As an artist, I don't consider myself to be unique, nor do I want to view myself that way. I love exploring how I can be more like others instead of different from them. As such, I create my work with the belief that art can be approachable without compromising creativity and critical thinking. The way I use color, line, and pattern is unconventional, but it’s also an aspect of my art that draws attention from people of all art experiences. My art is abstract, but I strive to make my subject matter relatable. Anyone can be inspired by a walk they went on, a childhood memory, or a piece of media they’re into. Through this approach, I hope to help others understand that their interests are worth exploring through art, and they’re capable of building the skills to do so.

Sheila Foley’s work is representational, not photorealistic. Live spontaneous art and plein air painting, or anything done in natural light, are her favorites. She loves quick cafe sketches and unposed portraits that capture body language. She avoids stiff formality, seeking instead, essence, not detail. Watercolor, acrylic or pen are Sheila’s chosen media these days. It depends on the desired result. The work shown here is older and most has Stoneham connections.

This series uses birds to reflect on difference, shared essence, and the quiet dignity of life. Each bird is rendered in a different medium, yet each remains unmistakably a bird—and that material variation has become a way of thinking about the human condition: we are shaped by vast differences and inheritances yet remain deeply connected to one another.

Language is also part of this inquiry. The term still life, for instance, carries different resonances depending on translation—suggesting either stillness or death—and in that ambiguity lies an invitation to reconsider how we name and understand living things. In painting these birds, I am not only studying form; I am commemorating existence itself—honoring fragility, presence, and the importance of being alive.

Throughout my life, I have found myself fascinated by the natural world and its consistency to persevere. As humans live in relation to their natural environment, our presence changes the course of how the environment evolves, as a result affecting our existence. It is this quiet struggle that we tend to overlook in my work. I have titled this series “ Remains in Nature.” In my pieces, I approach the traditional genre of the still life from a modern perspective. The juxtaposition of natural items with human items intertwined creates the feeling of enmeshment. With the use of color and texture, I draw my viewer in for a closer look at the strange, yet beautiful images created with what is otherwise discarded and overlooked.

Lori Del Genis is an award-winning portrait ar st who has been exhibi ng locally since returning to the Boston Area in 2010. She credits the local fannish community for being the wind beneath her bat-wings and for giving her space to play and explore. Lori currently works primarily in oil paint crea ng commissioned portraits, but is s ll happy to produce whimsical reimaginings of Old Master Classics. Her works can be seen in permanent installa ons around Stoneham as well as in fannish homes around Boston and beyond.