Artists' Biographies
Mary Ellen Joyce
Mary Ellen Joyce was born in Newark, New Jersey and has lived in North Carolina for forty-five years. She paints in acrylics and oils. Mary Ellen graduated from East Carolina University and Pitt Community College earning degrees in teaching and business administration. Her interest in painting was sparked after classes with Marcus McClanahan and Glenn Nelson at Greenville Parks and Recreation. She strives to paint as often as possible both at home and with Different Strokes and Brushstrokes painting groups. She has received awards and special mentions throughout the years for her art. Notably in 2012, her art received first place and “best in show” at the Ayden Collard Festival.
Gail W. Joyner
She began her painting journey in 1993. Over the years, Gail has had the opportunity to study under an array of local and national artists. She loves textures and the challenge of angles. Her current medium of choice is acrylic, although she spent the majority of her earlier years working with oil.
The artist’s work can be found in private and corporate collections. She has been represented in galleries, show exhibitions, and restaurants in the local arena.
Gail and her husband, Mike, who is a photographer, have teamed up together selling and displaying their work in their building at 2865 Charles Blvd. Greenville, NC under the name of Galleria Locale.
She continues to enjoy being a participating artist in the local area.
The artist’s work can be found in private and corporate collections. She has been represented in galleries, show exhibitions, and restaurants in the local arena.
Gail and her husband, Mike, who is a photographer, have teamed up together selling and displaying their work in their building at 2865 Charles Blvd. Greenville, NC under the name of Galleria Locale.
She continues to enjoy being a participating artist in the local area.
Sharon Mazurek
“Pick up a Brush and Just Paint….” Recommends Sharon Mazurek
Sharon Mazurek moved from her lifetime home of St Petersburg, FL to Rocky Mount, NC in 1988. Sharon knew early in life she loved all artistic things and over the years she has enjoyed making ceramics,
weaving, sewing and clothing design. Sharon had multiple careers during her 30 years working outside her home; as a Sales Representative with several nationally known insurance companies, selling MRO Industrial Supplies, and selling Computer software. She also owned a ladies’ boutique in Rocky Mount in the early 90’s that specialized in “artistic” specialty clothing and shoes. Sharon has been able to concentrate more on painting since she retired and is enjoying her newest career as an artist, trying to “encourage anyone with any interest in art to pick up a brush and paint even if you don’t think you know how to draw”.
A picture she drew in the 2nd Grade of hibiscus was entered in a countywide art contest which won
1st Place. An aunt sent her the 1st sketchbook she owned along with “Famous Paintings,” an Introduction to Art for Young People by Alice Elizabeth Chase for her 12th birthday and launched her lifetime love of visiting museums, which she tries to do in each city she has ever visited.
Sharon began seriously painting in 2005 utilizing acrylics, oils and watercolors on a wide and varied spectrum of subjects including landscapes, animals, abstract art or commissioned portraits. She also experiments with paper collage and “alcohol inks” a method of using colored inks with a wetting solution allowed to “flow” or be manipulated into shapes or into a picture. Sharon has studied and taken workshops with Janet Dixon, Linda Griffin, Lou Everett, Pegi Barnes-Sharpe, Libit Jones, Marilyn Williams, Bob Rankin, David Dunlop and Sterling Edwards.
Sharon is a member of the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council, the Greenville Museum of Art and the Greenville Brushstrokes - serving on the Steering Committee and as Secretary and Historian. Sharon has also served on the Steering Committee for the Southern Watercolor Society’s
34th Exhibition. Her works have been exhibited at the Annual Brushstrokes “Clothesline Show”; Greenville City Hall; the “Turnage Theater” Washington, NC; the Tarboro, NC Annual “Art Bazaar”; My Sister’s House Annual Charity Art Show, Nashville, NC; “Charm Night Out”, Rocky Mount, NC; the Bel Aire Artisans Center, Rocky Mount & Studio One, Wilson, NC. Sharon has had solo shows at: A’Tavola Market Café & the Unitarian Church, Greenville, NC; Via Cappuccino and the Women’s Clinic, Rocky Mount, NC. Her collectors can be found in NC, FL, GA, TX, AK, OK, NJ, OR and Uganda.
Sharon Mazurek moved from her lifetime home of St Petersburg, FL to Rocky Mount, NC in 1988. Sharon knew early in life she loved all artistic things and over the years she has enjoyed making ceramics,
weaving, sewing and clothing design. Sharon had multiple careers during her 30 years working outside her home; as a Sales Representative with several nationally known insurance companies, selling MRO Industrial Supplies, and selling Computer software. She also owned a ladies’ boutique in Rocky Mount in the early 90’s that specialized in “artistic” specialty clothing and shoes. Sharon has been able to concentrate more on painting since she retired and is enjoying her newest career as an artist, trying to “encourage anyone with any interest in art to pick up a brush and paint even if you don’t think you know how to draw”.
A picture she drew in the 2nd Grade of hibiscus was entered in a countywide art contest which won
1st Place. An aunt sent her the 1st sketchbook she owned along with “Famous Paintings,” an Introduction to Art for Young People by Alice Elizabeth Chase for her 12th birthday and launched her lifetime love of visiting museums, which she tries to do in each city she has ever visited.
Sharon began seriously painting in 2005 utilizing acrylics, oils and watercolors on a wide and varied spectrum of subjects including landscapes, animals, abstract art or commissioned portraits. She also experiments with paper collage and “alcohol inks” a method of using colored inks with a wetting solution allowed to “flow” or be manipulated into shapes or into a picture. Sharon has studied and taken workshops with Janet Dixon, Linda Griffin, Lou Everett, Pegi Barnes-Sharpe, Libit Jones, Marilyn Williams, Bob Rankin, David Dunlop and Sterling Edwards.
Sharon is a member of the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council, the Greenville Museum of Art and the Greenville Brushstrokes - serving on the Steering Committee and as Secretary and Historian. Sharon has also served on the Steering Committee for the Southern Watercolor Society’s
34th Exhibition. Her works have been exhibited at the Annual Brushstrokes “Clothesline Show”; Greenville City Hall; the “Turnage Theater” Washington, NC; the Tarboro, NC Annual “Art Bazaar”; My Sister’s House Annual Charity Art Show, Nashville, NC; “Charm Night Out”, Rocky Mount, NC; the Bel Aire Artisans Center, Rocky Mount & Studio One, Wilson, NC. Sharon has had solo shows at: A’Tavola Market Café & the Unitarian Church, Greenville, NC; Via Cappuccino and the Women’s Clinic, Rocky Mount, NC. Her collectors can be found in NC, FL, GA, TX, AK, OK, NJ, OR and Uganda.
Debby McCullough
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Debby, a Maryland native, has lived in the Greenville area for 13 years. Her formal education includes a Bachelors Degree in Art Education from East Carolina University and a Masters Degree in Art Education from the University of Maryland. She is a retired Art Teacher who taught art in Grades K-12 for 25 years, in Gaston County, NC and Montgomery County, Maryland.
She has painted in Watercolor for over 30 years and also pursues Art Quilting. Debby has exhibited her work regionally, published numerous limited edition prints and has won various awards in juried shows. Debby is also a member of Brushstrokes, the North Carolina Watercolor Society and several other Art and Quilting Organizations. She has exhibited her work locally and regionally, winning numerous awards and participating in many juried shows. Debby has had several works published in Quilting Arts Magazine and Modern Patchwork Magazine. Currently, she is a member artist at River Walk Gallery in Washington, NC, where she exhibits her work and also teaches Watercolor Classes. |
Dorothy McLennan
Dorothy McLennan is a professional artist who works in the classical tradition. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but it was not until her children finished school that the opportunity arose for her to formally pursue her passion for art. She returned to school and earned a BFA from East Carolina University School of Art. This provided an excellent academic foundation for her art, which has been enriched through continuing study with some of today's finest artists, such as Daniel Green, Michael del Poire, Margret Carter Baumgartner, and John de la Vega. Dorothy is also an active member of the Portrait Society of America.
She maintains a studio in an old church on her husband's generations-old family farm in Scotland Neck, NC. The quiet solitude and beauty of her natural surroundings are a constant inspiration for her work whether it is portraiture, animal, or still life.
In her portraiture, Dorothy strives to capture the personalities of her subjects with light and shadow while maintaining both freshness and spontaneity.
Each portrait is done with consideration for the client's tastes and ideas. The final goal is to celebrate a person's life and to create not only a painting but a work of art.
She maintains a studio in an old church on her husband's generations-old family farm in Scotland Neck, NC. The quiet solitude and beauty of her natural surroundings are a constant inspiration for her work whether it is portraiture, animal, or still life.
In her portraiture, Dorothy strives to capture the personalities of her subjects with light and shadow while maintaining both freshness and spontaneity.
Each portrait is done with consideration for the client's tastes and ideas. The final goal is to celebrate a person's life and to create not only a painting but a work of art.
Dale C. Mills
Dale, a retired Registered Nurse, who lives in Greenville, NC, began painting in watercolor in February 2012. She was introduced to watercolors by her childhood friend, Lou Everett, and Dale became so inspired by the medium, that she has continually pursued opportunities to develop her talents in painting. In addition to classes with Pete Hickey and on-going classes with Linda Griffin, Dale has also studied with Kate Worm and Bob Rankin. Dale attends Brushstrokes meetings regularly and is currently serving as Co-Chair of Public Relations on the Steering Committee. Her painterly “Spring Floral” was juried into the 2013 Greenville Museum of Art and Greenville Brushstrokes’ ARTfully Delicious Cookbook. Come to the Greenville Brushstrokes’ Annual Clothesline Show in April and Holiday Show in November each this year to meet Dale and see her watercolors on display.
Thomas Munn
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Thomas Munn was born in Northern Pennsylvania. After serving four years with the United States Navy, he attended Alfred Technical Institute. For the next thirty years, Tom worked in sales and marketing for several electronic companies. He resided in West Palm Beach, Florida for forty years and began painting in 1975. He painted landscapes of the Northeast and the Florida landscape. In 1988 Tom started showing his work at Helene's Fine Gallery in Plano, Texas and at the Bruce Webber Gallery in Lake Worth, Florida. In 2004 he moved to Greenville, NC where he began showing his work at Twigs and Leaves Gallery in Western NC and at Frames by James Gallery in Greenville. The majority of his work consists of scenes depicting North Carolina and Florida. His art has been influenced by John Constable, George Inness and the modern Hudson River School artists. His paintings, while not flashy, depict the landscape as he sees it. |
Dora Pasour
Dora lives in Maury, NC. She is a wife, mother, grandmother and a newcomer to the world of watercolor. She is a former area Director of the American Cancer Society and former Executive Director of the Greene County Interfaith Volunteers. She retired from this life of non-profit in 2014 and began painting in 2015, beginning with
watercolor classes, the only medium offered at the time, but which she enjoys.
She has taken classes from Karla Jennings of Snow Hill, Ed McComber of New Bern, Judy Dye of Greeville
and with Carol Mann of Washington. She is a member of the Kinston Community Council of Art and Greenville Brushstrokes. Dora enjoys painting seascapes, coastal landscapes, botanicals and still lifes while using bright colors.
As a member of St. James United Methodist Church, she has donated many of her paintings to various
church projects including Spring Fling, Annual Women's Bazaar, and the Jamaican Mission Fund Raiser. She has displayed her work at aTavola Market Cafe and in the Greene County Museum's Art Exhibition.
Family and friends receive many of her paintings.
watercolor classes, the only medium offered at the time, but which she enjoys.
She has taken classes from Karla Jennings of Snow Hill, Ed McComber of New Bern, Judy Dye of Greeville
and with Carol Mann of Washington. She is a member of the Kinston Community Council of Art and Greenville Brushstrokes. Dora enjoys painting seascapes, coastal landscapes, botanicals and still lifes while using bright colors.
As a member of St. James United Methodist Church, she has donated many of her paintings to various
church projects including Spring Fling, Annual Women's Bazaar, and the Jamaican Mission Fund Raiser. She has displayed her work at aTavola Market Cafe and in the Greene County Museum's Art Exhibition.
Family and friends receive many of her paintings.
Jim Previll 1944 - 2019
GBS is honored to have had Jim as a member.
Linda Schadler
Linda is a North Carolina native and lived much of her adult life in Charlotte. She relocated to Greenville in 1987 when her husband accepted a position at East Carolina University. After working over 20 years for the East Carolina University School of Medicine she retired in 2010.
Linda always enjoyed being involved in creative activities such as creating scrapbooks and editing digital pictures. She held a long time desire to learn about painting but never pursued "scratching that itch" until after retirement. As a result she has been painting for about a year and a half. Her first formal lessons were at the Jaycee Recreation Center. After gaining some experience Linda is now taking some private lessons with Linda Griffin.
Local artists Dorothy Jensen and Mary Ellen Joyce have been very supportive as well as her dearest friend Vicki Johnson with Uptown Art Works in Greensboro. Thus far her only medium of painting has been watercolor. She enjoys painting a variety of subjects but finds herself drawn mostly to flowers and landscapes.
To date her ventures into art shows have included the Ayden Collard Festival Art Show, the Beaufort County Art Show, and the ‘Brushstrokes Christmas Show.
Linda always enjoyed being involved in creative activities such as creating scrapbooks and editing digital pictures. She held a long time desire to learn about painting but never pursued "scratching that itch" until after retirement. As a result she has been painting for about a year and a half. Her first formal lessons were at the Jaycee Recreation Center. After gaining some experience Linda is now taking some private lessons with Linda Griffin.
Local artists Dorothy Jensen and Mary Ellen Joyce have been very supportive as well as her dearest friend Vicki Johnson with Uptown Art Works in Greensboro. Thus far her only medium of painting has been watercolor. She enjoys painting a variety of subjects but finds herself drawn mostly to flowers and landscapes.
To date her ventures into art shows have included the Ayden Collard Festival Art Show, the Beaufort County Art Show, and the ‘Brushstrokes Christmas Show.
Ray Sobel (1922-2015)
GBS is honored to have had Ray Sobel as a member.
Brenda Wells
A Georgia native, I have called North Carolina home since 2009. I am a business professor at East Carolina University by day, and an acrylic painting artist in my spare time. My favorite subjects to paint include seascapes, animals, and still life compositions, especially fruit and martini glasses. I specialize in custom pet portraits. I absolutely love the thrill of taking a photograph of a beloved pet and turning it into a painted work of art!
A life-long "crafter", I caught the fine art painting bug in 2016 when I took a mixed-media art class at Emerge Gallery in Greenville. That class sparked my love of painting, and I have been addicted ever since! Just about everything I own now has a blob of paint on it (dishes, phone, computer, etc). I plan to display my work at local shows and exhibitions as my skills progress.
I reside in Greenville. Named for my dog Xena, who passed away many years ago, my creative art and jewelry design business name is "Xena's Revenge." I can be reached at xena@xenarevenge.com
A life-long "crafter", I caught the fine art painting bug in 2016 when I took a mixed-media art class at Emerge Gallery in Greenville. That class sparked my love of painting, and I have been addicted ever since! Just about everything I own now has a blob of paint on it (dishes, phone, computer, etc). I plan to display my work at local shows and exhibitions as my skills progress.
I reside in Greenville. Named for my dog Xena, who passed away many years ago, my creative art and jewelry design business name is "Xena's Revenge." I can be reached at xena@xenarevenge.com
Susan A. Williams
Susan grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and loves the mountains of Northern Virginia. She has lived in North Carolina for over 20 years and enjoys both the ocean and the mountains of the state. She resides with her husband, Roy Carlton, and multiple pets. Susan has been involved in different types of art media since her childhood. She has worked in fabric, yarn, stained glass, drawing, oils, watercolor and collage. She was an original member of Greenville Brushstrokes.
Susan’s formal education and career have been focused on the art and science of nursing. Over the years she has taken multiple art classes with local, regional and national teachers. Her enjoyment in working with watercolor comes from the clarity, lightness and serendipitous nature of the watercolors.
Since being introduced to the fun of creating artwork with collage materials, she has begun to experiment with mixed media artwork, again working primarily with figures. Recently she has begun to weave, experimenting with multiple types of fabrics and threads, with intentions of introducing some weavings into her artwork. She has also begun to work with copper figures. Susan enjoys drawing and painting female figures. In particular she enjoys creating artwork that is colorful and makes her and viewers smile.
Susan’s formal education and career have been focused on the art and science of nursing. Over the years she has taken multiple art classes with local, regional and national teachers. Her enjoyment in working with watercolor comes from the clarity, lightness and serendipitous nature of the watercolors.
Since being introduced to the fun of creating artwork with collage materials, she has begun to experiment with mixed media artwork, again working primarily with figures. Recently she has begun to weave, experimenting with multiple types of fabrics and threads, with intentions of introducing some weavings into her artwork. She has also begun to work with copper figures. Susan enjoys drawing and painting female figures. In particular she enjoys creating artwork that is colorful and makes her and viewers smile.
Nancy Blass Winn
I was born in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, close to the studios of Norman Rockwell and Dr. Seuss. Both artists are an inspiration to my work, actually my work is closer to Seuss’ with its childlike whimsy. I grew up in southern Michigan, outside of Pontiac. I have been a Middle and High School teacher in North Carolina for over 25 years, I am certified in Secondary Mathematics and K-12 Art. Throughout the day I work with kids ranging from 10 to 19, who greatly influence the themes in my artwork. I love to explore different media and most of my work ends up as a mixed media piece. I work in watercolor, color pencil, ink, acrylic, collage, photography, and computer graphics.
