Raised along the northern seashore in Massachusetts and Maine, the northeast coastline has been an integral part of her entire life providing many pleasurable pastimes that influence her artistic development. Living in Ireland for several years also provided her with a similar, but different, experience living along the shores in Galway, Cork and Dublin.
Her more recent relevant artworks reflect this in paintings of crustaceans that include lobsters, clams and crabs. Seafood is a favorite of hers and she does remarkably well capturing the crustaceans in acrylic or oil paints. She has added in sand resin in some to give it an authentic feel, which has been most effective.
Drawing the human form has been one of her strong interests also, since she took her first figure drawing class in college to be an Art Educator. She generally uses conte crayon, or pencil. She sees it as a natural landscape unto itself and has been very successful capturing the shadows, contours and textures that create a whole body as a complex form. She has also worked on portraits with either charcoal or graphite pencils. Mixed media collages have always been inviting to create and usually carry a message she wants to convey creatively. She is always observing and learning as she continually develops and renews ideas and approaches as an artist.
Ruth has been a successful Art Educator in Peabody Massachusetts as well as Waldoboro Maine throughout her career. Her degrees include a BA in Art Education from Salem State College, summa cum laude, and a Masters Degree in Education, from Endicott College, focusing on Creative Arts and Learning.
Member of Boothbay Regional Art Foundation since 2018.
Member of the Newburyport Art Association since 2021
Art on display:
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Manchester Historical Museum Spring Art Show, 2021
Acknowledgements
My family, Edna & Gerry McGrath RIP, the Best Daughter in the World, Coreen, and greatest grandkids ever, Amanda, Lilly, Josh & Andrew and friends, L. Batchelder, K. Gadouas, M.Gorman, D. DeCrescenzo, A. LoVuolo to others whom I have loved, lost and still connect at times with, close by and far away along the long life way. Special acknowledgement to Phil Charmanski, who has made every day new with possibilities.
