Annette Pozzuolo-Alessi started drawing when she was about eight years old. "I can remember my first introduction to pastels. My father's friend took me to an art store to get a 'professional pastel set'. It has been my favorite medium ever since! "Annette participated in an inspirational art class outside of high school at Dantonio Art Center in Wilmington, DE and also an art program in high school. She attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia, PA. majoring in Fashion Illustration and graduated in 1987 with an Associate Degree in Specialized Technology of the Arts.
Since graduation in 1987, the specialty of the artist has been figurative work and the pastel medium. Annette has had many opportunities as a young professional artist from fashion illustration to graphic design and art direction for the advertising industry. A new exploration began when her second child was born at the beginning of the new millennium. She moved into her Garnet Valley, Pa. home and began focusing on painting. She created a series of paintings of women in historical fashions. The resulting works were exhibited in an art show called "Art on the Town" near the Delaware Art Museum. From this opportunity came many more exhibitions and the artist was lead to explore other subject matters such as landscapes 'en plein aire' using both pastels and oils, as well as figurative works in both pastels and oils and children's portrait paintings. Annette was able to teach herself to paint landscapes "en plein aire" with the extensive background of the pastel medium. She began experimenting with oils while studying under Karl Kuerner at the Darlington Arts Center. Annette decided to apply oil painting to the figure during her regularly attended figure drawing workshops at the Wallingford Community Arts Center. During the first attempt to use oils in the figure drawing workshop in November 2005, Peter Zinner, photographer from the Delaware County Times, visits and decides to publish an editorial on Annette and her upcoming shows along with a photo of the artist working on a portrait in oil. "I wasn't ready for that! I didn't really like how the piece was turning out since I was new at the medium, but apparently Peter liked it enough to publish it."
After a few months of working with the figure using oils, Annette worked on a landscape study with oils. It was a study of the beach called ‘Pathways to Serenity’. It was displayed at Firefly Gallery in Beach Haven, NJ and it sold in a few weeks. "This was a milestone for me. Every experience in art throughout my life has benefited me to become the true passionate artist that I am today."
Annette studied with Karl Kuerner, a well-known Brandywine Valley artist who was mentored by Andrew Wyeth. She teaches adult classes at the Darlington Art Center in Boothwyn, PA, and also teaches private sessions for adults and children. She has taught fashion illustration and design for children at the Darlington Art Center in Boothwyn, PA. She is a member of the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, PA, the Art League of Wayne, the Artist Guild, the New Jersey Pastel Painters Society, the Chester County Art Association, the Philadelphia Watercolor Society and the Media Arts Council. She is represented by Thornton Gallery in Thornton, PA, Hardcastle Gallery, Centerville, DE and Firefly Gallery in Beach Haven, NJ.
Annette has been participating in many exhibits across the Delaware Valley and they have been pleasingly successful. Some of her works have been published in the Montgomery News Ticket, County Line Magazine, Daily Times, Kennett Paper and West Chester Daily Local News. Annette currently has her studio in Garnet Valley, PA.
“The Path of an Artist”
