Member of the Month:
Theresa Poalucci
Dawn Price
Life in SaddleBrooke is very busy for many people, especially for those who have started on their second careers as artists! Theresa Poalucci, who grew up with a mother who was a painter, is just such a woman. Surrounded by art as a child, she really began to paint after college and perfected her craft when she wasn’t working her day job in the newspaper business. At the time, art was a hobby and a great stress reliever.
Upon moving to Arizona, she studied sculpting and has been creating outdoor art which she calls “Patio Jewels” ever since. Theresa paints as well and works mostly in acrylics, oils, and alcohol inks. She loves the challenge of working on large canvases.
What all of her artwork has in common is her love of vibrant colors, reflecting the beauty of the mountains and desert flora and fauna. She has learned to recreate and reimagine these things with an art painting method called acrylic flow. The results are magical and evoke so many emotions, depending on the color combinations used.
Theresa finds inspiration in nature and the desert surroundings, but she also continues to enrich her skills by visiting art museums and art galleries to see what other artists are doing. She can see something that may spark unique new ideas, which she can meld into her own work back at her home studio.
She loves her studio, which she and her husband built into their SaddleBrooke home. It has helped her focus on her creative side. She is a self-described “prolific artist,” so she works hard to sell her art and to work the business end as well. She is currently showing her work at Absolutely Art Gallery, the Southern Arizona Arts Guild Gallery, and in Tubac at the K. Newby Gallery.
In addition to marketing and selling her artwork, she has been a member of the SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild for a while but admits she hasn’t been super active. She will soon be volunteering to use her graphic arts talents to produce ads and flyers for the group as needed. She hopes to teach some acrylic flow and alcohol ink classes this winter in SaddleBrooke and to be in the SaddleBrooke Fine Arts show next spring.
Theresa finds her passion for art can be contagious. It makes her happy. She finds that most retirees do best and are most happy when they have activities that they enjoy and when they can become part of a group of like-minded people. It’s not surprising that she is also working on her first book about good habits for being and staying happy. This topic is so important for all people, especially those in a retirement community. Stay tuned, as she hopes to have it available on Audible by January 2024!
You can learn more about and shop for Theresa’s art by visiting her online at www.artisttheresapoalucci.com. To find out more about other art classes offered in SaddleBrooke and the SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild event schedule, visit the Art Guild’s website www.saddlebrookefinearts.org.
On Dec. 7, students will create a beautiful 9” x 12” acrylic painting of a starry night silhouetted by dark evergreen trees.
Accomplished Artist Tracy Ann Holmes Now Teaching Classes in SaddleBrooke
Connie Kotke
The SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild offers a wide range of art classes for beginners to experts, right here in the Topaz Room in the Arts & Crafts Center at MountainView Clubhouse. Our instructors are remarkably talented, and they love to teach! We are pleased to highlight a new instructor, Tracy Ann Holmes, who is offering half-day, step-by-step acrylic painting classes geared for painters of all ability levels. In each class, students will leave with a finished 9” x 12” painting suitable for framing.
Register now for Tracy’s class on Thursday, Dec. 7, where students will create an under-drawing, then layer acrylics to create a dramatic starry night silhouetted by dark pine trees. Two more classes will be scheduled during the winter and spring. Watch the Guild’s website www.saddlebrookefinearts.org for dates and times.
Tracy holds a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree (with an emphasis in ceramics) and an Art Education K-12 Teaching Certificate. Her training also includes classes in watercolor, printmaking, sculpture, oil painting, and drawing. She taught art in public schools for five years. For the next two decades, she produced her own works of art while continuing to teach classes for kids and adults.
“We feel so fortunate to have an acrylics teacher with such vast experience. Come learn a new medium, new techniques, or just make new art friends,” said Karen Brungardt, president of the SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild. “Tracy believes that art is a joyful and therapeutic experience. She does a fantastic job simplifying each step of the project so anyone can be an artist.”
Tracy’s work is available in the Southern Arizona Arts Guild Gallery, Absolutely Art, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tohono Chul Park, and the Sonoran Desert Museum. You can also visit her website www.tracyannholmes.com or connect with her through a variety of social media outlets.