Jonelle Summerfield

Jonelle graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. Although she has no formal art education her mother was her art teacher. She had exposed Jonelle to art since childhood, and then in high school she took a drawing class for extra credit and discovered that she actually enjoyed producing art. After she graduated from college her mother taught her how to paint with oils. Jonelle had worked for eight years as a kitchen designer and is now a full time artist. “I paint in the realistic style partly for the challenge of it, partly because I want to capture moments, days and events that will perhaps never occur again.”

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On the Sheltering In Place Exhibit:

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During the shut down, life seemed pretty bleak. I stocked up on all the recommended essentials as well as some liquors in pretty bottles. The flowers at the grocery stores were extra pretty, and it was nice to purchase something non essential, so I always picked up a bunch or three, and painted those from life every week. Chartreuse is made by French monks from herbs, and was thought to have medicinal properties, so I thought it would be perfect preventative medicine for Covid-19. It looked pretty with the daffodils that were abundant in stores at the beginning of the shut down. I paired those items with a cookie that I purchased from Caffe Amadeus on the last day it was open. Toward the end of the shut down, the rain finally stopped and I started biking more, thinking of it as the perfect social distancing exercise. I am often inspired by my travels, but not having that option, I appreciated the scenery closer to home, which inspired the Ghost Town Trail painting. I realized, however, that outside of not being able to go to the gym or get together with people, and having to wear masks in stores, life was pretty much the same for me... just spending time in the studio. It was only the collective mindset of the world in panic that was different.