Works by Sharon Cosgrove and Jane Voorhees

Born in the District of Columbia, Sharon Cosgrove is an award-winning artist based in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Her private studio and gallery in a restored Gothic Revival townhouse, is located in the River Street National Historic District. She holds a BFA, MA, and MFA from the University of New Mexico and a BA from Shepherd University. Her paintings and prints have been exhibited in invitational, solo, and juried exhibitions, nationally and internationally and can be found in both public and private collections, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art (with signatures Bowar and Cosgrove). Serving in an “ambassadorial” role for cross-cultural exchange, Sharon’s work has been selected for the Art in Embassies Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and was displayed at the U.S. Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan. As part of this program, she also traveled to Kazakhstan to offer presentations and master classes in conjunction with women’s history month.

Sharon is the recipient of the Medici Award in Painting from the International Biennale Exhibition of Contemporary Art, in Florence, Italy, and has been Visiting Artist at the Brandywine Workshop in Philadelphia, the former International Center for the Arts in Umbria Italy, American Academy in Rome, Burren College of Art in Ireland, and Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in Nova Scotia, Canada. By student nomination, Sharon received the Non-Traditional and Innovative Teaching Award at Wilkes University where she serves as professor of art, and artist-in-residence. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, community scholarships, faculty development grants and sabbaticals have helped support her studio practice and commitment to teaching. Sharon has taught in Florence, Italy and facilitated group painting and mural projects with international artists, students, and victims of domestic violence. Her work has been the catalyst for personal, professional, and community transformations.

Source: SharonCosgrove.com

Jane Voorhees was born in 1951 and grew up in the New York metropolitan area. She studied at Eastern Michigan University, The School of Visual Arts and received a B.A. from Livingston College at Rutgers University. Her supplemental education was in the form of an apprenticeship to jeweler Paul Gollhardt, enameling with Bill Helwig, and jewelry workshops with Chuck Evans, Rick Marshall, Marci Zelmanoff and Mary Ann Scheer. She studied painting at the Montclair Art Museum and had five years of pastel portraiture at the Yard School of Art under Margaret Yard Tyler.

From 1975-1977 she ran the wax production and setup room for the jewelry casting firm of Century Casting in New York City. She has been producing her own line of jewelry from 1975 till the present. In 1990 she pursued her long admiration for rustic motifs and began making furniture, frames and accessories. She continues to paint in pastels and add to her jewelry line.

Source: JaneVoorhees.com