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| Mother of All Sorrows Oil on wood |
Artist Statement: She has lived the deepest sorrow. And so she feels our deepest sorrows. We can look to her as we would look to a mother, for tender compassion and comfort, and for reassurance of the light that shines in the midst of our darkness. Bio: Ruth Tietjen Councell has worked in a number of different media including graphic design, illustration, textiles, botanical art, illuminated letters, and oil painting. She studied art at the University of Redlands, and the University of California, Santa Barbara in the late 1960's and early 70's. Between 1988 and 1997 she illustrated six books for children, some of which earned national honors. She holds a Certificate in Botanical Art from the Morton Arboretum in Illinois. Ruth is a former member of the Western Massachusetts Illustrators' Guild and is currently a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists. Born in California, Ruth lived in a variety of places around the country and abroad. Her father was a military chaplain, and the family moved frequently, to such places as Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, France, Germany, and Okinawa. She enjoyed art and music from a young age. Exhibitions of her art include Michelson's Gallery in Northampton, Massachusetts, the Illustrators Guild of Western Massachusetts, Seabury Western School of Theology in Evanston, Illinois, the Straube Center in Pennington, New Jersey, Trinity Cathedral, Trenton, and the Arts Council of Princeton. Her liturgical hangings can be found in Little Silver and Trenton, New Jersey, and in Naples, Florida.Ruth taught art at Trinity Cathedral Academy and at the Trent House Museum in Trenton, as well as at her home studio. She currently teaches at the Arts Council of Princeton. Ruth lives in Pennington, New Jersey. She is the widow of retired Bishop of New Jersey, George E. Councell, the mother of Sarah Turner and Martha Councell-Vargas, and the grandmother of Alma Susana Vargas. |
