The M.F.A. Program

one of the first graduates of the MFA program in painting, received her BA in 1978 in Fine and Professional Arts from Kent State.  She has studied under Hugh O'Donnell and works in oils, primarily still life. 

She taught art at the junior high level and is now pursuing a painting career, dividing her time between California and Connecticut..

Phyllis Boger '02,

She received her undergraduate degree from Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois and also went to the School of Art Institute in Chicago. 

Phyllis designed one of the cows for the streets of New York City and her watercolor won an honorable mention at the Art Society of Old Greenwich in 2002.

She can be reached at filisann@yahoo.com

is one of the first graduates of the MFA program in painting.. She received a B.A. in 1999 in  art and was recognized for her work with the Smith Sculpture Award. She also was an award recipient of the Lois McMillen Memorial  Scholarship Fund in Fall of 2001. 

Lisa has a studio in Watertown and  can be reached by email at lisafalco@yahoo.com.

Ival Stratford-Kovner '86, MFA '02 , the first graduate of the WestConn MFA program, (click to view article in the Pi Lambda Theta Newsletter) received her BFA from Boston University School for the Arts, a computer graphics certificate from Clark College in Massachusetts a MS from Western and received her Arts Management certification from UMASS. 

Her MFA independent study for the summer is for "Winter in Paree" - a novel by Sorbonne University Professor Stephen Muse - and it will be published eventually on the Internet.  Ival is the illustrator.

Her first job was teaching art in the Country Day School in St. Croix and most recently taught at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts.  She has exhibited internationally and maintains two studios.  Ival also offers on location workshops.

She participated in Yoko Ono's Flux Project this semester break. It was an interactive with the Internet and dealt with reactions to wind, walls and sky. The project is currently on exhibit at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN.

One of her paintings, "Cicatreses", was purchased by poet, Carol Dine, and will be used as a cover for her book of poetry.  Ival can be reached at ivalsk@aol.com

Marilyn Murray Lindner MFA '02 is originally from New York and lived in the Charleston area of South Carolina for two years. She is one of the first graduates of the MFA program in painting.  She has a BS in education from D'Youille and a B.F.A. from Syracuse.  She studied under artist Hugh O'Donnell and has won numerous art awards nationally and locally.  Marilyn has received three grants to Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT. 

She also works on her photography and was invited to show her work in the Society for New Music Art Exhibit in Cazenovia, NY during the summer 2001.

She can be reached at starfishnc03@yahoo.com

Joyce McKenna BA '98, MFA '02 has received a masters degree in fine art after she spent 19 years obtaining her bachelor of arts at Western Connecticut State University.  She is one of the first graduates of the new MFA program in painting at Western.  McKenna’s bachelors degree in studio art came almost hand-in-hand with her retirement from the school. She received her B.A. in June of 1998 and retired the summer of 2000.

Following her retirement from the university, McKenna received a letter from Western suggesting that she might be interested in going for a masters degree, and although she already had enough knowledge and talent to pursue a career in the arts, she was again pulled into the academic milieu.

Carolyn received her Masters of Fine Arts in Painting at Western 

Linda Nemergut MFA '03 received her associates degree in Fine Art from Housatonic Community Technical College and a BS in Applied Art from Charter Oak in Hartford, CT.

She is now working on an MFA in Illustration and plans to graduate in January 2003. She wants to produce quality work and is keeping her options open with the possibility of teaching. Linda added. "To be an illustrator, I must be able to produce top-notch work."

Linda can be reached at lmnartist53@sbcglobal.net.

 Lee Cordon MFA '04  has lived in Litchfield for more than thirty years.  She has 9 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.  She is a gemologist and still a member of the American Gem Society having owned a jewelry store, selling stones, in Litchfield.  She still works in the store occasionally on Saturdays.  

Before receiving her MFA, she graduated from Charter Oak state College with a BA in Applied Arts with honors, and attended Northwestern and Central CT State University.  She can be reached at vlcordon@snet.net

  began her education at Bethany College in West Virginia.  Her emphasis of study was Fine Arts and Natural History.  While studying under sculptor Peter West she concurrently absorbed ideas from the writings of Thoreau and Also Leopold.  The works of these authors remain an influence on her visual art to this day.

Bridget transferred to Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut for more intensive studies in drawing and painting techniques.  There she worked under notable teacher Robert Zappalorti and Joseph Funaro.  She later received her B.S. in Applied Art from Charter Oak College in Connecticut.  Bridget continued to enrich her art experience through workshops with artists such as Hugh O'Donnell and Daniel Green and through graduate studies at Norwich University in Vermont.

Bridget obtained her Connecticut State Teaching Certification in 1996 and B.E.S.T. certifications in 1998.  She taught successfully in the Connecticut Public School system for five years before becoming a full time MFA student at Western Connecticut State University.  Her work has been shown in galleries in Connecticut and VErmont.  Bridget has been selected for awards in juried competitions including the Litchfield Jazz Festival in 1999 and 2000.  Her works are in private collections of Vincent Sardi of Sardi's in New York, Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink of Hogan's Heroes) and Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead. 

Bridget can be reached at gorktot1@hotmail.com

has always wanted to paint.   After getting her fine arts degree at Wells College in 1977, she raised and enjoyed her family.  Although she began her MFA studies at Pratt, she again put it off until the time was right. She now wants to be the best artist she could be... she wants to spend time with other creative minds and she wants to immerse herself in the world of art.

Laurie can be reached at jgirouard@snet.net

is receiving her MFA because of her love of art and her desire to associate with fellow artists.  She works with oils and other media, showing her work in Connecticut and Moscow, Russia. 

Mounira has studied painting the human figure with Steven Brown, landscape and still life with Kirill Doron, drawing and painting at Naugatuck Valley Community College and received a professional certificate with high honors at the Moscow College of Artistic Professionals in Moscow.  She is the co-founder of the Moon Era Fine Arts in Southbury, CT.  She has received several art awards  and can be reached at mounira55@yahoo.com. 

See more of Mounira's work at www.mounirastott.com

  is a painting major from Los Angeles, CA.  Tony attended Ecole des Beaux Arts, Lacoste France in 1987 and was an assistant instructor 1989-90 after he received his BA in Art from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1989.  He attended a workshop in drawing with Tony Hepburn at the Arkansas Art Center in 2001. 

Tony received 1st place Artist's of Northwest Arkansas Fall Regional Exhibition in 1996.  He has shown his work through many venues, both solo and as part of a group, and has been commissioned for many works. 

He can be reached at zatzick@localnet.com. To see work from his website, visit www.tonyzatzick.com

a children’s book illustrator, fine artist and fine arts instructor.

Nancy is a faculty member of the Washington Art Association as well as the Brookfield Craft Center  and Fletcher Farm School for the Arts & Crafts in Ludlow, VT, where she is conducting workshops in Perspective and Drawing this summer. Nancy is also teaching at Naugatuck Community College.  She designed, and is webmaster for, the Washington Art Association and the Brookfield Craft Center.  Her work has been published by Barbour Publishing, Harcourt Brace, Scott-Foresman, among others. She has advertised in the Directory of Illustration, volumes 15 through 17 and will appear in Picturebook in the fall of 2001. She operates and teaches at her studio, House on the Hill Studio, in New Milford, CT. To view Ms. Cassidy’s site or to contact her, click here at Nancy White Cassidy.

Joan Kelly  MFA '05 is working for her  Masters In Fine Arts at Western Connecticut University.  She spent January through August, 2003 in Italy creating a body of work, in oils and studying art history.  She received her Bachelors of Fine Maryland Institute College of Art in 1993 with an Arts Major in Painting, graduating Magna Cum Laude.  In 1987-88 she studied Traditional Chinese Painting with Diana Kan and at the Studio Art School Of the Aegean, Samos, Greece, she studied with Ruth Miller and Andrew Forge.

Joan's 'women's empowerment" images are available on line as shirts, mugs, etc. on Cafe Press, an online store. If you would like to take a look, just go to www.cafepress.com/she_threads. Joan adds, "Thanks for looking!"

Joan also has her own art website at www.joanpolzin.com

 is an adjunct professor at Western and does freelance illustration.  In 2001, his illustrations were published in two children's books, Poetry for Young People: Robert Browning, published by Sterling Publications and He is Alive! published by Zondervan. 

Spector also illustrated the three book series of Laurel, the Wood Fairy. 

Among his many advertising work are the Lord & Taylor ads in the New York Times.  He has done work for all major publications.  His magazines credits include Good Housekeeping, Business Week, New York, Redbook and TV Guide.  Catalogue work includes The Bombay Company and Eddie Bauer and he has provided advertising campaigns to Alpha Romeo, American Express, Fidelity Investments, among others.

He continues to illustrate children's book covers and posters for all occasions and can be reached at  joelspect@aol.com

Helen Anne MFA '06 was a docent for the Indianapolis Museum of Art, participated in workshops Urban Glass in Brooklyn, NY and studied with Nancy Bowen and Marjorie Portnow in Provincetown, MA.

She has exhibited throughout Connecticut and in New York and her work is hanging as part of a private collection in London.

Helen says, "I am interested in the ever changing, shrinking landscape around me.  After capturing the essence of a particular place with my camera, I translate the image to canvas via charcoal, turp, varnish, stand oil and pigments.  Although I like to name place my paintings, they more than likely convey a feeling rather than place recognition.  As I get lost in the process of painting, my work in the final analysis is about paint and the application thereof."

Doris Granoff Kaye MFA '06 pursues a variety of media and subject matter.  Her oils and watercolors express the excitement she feels from transformative magic of light as it plays on scenes both natural and man-made. 

The pathos of humanitarian predicaments is as strong aphrodisiac as a scene in nature.  To contact Doris, DorisgKaye@hotmail.com

Rolandas was inspired by him, and took his brushes and paints to Siauliu Pedagogical University where he studied art and woodworking.  After finishing his bachelor's degree, he came America and married his wife Laura.  He studied English at Gateway Community College and then Yale.  As his English improved, he went to the Paier Art College and in 2004 was accepted into a master's program at the Western Connecticut University in illustration.

He is working on a book he wrote and is illustrating. He also enjoys photography, sculpture, oil colors and other media. Rolandas can be reached at rolandas2@mac.com

Michael J. Liebhaber MFA '06 was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, but  moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1960 when he was a kid and he hasn't looked back. He says, "Tucson was still part of the wild, wild, west back then. I spent most of my formative years in the desert with coyotes, chasing snakes, scorpions, and rabbits, crawling into abandon mines looking for treasure, and hanging with the occasional old time cowboy (with respect to Dave Berry, I'm really not making this up)."

He lived most of his life in Arizona and Southern California with a few other places sprinkled in for good measure. Since junior high school he spent most of his productive life painting, sculpting, parenting, and surfing; the rest I've wasted. He added, "My artwork is influenced by the vibrant hues of the American southwest, the tumultuous politics of the sixties, and everyone who has wandered in and out of my life."

Carmen Lund Leahy MFA '06 began her art career began in Brazil where she lived in the 1970’s. She exhibited annually at the Arte Contemporanea in Sao Paulo, Brazil during the seven years she lived there and continues to do so.

Since moving back to New York, she has exhibited throughout the United States and parts of Asia and Europe. Her exhibits include a solo show at The Plum Blossom Gallery in Hong Kong where she was the first Western artist represented by this international gallery. Two of her paintings were included in the exhibit, “20th Century Floral Painting” held at the Museum of Modern Art in Florida. The show included work by artists such as Matisse and Picasso.

In addition to her public exhibits, Ms. Lund’s work has been shown annually in private settings for the past 25 years. She is included in the worldwide collection of CASPARI, a major card company with headquarters in New York City.

Ms. Lund has received several fellowships from the Virginia Center of the Creative Arts, an international artist’s community. She has a Guidance Certificate after her completion
          of a two-year program from the Guild for Spiritual Guidance in New York.

Click to see more from this series      

In 1990 she returned to school and received a BA from Purchase College. Her area of focus was visual art, art history and psychology. Currently, she is a Masters candidate in painting, 2006, at WCSU.

Ms. Lund is on the faculty of the Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan. CT. In addition, she teaches private and group classes on her own. She designed a workshop entitled, “The Big Brush.” This workshop supports and enhances creativity for all levels and has been successfully offered to various groups and organizations.

Carmen can be reached at carmenlund@comcast.net

Gulgun Aliriza '07 is native of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and 2005 graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase, Gulgun studied at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, and exhibited last year in a show at the Bowery Gallery in New York. Describing her paintings, she said, “I believe that art work should be developed from the direct, bold and deliberate interaction with the subject matter and the dialogue between materials and the artist’s intuition.”

believes that the final frontier is not space, but our environment.  Her art is shaped by her background in anthropology and by shapes found in the woods or in the home. It celebrates things that are discarded, unseen or forgotten – such as the handwork techniques she studied among members of the Woman’s Institute in Wales. Her work, though two dimensional, feels very sculptural, building on her years of experimentation and practice with hand-crafted textiles. 

Ginger may be reached by e-mail at gingerh@comcast.net