Artist of the Month
Each month a local artist is named Artist of the Month. The City has collaborated with the Newnan-Coweta Art Association on this project.
The collaboration gives local artists the opportunity to display their work in City Hall and the chance for the City to support the arts.
Artist of the Month, November 2023
Michael Sawecki
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Michael Sawecki as its featured "Artist of the Month" for November. Mr. Sawecki’s art will be featured in the entry way to Newnan City Hall until December.
Michael Sawecki is a Michigan native who, after earning a BFA from The College for Creative Studies in Detroit, headed south where he now currently resides in Hampton, Georgia. With nearly 20 years of teaching experience, he worked for many years in the Fulton County school system before transferring over to Henry County where he currently works at Locust Grove High School. While teaching is more than a full-time job, he has continued during this time to hone his own art and has exhibited work throughout Georgia at numerous venues including the Zuckerman Museum of Art at Kennesaw State, the Marietta Museum of Art, and the Lagrange Art Museum. Along with many visual artists such as Francis Bacon and Edward Hopper he also counts among his strongest influences the musician Nick Cave, the writer Thomas Ligotti, and filmmaker David Cronenberg.
Michael Sawecki is a member of NCAA. NCAA's general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presented each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
Artist of the Month, October 2023
Pauline Weisz
The Newnan Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Pauline Cameron Weisz as its featured “Artist of the Month” for October. Pauline’s art will be featured in the entryway of Newnan City Hall until October 31, 2023.
Pauline is an accomplished artist from Brooks, Georgia. For over 40 years Pauline Weisz has been a noteworthy leader in the art world as an educator where she has always enjoyed introducing young people to the freedom of discovering art methods to express themselves creatively. You may know her from her work as an Art Star Teacher in DeKalb County. Pauline Weisz can also be credited with contributions to Breast Cancer Awareness for auctioning the printed images from her body paintings of survivors and for raising $6,000 through a children's art auction to support relief for hurricane Katrina.
Known for her innovative methods in ceramic sculpture and in part for designing a Fine Arts Building and Directing the Fine Arts at GHA, Pauline Weisz has been honored for her contribution to numerous Title I Art programs and was named Art Star teacher in DeKalb county for using Donors Choose to outfit a high school fine art program with $13,000 in art equipment and supplies. Katy Perry and Staples supplied the funds for her grant and Pauline was honored with a VIP invitation to Katy Perry’s Prismatic Tour in Atlanta. Pauline was further honored by being invited to speak on HLN at CNN to address how teachers can give to their classrooms. She was then featured in the Fayette County Newspaper for her achievement.
Having spent most of her life teaching art, Pauline furthered her education by earning her Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics at Georgia State University having developed a unique ceramic technique that incorporates natural cotton fiber techniques with soaking them in porcelain slip. She calls the method “Saturation Ceramics”. Her inspiration for this exploration came while taking a summer course with renowned textile artist Professor Junko Sato Pollack. Pauline began experimenting with crocheted and knit mop yarn items and then soaking them in porcelain slip. Under the guidance of Professor Don McCance, Ceramics Artist and Graduate Advisor, Pauline developed the methods of supporting these works through the processes required including architectural frameworks to allow for the shrinkage rates of clay, firing out the cords, adding surface decoration and using glaze calculations. Following a meeting with the famous feminist artist Miriam Schapiro, Pauline developed her own narrative and whimsical style for the Saturation Ceramic sculptures featured in her Graduate Exit Show. Pauline’s crocheted teacups and Saturation Ceramics techniques were featured in an Atlanta Journal Constitution article, “Dream Weaver." Her graduate exit exhibition “Convergence, Coexistence, Conveyance” provided a room full of narrative ceramic sculptures such as floor to ceiling “Vacillating Column,” “One Foot on The Ground I," “Wild Thing," and “Tea Tops” to name just a few.
Ms. Weisz’s recent exhibitions include The Southeastern Pastel Society’s Juried Exhibition and the Newnan-Coweta Art Association Juried Exhibit.
Pauline maintains her clay studio outside her home and is concurrently working in pastels and oil paint. Pauline has learned pastel painting from accomplished pastel artists Claudia Maciel and Karen Margulis from Alpharetta, Georgia and learned oil painting and drawing with artist Steven Stinchcomb in 2022 classes at the Turnipseed Farm in Fayetteville.
Her pastel paintings embrace a unique method that incorporates wet underpainting and dry pastel sticks layered on flat sanded or heavy paper to build deep shadows, create bright lights, and give an added effect of blended texture. She also paints portraits, landscapes, and still life with oil, on canvas.
Pauline finds inspiration in local scenery—particularly that which features the natural world and capturing the light. Whether it be a nearby stream in Peachtree City, horses strolling through vine laden branches of live oak trees on Cumberland Island, the glimmering light of an ocean sunset, or a burst of colorful roadside flowers, Pauline delights in harnessing the beauty of the scenery around her and bringing it to life with her pastels and oils.
Pauline is currently a member of the Southeastern Pastel Society and Newnan Coweta Art Association. She is an art sub in the Fayette County School System in Fayetteville, GA. Pauline’s current work is for sale on the NCAA website at: https://www.newcaa.com/portfolio-item/pauline-weisz/ and on Etsy at: https://pcameronweiszfineart.etsy.com .
Pauline can be reached at paulinew221@gmail.com with any inquiries or special art commissions.
Pauline is a member of the NCAA. NCAA’s general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presented each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.”
Artist of the Month, September 2023
Donna Massey
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Donna Massey as the featured "Artist of the Month" for September. Donna's art will be featured in the entry way to Newnan City Hall until the end of September.
Creative and fine arts have long been part of Ms. Massey’s life. Acrylics are her medium of choice, having discovered their versatility while in high school. She enjoys painting pastoral landscapes that depict a quiet and peaceful lifestyle. Local and regional exhibits of Donna’s original paintings include the Carnegie Library in historic downtown Newnan, the Peachtree City Public Library, Newnan Theatre, and the Arts Clayton Gallery in Jonesboro. Since 2012, she has had paintings juried into the Newnan Coweta Art Association’s (NCAA) Annual Member Show and has had paintings selected in the top ten for the past two years. From June 2017 to May 2018, two of her pieces were displayed in both the Office of The Governor and the House Appropriations Office Suite in Atlanta. In February 2018, she was part of a three woman show at West Georgia Technical College.
Follow Donna’s recent works on her Facebook page.
Donna is a member of NCAA. NCAA's general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presented each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
Artist of the Month, August 2023
Sandy Holcomb
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Sandy Holcomb as its featured "Artist of the Month" for August 2023. Ms. Holcomb’s art will be featured in the entry way of Newnan City Hall (25 LaGrange Street) in August.
Mrs. Holcomb is a retired teacher from the Fayette County School System. She is also a member of the Fayette Society of Fine Art in Fayetteville, where she has been president a number of times. She is also a member of the Blue Ridge Art Association. She particularly enjoys painting with oils and acrylics. She has artwork in a number of private collections, including former Governor Nathan Deal. Last Christmas her home was on a tour of homes at Cresswind for her display of Christmas paintings of the past 20 years
Ms. Holcomb is a member of NCAA. NCAA's general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presented each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
Artist of the Month, July 2023
Cornelia Craine
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Cornelia Craine as the featured “Artist of the Month” for July. Ms. Craine’s art will be featured in the entry way to Newnan City Hall until July 31st.
Ms. Craine gathers inspiration and subject matter from her local surroundings, as well as, her extensive travels. She has a great passion for the sea, the countryside and gardens. Her paintings are created on a synthetic surface called YUPO. This is a tree free paper originally used in the printing industry.
She attended art classes in high school but did not return to painting until she retired. At the time Ms. Craine resided in Florida and she progressed through workshops, starting in oils with Gary Jenkins. However, due to allergies, Cornelia switched to watercolor and began workshops with Nita Engle, Robbie Laird, Betty Carr, and Richard Stephens. She also completed a photo workshop with James Rogers. She met and painted, for many years, with Taylor Ikin, the YUPO Queen.
Ms. Craine is a member of the Newnan Coweta Art Association (NCAA), The Fayette Society of Fine Arts (SOFA), Georgia Watercolor Society and was the Artist in Residence for three years at the Santee State Park in South Carolina.
NCAA’s general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presentation each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
Artist of the Month, June 2023
Bette Schumann
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Bette Schumann as its featured “Artist of the Month” for June. Mrs. Schumann’s art will be featured in the entryway to Newnan City Hall until July.
Following in her professional artist father’s footsteps, and after raising five children, Mrs. Schumann is pursuing her love of painting. Beginning in graphic design and decoratively painting furniture, she now works almost exclusively in oil on canvas or linen. Her style is somewhere between realism and impressionism. She has won several prestigious awards, has been represented by several galleries, has had a painting chosen to hang in the Georgia State Capital Building, and is a member of The Newnan-Coweta Art Association and the Portrait Society of America.
NCAA’s general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presented each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
Artist of the Month, May 2023
Len Jagoda
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Len Jagoda as its featured "Artist of the Month" for May. Mr. Jagoda's art will be featured in the entry way to Newnan City Hall until May 31st.
Mr. Jagoda’s career as an artist could have begun forty years earlier, but his scholarship to the Cleveland Institute of Art was superseded by a “scholarship” to the U.S. Army. The two-year draft requirement extended into a seven-year career that included two tours in Vietnam and ended with the rank of captain. In college, on the G.I. bill, and then spending thirty plus years in a suit did not prevent him from being involved in many aspects of the equine world including riding hunter jumpers, breeding, training, and racing. Eventually stress and heavy travel led to health concerns and, with his wife’s encouragement, he abandoned the business world to become what he always wanted to be: an artist.
He started his art career by limiting himself to sculpture and drawing, to build a foundation to try to compensate for a lack of formal training. Once satisfied with this “foundation” he moved on to pastels and then oils. His familiarity with animals (especially horses and dogs) combined with his discipline was richly rewarded. Len is the recipient of 72 awards at the national, regional, and state levels including nine Best of Show and sixteen First Place Awards.
His works have been accepted to many exhibitions including the International Exhibition on Animals in Art and four times to the Grand National Exhibition in New York. He holds Fellow member status with the American Artists Professional League (NY), America’s oldest professional artist organization, and Juried member status with the American Academy of Equine Art (KY).
His works can be found on display at prestigious stud farms in Lexington and in the homes of jockeys, trainers, and owners of racehorses in the US, England, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia; and have appeared on the covers of the Chronical of the Horse twice and the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Len is a member of NCAA. NCAA's general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presented each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
Artist of the Month, April 2023
Susan Gore Gardner
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Susan Gore Gardner as its featured "Artist of the Month" for April 2023. Mrs. Gardner’s art will be featured in the entry way to Newnan City Hall until April 28.
Susan Gore Gardner grew up hearing Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Jazz, and Rock & Roll. A lifelong love of drawing became a profession upon graduation from Kennesaw State University in 1980 as Susan embarked on a career as a wildlife artist. Fast forward to 1990 when the artist encountered the medium of pastels and began creating color-filled landscapes and still lifes.
During a personally challenging chapter in her life, the artist found the blessing of comfort, encouragement and creative inspiration in music. A visual fascination with the musicians and their instruments bloomed and Susan found her life’s work: capturing on paper the essence of the musicians, that moment they are “in the groove,” illuminated by the striking colors of stage lights.
Susan’s devotion to portraying the instruments with affection and accuracy is appreciated by players and listeners alike. She frequents guitar shops including Gruhn Guitars in Nashville and music-themed museums as she researches the instruments for future portraits. A connection has been made with an entire new group of people who relate to Susan’s artwork because of the musical subjects. Her portraits have provoked many smiles, initiated wonderful music-oriented conversations and garnered numerous awards.
She photographed her first live concert in 1993 and since then has produced an ongoing series of portraits based on her own concert experiences. These portraits have been featured in several solo art shows in Georgia, including “40 Years of Art” at the Rockmart Art Association in Dallas, ‘Blues to Bluegrass’ at the Harris Art Center in Calhoun, and ‘From Rock to Bluegrass: Musician Portraits’ at the Carrollton Cultural Art Center in Carrollton.
Awards at Juried Shows include:
• “Tony Sims” Best in Show, Paulding Fine Art Association’s Juried Fall Art Competition
• “John Lee Hooker” 1st Place, South Cobb Arts Alliance Art Festival
• “Radney Foster” 1st Place, Dallas Art Guild Juried Competition
• “Marty Stuart” 3rd Place, Southeastern Pastel Society Juried Members Exhibition
• “Bruce Jeansonne” Honorable Mention, Booth Art Guild Exhibition
Susan Gore Gardner is a member of NCAA. NCAA's general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presented each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
Artist of the Month, March 2023
Chelita Freeman
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Chelita Freeman as its featured “Artist of the Month” for March. Ms. Freeman’s art will be featured in the entry way of Newnan City Hall (25LaGrange Street) throughout the month.
Born in West Virginia and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Ms. Freeman moved to Georgia in 1964. She married Walter C. Freeman Jr. and had three children. Ms. Freeman started oil painting in the late 1960’s. She currently teaches art classes at the Harriet Alexander Art House every Wednesday.
Artist of the Month, February 2023
Ruth Whitaker
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Ruth Whitaker as its featured "Artist of the Month" for February. Ms. Whitaker’s art will be featured in the entryway to City Hall (25 LaGrange Street) until February 28th.
Ms. Whitaker has enjoyed painting classes from noted artist Kay Stanley and drawing classes for the last 12 years. She has also participated in lifestyle drawing classes from well-known artist Martin Pate for 8 years. For the last 7 years Ruth has followed celebrated pastel artist Karen Margulis, through her blog, Patreon page, and assorted workshops. She also has demonstrated with both the NCAA and SOFA associations in Georgia. Ruth has been a member of the NCAA (Newnan Coweta County Art Association) for 10 years, a member of the Appalachian Pastel Society (APS) for the past 5 years and a member of the Douglasville Cultural Arts Center for 2 years. She has shown her art in the NCAA Juried Art Show at The Center for Performing Arts in Newnan for over 8 years. Ms. Whitaker participated in the Old Town Sharpsburg Art Show in October of 2015 and again in April of 2017. Her work may be found in Christy’s Diner, the Carnegie Building, ANM Styles Hair Salon. Her art has formerly been displayed in Peachtree City and Heard County libraries. She has participated at the NCAA Christmas Market at the Newnan Fairgrounds for over 7 years. Ms. Whitaker’s mediums are acrylic and pastel painting.
The NCAA's general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presented each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
Artist of the Month, January 2023
Alicia Rainwater
The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has selected Alicia Rainwater as its featured "Artist of the Month" for January. Ms. Rainwater's art will be featured in the entry way to Newnan City Hall (25 LaGrange Street) until January 31.
Ms. Rainwater began seriously painting at fourteen years old. Her mother, Gwen Gazaway, was a professional artist, and Alicia had a paint brush in her hand at a very early age. As a teenager and early adult, she studied oil painting under Atlanta renowned artist, Joe Segars. While in college at Clayton State University, Alicia studied under Art Professor Tommy Doughtery. She later became interested in watercolor and acrylics and added to her studies. Today, she paints in watercolor, acrylic, mixed mediums and oils.
Largely self-taught in watercolor and acrylics, she has continued her art education taking workshops throughout the years under world famous artists such as John C. Pelew, Rudy DeReyna, Franklin Jones, Houser Smith, Ani Kramer, and Alison Christie. She has also studied from renowned Georgia artists Ralph Taylor, Clint Carter, and Betty Norton.
Ms. Rainwater and her husband, Ed, who is a wood craftsman, reside in Newnan where they are members of the Newnan-Coweta Art Association. Alicia has served as Secretary, Show Chairman, Exhibit Chairman, and Publicity Chairman. She once served as Exhibit Coordinator of the Artist of the Month Exhibit at City Hall in Newnan. Ms. Rainwater served on the Board from 2000-2002 and from 2021-2022
She exhibited in the Annual Spring Courthouse Show in Newnan for over 20 years, the Aberdeen Artists in the Woods show in Peachtree City, the Newnan-Coweta Association’s Annual Christmas Art Show, Grantville Days Arts and Crafts Festival, the Power’s Crossroads Arts and Crafts Festival, the Possum Hollow Country Fair in Dexter, and the Fayetteville Courthouse Show She also exhibited in the Moss Oak Plantation Country Crafts Festival and the Harvest Festival on the Marietta Square, Hogansville’s Hummingbird Festival, and Art in The Park at the Marietta Square.
Ms. Rainwater also illustrated a cookbook that was published and released in December 2001.
Alicia Rainwater is a current member of NCAA. NCAA's general meetings are held the third Monday of each month (from August through May) at the Harriet Alexander Art Center on Hospital Road at 7:00 p.m. An art demonstration is presented each month. Visitors and new members are always welcome.