Brenda Wilbert
My paintings reflect my belief that life is full of endless possibilities and what is important is not what is on the surface. There is often movement and a flow of energy in my work which signifies life's changes and the importance of capturing the moment while it can still inspire. The viewer often comments on my dramatic use of colors.
Through my use of vibrant colors, I am communicating a sense of hope and optimism and the importance of dreaming large in life. In many of my pieces, there is a strong feeling of connectedness which attempts to address the isolation that many of us feel. My art work is a reminder to look inside for what is truly important. I am always pleasantly surprised to hear discoveries are made when gazing at my abstract pieces.
Education:
Self-taught artist
Masters of Science in nursing
Licensed by the state of NH as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Graduate of the Expressive Arts Facilitator Program at Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island
Awards and Recognitions:
Juried in to many of the shows at the Robert Levy Gallery, Portsmouth, NH
2007, Painting, "Antarctic Light," was chosen for a playbill of an original play "Ice Dreamers," performed in Manchester, NH
Second Place mixed media, Art in the Park, Manchester, NH, 2006
Third Place mixed media, Art in the Park, Manchester, NH 2005
First Place mixed media, Art in the Park, Manchester, NH 2003
First Place mixed media, Snow Show, Derry, NH 2003
Painting was chosen for the cover of an original play,
"Two Suits and One Act", performed in NYC, 2003
Solo Shows:
Thirty paintings and collages were exhibited at the Marino Center for Progressive Health, Cambridge, MA
Galleries:
Art 3 Gallery, Manchester, NH
Robert Levy Gallery, Portsmouth, NH
Guest Artist, East Colony Fine Art Gallery, Manchester, NH
Associations:
2006-2007 President of the Manchester Art Association, Manchester, NH
2006 Juried into the New Hampshire Art Association
Member of the Newburyport Art Association
Member of the Society of Art in Healthcare
Charles Wilbert
I have written over twenty plays, nearly all of them tested by a stage production at Southern New Hampshire University where I work full time as an English professor and playwright in residence.
A number of my dramas deal with historic figures such as Henry David Thoreau, Robert Falcon Scott, Gertrude Stein, Maxwell Bodenheim, and Thornton Wilder. My best plays are distinguished by a riveting story, compelling characters, memorable dialogue, and flashes of absurdist humor.
I have studied playwriting in New York City at the HB Studio and at the Roger Simon Hendricks Studio.
Some highlights of my playwriting career to date:
- Winner (“Realometers”) of a national one-act play competition held in the early 1980s by the Chocolate Church of Bath, Maine.
- A standing ovation from an audience of Thoreau Society scholars following a professional production of “Realometers” in the First Parish Church in Concord, MA, in July 1989 at the annual Thoreau Conference.
- Co-winner of a national one-act play competition conducted by the McCarter Theatre in the early 1980s. My entry (“Down Deep in New Orleans”) was subsequently presented at Princeton University.
- A professional production of “Realometers” in Nov. 1988 on the Second Stage (Bruno Walter Theatre) at Lincoln Center in New York City by the Roger Hendricks Simon Studio Players.
- Two-year tour (2004-06) of New England and New York State by Equity actress Saundra Dubow Azmitia -- portraying Gertrude Stein in my one-character show “Two Suits in One Act,” written in 2000.