Sandra Wakeen Art for Sale and Sold Prices

Biography

Sandra Wakeen, nationally and internationally renowned painter and teacher, has pursued a life-long devotion to her art. Following a family tradition of three generations of artists, Sandra began her studies at Paier School of Art, graduating with honors in 1978. Beginning as an illustrator and portrait artist, she continued her studies with Tony Ryder in a month-long residency at Studio Escalier in France and with Betty Pat Gatliff studying Forensic Facial Reconstruction at Scottsdale Artists School.

Possessing a passionate desire to further her understanding of painting brought Sandra to the studios of David Leffel and Sherrie McGraw and a whole new way of “seeing”. Their work evoked a feeling that is "beautiful and painted with excellence”. “These two masters, as well as master artists Koo Schadler and Ron Boehmer,” Sandra says, “inspired me not only to explore the surface of a painting, but to also explore my own philosophy in art, with curiosity, humility and always a sense of wonder.”

Sandra’s recent accomplishments are acceptance into Oil Painters of America Inaugural Salon Show. She is one of thirty-five artists accepted into Plein Air Vermont 2013 in Bennington. Sandra was a featured artist in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine still life issue and American Art Collector magazine. She has been honored with awards and recognition from Oil Painters of America, Portrait Society of America, and mounted her first solo show in 2012 at Royal Gallery, RI. She was included in Academic Artists 60th Anniversary Exhibition at the Springfield Art Museum.

When not painting, Sandra enjoys the privilege of teaching and mentoring aspiring artists. She was instrumental in creating an artists cultural exchange in Florence, Italy for American and Italian artists to study and learn from each other. The culmination of these efforts resulted in shows in Italy and the United States. Sandra was on the Board of Directors for the Lyme Art Association, Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists and Wethersfield Academy for the Arts. Sandra is also a founding member of the Academy where she served as President and created Connecticut’s first formal Atelier program.

Sandra’s work presently resides in the permanent collection of the New Britain Museum of American Art, the Florence Griswold Museum, the FFAST Museum in Fiesole, Italy (a museum for foreign artists painting in Italy) and in private collections around the world. Sandra teaches at her Atelier in Somers, CT, as well as her Studio/Gallery in Wethersfield, CT. She welcomes visitors to her studio to visit or just be inspired - a gift given to her all those years ago and a tradition she would like to continue.