paintings en pleine aire, the vibrancy and beauty of nature.
Mom will also include pictures of her children, their spouses, and her grandchildren.
‘THERE IS STRONG SHADOW WHERE THERE IS MUCH LIGHT.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749-1832
