The Fine Art of Healing-Jan 2010

Studio Sfumato artists create and sell beautiful and inspiring artwork.

by Robert Casserly

Mieke Ryneal’s artwork has piqued the interest of Medford’s discerning art aficionados and collectors. Some of her impressionistic  paintings are currently on display in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian. Most of her works are sold before they are even finished. As humble as she is talented, Ryneal said, “I’m speechless when I sell a painting because I can’t find the words to tell the person who bought my painting how grateful I am that they like my work and want to hang it in their home and share it with people.”
Karl Elwood, Studio Sfumato’s most prolific artist, sometimes completes a painting in a matter of hours. One of his Picasso-esque works, The Blue Woman, recently sold for a tidy sum. “I want people to appreciate the beauty of the human form,” said Elwood.
Noo Cook never painted before joining Studio Sfumato, but now he is creating portraits and still lifes bursting with energy and color. “I love painting. It is always a new experience and I never know what I am going to paint,” said Cook.
Ryneal, Elwood, and Cook are just three of the dozens of artists putting Studio Sfumato on the map of the local art scene. Studio Sfumato provides workshops, instruction, and events to help artists with disabilities. Sales of their artwork enable the studio’s artists to pursue their goals of self-sufficiency.
Studio Sfumato was founded in 2004 by Steve Riddle. The studio grew quickly into a diverse corps of emerging professional artists who produce and sell quality artwork.
In 2006, Dan Mish became the director of Studio Sfumato. Mish is an accomplished painter influenced by Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, and Jasper Johns. Studio Sfumato’s artists can either work by themselves or ask for Mish’s expert help at any time during the creation of a painting.
“For our artists,” said Mish, “the studio is a place where they can come to create with other artists. Sfumato art typically sells for $25 to $500. Our artists feel a sense of self-worth when they sell a painting or see their work hanging in a gallery.”
Mish said Studio Sfumato is an ongoing collaboration with the Rogue Gallery and Art Center, located at 40 South Bartlett Street in downtown Medford near the Craterian Theater. “The studio also works with the Children’s Advocacy Center and the Southern Oregon Education Service District by having month-long summer workshops for artists who are served by those agencies,” said Mish.
Studio Sfumato offers a free tour where guests may meet the artists and see them in action. The studio also welcomes people who would like to volunteer to help with workshops and events.
Anyone interested in becoming a Studio Sfumato artist can make an appointment to paint free of charge to see if they like it. The studio normally charges artists a fee of $8.78 an hour. This fee covers all supplies like canvas, paint, and framing the artwork.
For more information, call Studio Sfumato at 541.772.1503 or visit them on the Web at www.studiosfumato.org.