PALO VERDE ARTISTS ARTIST OF THE MONTH
MARION WISHNEFSKI

By Judy Wright

Marion is from Luzerne, Pennsylvania, a town located about two hours north of Philadelphia. All her life, as far back as she could remember, she loved to draw and paint. Her favorite gifts as a child were crayons, paints, charcoal, and art paper. She was constantly drawing houses, animals, flowers, landscapes, figures
and anything that came to mind.

Her formal art education started in high school when she took daily art classes in watercolor, acrylic, pastel, printing, calligraphy and scratch board. On a college level, she took a batik class, where she learned the basics of waxes and dyes. Art, however, was not her major study. She loved computers and completed a BS and MS in Computer Science, then going on to work in the computer field as a college professor. Although her main career was teaching computer basics and languages, she always found time to draw and paint and take art classes. The
college offered free classes for employees so she enrolled in any class that involved art such as color and design, drawing, composition, computer graphics, air brush, oil painting, pastel, and internet design. She entered her first art show at the college and sold her first painting, a master’s reproduction of DaVinci’s “Portrait of a Lady,” which she had completed in class. This was a thrilling moment for her and encouragement for future artwork.

After retirement in 2005, she and her husband moved to Sun City and soon after she joined Palo Verde Artists. As a retiree she found more time to take classes and workshops and basically enjoy her art. She paints both realistic and abstract in oil, acrylic, pastel and watercolor, painting people, animals, floral, and landscapes. She also taught workshops at Palo Verde Artists in batik, chain art, acrylic pouring, alcohol ink, basics of color mixing, and design enlarging. She has also been very active at Palo Verde Artists in other areas serving as news
editor, treasurer, gallery coordinator and publicity coordinator over the years. She has won many ribbons and awards at Palo Verde Artists and recently won first place and “Judge’s Choice” at their March 2023 Show.

Marion is also a member of Artists by the Lake and Vanguard Artists and has won many art challenges and ribbons at various art shows around the area. She has shown her work at Sun City West Professional Building, Lord of Life Church in Sun City West, Peoria Celebration of Arts, the Glendale Arts Council Art Show, the West Valley Arts Council Show, Peoria Library, and the West Valley Arts Council Show and, most recently, in the Vista Arts Center in Surprise. She was also a member of the Marionette Clay Club and won ribbons for her clay creations, one for “Glenna the Dragon,” a freeform clay sculpture and another for a western theme vase. Other artistic endeavors include jewelry and beading design, handcrafted suncatchers, original art color books, and original art and hand painted wood and seashell ornaments.

Marion’s artwork is currently on display in the showcase outside the Palo Verde Artists club room on the second level of Sundial Recreation Center, 14801 N 103rd Avenue in Sun City. Please stop by and enjoy the display. The
Gallery inside the club room is open to the public for viewing. Membership in Palo Verde Artists is $10 per year and is open to Recreation Centers of Sun City cardholders only. Visit paloverdeartists.com for more information.

For information on purchasing Ms. Wishnefski’s artwork, call 480-290-4030 or email mwishnefski@msn.com. Her jewelry and art designs can be viewed at
www.ebay.com/str/CRAV or www.etsy.com/shop/PALADY.