By Keith Gamboa
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Cecilia Staub at Charlestown in Maryland
“I grew up watching my father do decorative work with plaster in our basement,” says Cecilia. “I think that’s when it started.”
What does working with plaster have to do with painting? Plenty, when the technique used is called knife-work . . . and the result is a lovely, compelling piece of artwork that captures 2,000-foot cliffs on the rugged coast of Ireland.
“You lay paint down like plaster on a wall,” she explains.
Other paintings in her Charlestown apartment home include a charming creation inspired by “this story about a little man in a Scottish town who walks his dog every night;” a series of paintings of Charlestown scenes, including landscapes in autumn and winter; and a watercolor of an Arizona sunset.
How she started:
“I’ve been painting all my life. I started at the Maryland Institute College of Art when I was 12, going on Saturdays, with other children. Then, on the recommendations of teachers, I won a scholarship there when I finished high school.”
Her inspiration:
“I like the impressionists. Claude Monet is very special, and also Cezanne.”
Her teaching experience:
“I became an art teacher after I had started a family. I sent out flyers in my neighborhood, five students enrolled, and I started teaching in my basement. And it grew until I was teaching 70-80 kids a week in groups of ten.”
Her studio:
“I started the Staub Art Studio in 1960. Now my daughter runs it, with four teachers instructing 250 students.”
The Charlestown connection:
“I’ve lived in Charlestown for almost 12 years, and it’s the setting for many of my paintings. The autumn and winter landscapes I’vepainted of a bridge in the community are scenes just a short walk from my apartment. And the chapel is always a wonderful subject. I love Charlestown. It’s a beautiful life here. We have it all.”