No. 10: A Little Bit of Family History and an Endowed Merit Scholarship

Plus this months meetups and zoom classes

My grandmother, Evelyn, and my great aunt Elsie

My grandmother, “Mommom,” and her identical twin sister, my great aunt Elsie, were both fine artists. This is a part of my history that I never take for granted and that I am thankful for every day. Not only has their incredible artwork kept me company throughout my life, but their work ethic and the messages they taught my sister and me about perseverance and the power of female creativity have left a permanent mark on me as I move through my creative career. 

Evelyn (my grandmother) and Elsie were a force. If you met either one of them, they were unforgettable. Eccentric, opinionated, and liberal-minded, with friends of all races, sexualities, and ages. They were moody—both suffered from depression—but they moderated their ups and downs with a steady and dedicated work ethic. They also loved fiercely. 

I heard many stories about their childhood and lives, and I only remember a small fraction. One is that when they got to art school, they drew straws to determine which one of them would be the painter and which one would be the sculptor. Once decided, they stuck with their trade until the end. My aunt, the painter, showed her work at a fancy uptown gallery in NYC, while my grandmother, the sculptor, showed in Philadelphia and had numerous public commissions, some of which still stand today (see one of them below). You can see some more of their work in this story I shared a few years ago on Instagram.

My family has often thought that there should be a book written about these two, and that their work was not recognized enough. Not just because of the work itself but also because of the story created from the combined collection and how the sisters’ styles complemented each other so well. Their combined work had an elegant and clean aesthetic. My grandmother carved simple figures often compared to the sculpture of Henry Moore, and my great aunt painted exquisite still lifes. I am biased, but I’ve seen a lot of art in my life, and I can confidently say that their work could have filled any museum gallery. 

An example of Elsie’s still life painting, and "See the Moon," one of Evelyn’s public commissions still standing outside of the Free Library of Philadelphia

After they passed away—Evelyn in 2011 and Elsie in 2012—my mother wanted to do something to recognize their impressive careers. In 2022, she finally found the time and motivation after looking at boxes of memories she had stored in her home. She spent the year collaborating with the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University, where the sisters attended college, gathering work, notes, photographs, and any other information relevant to create an Evelyn Keyser and Elsie Manville archive at the school. And my parents worked with the school to establish a memorial scholarship fund in their names. The fund will provide an annual merit scholarship to a student with financial need who is accepted into the art program at Tyler.

Here is an article announcing the scholarship, and explains why it is so meaningful to our family.

I am really proud of my parents for making the scholarship happen, so I wanted to share the news with you, my subscribers. 

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Sicily Retreat

On April 29th I head to Sicily to teach a week-long workshop at Anna Taska Lanza Cooking School. This is my second year hosting this workshop in the most beautiful setting, Case Vecchie, a 19th century farmhouse that sits on a vineyard in rural Sicily. We are planning a 2024 workshop (dates still to be determined), so if you would like to join me next year, please add your name to the form at the bottom of this page to be notified.

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Watercolor Weekend Workshop with me and Ohn Mar Win

Reminder to sign up for the Watercolor Weekend Workshop I am hosting with Ohn Mar Win on April 21st and 22nd. All details can be found here, in one of my recent emails. We are so excited to share what we’ve planned with you!

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Painting Woodgrain with Derwent

Join me April 25 at 4pm EST. 
In this one-hour FREE class we will go over a few different ways to capture the patterns in wood grain with paint and pens. It is so freeing and meditative to paint wood-grain patterns and to have the lines flow with ink and different shades of brown. I shared this lesson with subscribers on Instagram last year, and it went so well that I knew I had to offer it again for a larger audience. I hope you can join me. There will be a recording, and you will receive the link if you register. Click here to sign up.

More of my upcoming classes with Derwent will be announced soon!

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The Third Draw Your World Meet-Up

I am hosting the third meet-up and drawing/painting session with paid subscribers on Monday, April 24th. I will be working on a sketchbook spread, and reference images are sent to all who register a day in advance. If you would like to join these events, they are always free for paid subscribers. In the last session we worked on patterns inspired by my Pinterest board, and I created the piece above. It was a lot of fun! Recordings are sent to everyone who registers. If you would like to join us, consider upgrading your subscription, and I will send you the invite!

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Ambassador and Affiliate codes

If you’ve been following my work for a while, you know I am a loyal fan of Blackwing pencils. I have one or two (or even three) in my bag at all times. I am really honored that they have just added me as an official ambassador for the brand. If you’d like to try out the pencils for yourself, and also help support my work, please shop using my unique link, blackwing602.com/sdionbaker. When you purchase using my link, there’s no additional cost to you and I earn a small commission. I appreciate your support!

Additionally, all Canvas lights and accessories are 10% off with my discount code: SDB10. They just introduced a mini light, so there are even more options to choose from!

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