Located on the lower level of the St. Cecilia Music Center building, the Terryberry Gallery showcases area artists throughout the year, making it a unique and beautiful space for hosting small receptions or as an overflow space when renting the Mika Music Library.
For room rental availability for your special event, please contact Event & Facility Director Carla Messing at 616.459.2224 (ext 204) or carla@scmc-online.org
ARTIST COLLECTIVE
Kathleen Bechtel, Barbara Schilling and Carla Messing
KATHLEEN BECHTEL
Kathleen Bechtel studied at Kendall School of art & Design and has taken numerous workshops to continue her education from instructors that she admires. She has been an artist her whole life, taking 20 years to understand and perfect her drawing skills, and then moving to pastels and then to oil. Since then, time has been spent learning the complexities of pastel and oil paint. In her experience as an artist her subject matters are portraits, figurative work, still lifes and landscapes. the media she uses are pastels and oil.
Kathleen works for the Franciscan Life Process Center in Lowell, MI as an Art Director, bringing in workshop teachers for continuing education in art for the community as well as curating artwork for five different gallery spaces.
"Painting and drawing is like making magic to me. To create something on paper or canvas when there was nothing before is truly making magic. Painting is a way of communicating. To think of people seeing my paintings that I will never see or know is something that is profoundly moving to me. I communicate through my paintings."
BARBARA SCHILLING OPA, AIS
Now retired, Barbara Schilling, was a highly regarded Conservator of Fine Art for over 35 years. As an oil painter she has studied from many contemporary artists. Her work has been strongly influenced by the bold, loose impressionist art of the Russian painters. As a result, her own work has become bolder, more expressionistic
She is a West Michigan artist who has been painting throughout her life. While working in restoration she pursued her painting in the evenings and weekends. Since retiring from her restoration career, she is committed to creating her own art full-time.
"Painting to me is about capturing the energy of a subject. I love strong textures, thick paint and vibrant colors. It is a search to find a balance between the abstract and the representational. I love the tactile feel of pushing thick paint around and layering juxtaposing color notes. I have moved away from a more literal translation of my subject to a more emotional response."
CARLA MESSING
Carla Messing is a West Michigan native who has been involved in the arts most of her life, mainly in music. Carla played the piano, flute, carillon and holds a BA in vocal music from GVSU. While much of her focus was on the performing arts, she always loved to draw and had an eye for visual art and design. It is only in the last year that she began studying painting and made the decision to create on a regular basis.
Carla's work is inspired by an appreciation of life's natural beauty, while seeing things in a unique perspective. Her innate ability to mix paints and create a complex color palette adds to the depth of her work. "I enjoy finding something deep and dark in a scene, then complimenting it with angles of light and vibrant colors - a mixture of literal composition and a titch of whimsy."
Carla has been the Event + Facility Director for St. Cecilia Music Center for 16 years and while she no longer performs, she loves being surrounded by music and has a strong history and connection with the organization.
ARTIST RECEPTION
Friday, November 3 from 5-7pm
Throughout the artist’s residency, select pieces are available for purchase through St. Cecilia Music Center. Contact Event + Facility Director Carla Messing at carla@scmcgr.org for more information.
