Studio Artists

Studio artists call Galleria their home for creativity. Each has a studio on the premises - studios  they hope you will visit.
Mary Westrate
 A native of Holland, MI, Mary Westrate was introduced to art early on in life.  Her mother and her two sisters were artists and she and her cousins spent many hours over the years drawing, mostly pictures of people. Mary studied history at Calvin College and years later graduated with a business degree from Hope College after which she pursued a 30-year corporate career. In 2002, her youngest son David took a drawing class at Hope College. She was impressed and excited about his work.  Around the same time, her  mother gave her a picture of a dog that she had drawn as a child.  Impressed with that, too, she decided to pursue some sort of art hobby. She signed up for a watercolor class, where she learned the basics of painting.  A year later, she joined an acrylics class. And then an oil class.  And that was all she wrote; she was hooked. Since then, she has attended many different workshops and classes throughout the Midwest and has enjoyed every second. Mary also sells her work at Lake Effect Gallery in downtown Holland, MI.
 
ARTIST STATEMENT
My original goal was to paint my beautiful grandchildren.  Painting them is my way of loving them.  Then I discovered that when you enter the world of painting, you see the creation around you in a completely different way.  It’s like your eyes are opened to a new way to view color and texture and light.  You want to paint everything! God’s creation is magnificent!  Hopefully I capture just a piece of that beauty on my canvas.  
Hope Olson
Hope Olson is a painter and mixed-media artist based in Holland, Michigan. Her art celebrates home, community, and slow, old-fashioned living. The whimsical style and coloring of Hope's abstracted still life and landscape paintings are inspired by her long-held affection for interior decorating, historic architecture, old country villages, and early 20th century art. Hope particularly borrows from the sensibilities of the Fauvist art movement, which emphasizes strong marks and hues that magnify mood and compel curiosity.  She earned a B.S. in Interior Design from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and also focused her college coursework in studio art and marketing.
Cindy Awrey
Cindy Awrey discovered her passion for painting in 2013. A native of Michigan, she received her formal training in illustration at Kendall School of Design.
After Kendall, she began illustrating for the Ohio Art toy Company. This paved the way to a career as a children's illustrator. She returned to Michigan to work as the creative art director for H.H.Cutler children's wear apparel company and later went out on her own as a freelance artist for educational and Christian publishers.
After fifteen years, in commercial art a new journey began, twin boys! When time permitted, Cindy studied pastels. As her sons became teenagers the creative juices were ready to explode, and in 2013, she began her fine art journey by learning oil ad acrylic painting.
Cindy's work is also on display at Lake Effect Gallery in downtown Holland, MI and Studio 2 in Montegue, MI. She has been in numerous juried shows, winning the Holland Tulip Time poster award in 2018 and best of show for the Holland Friends of art juried show 2019.

ARTIST STATEMENT
I love to paint! I consider my artistic gifts a blessing and I'm motivate everyday by God's creation.
Pamela J. Weston
Pam loves working in clay and the endless possibilities of expression through a combination of sculpture, wheel throwing, hand building/ altering , surface decoration,  and firing processes. A Michigan native, she grew up in the Flint area and earned degrees in Zoology and Bioengineering from the University of Michigan. Her background in engineering and biology come through in her work, both in design and structure. She has enjoyed displaying her sculptures in several ArtPrize exhibits and currently also shows her work as a member of the Zeeland Artists Gallery.
Candida Mervenne
Born in Holland Michigan and living a well- traveled childhood, grew a very large imagination. It groomed self taught artist and entrepreneur by the name of Candida Mervenne. 
Her love for drawing began as an adolescent. Sending in drawings to the Disney Channel so they would be viewed on television was a highlight! After graduation Candida attended Davenport Community College for Business and later attended Kendal School of Art and Design for interior design. While raising her 2 sons AJ and Elijah, she put her skills to work to not only design but also open a few purse boutiques. After a wonderful decade of  the handbag business Candida decided to continue her Passion for drawing and painting. Being self taught she has studied and painted with many recognized fellow artist within the community. 
Having her work displayed in Galleries along the  Lakeshore and donating artwork to Hospice of Holland for auctions has put her on the artist map.
Candida's mediums are water color and acrylics. 
Sue Schrotenboer
After raising two sons with her husband, Ray, Sue has been balancing her time among five grandchildren, a full-time job, and several creative interests. Most artists hone their skills and then look for a place to display their work. But when an opportunity presented itself to join the newly formed group of artists at Galleria, she had to take it. 

ARTIST STATEMENT
As a lifelong resident of Holland, MI, I  was taught at a very young age to appreciate nature and all of its treasures. Trips to the woods with my mom would end with armloads and pockets full of pine cones, leaves, interesting pods, and flowers for pressing. This past year has been one large creative experiment. So far, my favorites are creating unique pieces from nature and sculpting. Time will tell what my specialty will be. ​

Exhibiting Artists

Exhibiting artists do their "creating" elsewhere, but they have chosen Galleria as a place to show their art.
Michael Rippey
Michael Rippey began his career as an oil painter in 2013, after retiring from a 35-year career as a developer and operator of golf clubs across the country and internationally.   Largely self-taught as an artist, he divides his time between homes/studios in Holland, Michigan in the summers, and in Fernandina Beach, Florida in the winter season. He has exhibited at The Galleria since its opening in 2019.
Allison Spoelhof
Born in Holland, MI and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Allison Spoelhof works in diverse mediums including collage, sculpture, graphic design, and abstract painting. In recent years, she has worked for companies such as Detroit Wallpaper Company, Laundry Studio and JuJu Papers.

Now transitioning into sculpture, she is heading towards creating playful, child-like environments. 

​She graduated from George Fox University in the spring of 2020 with a Bachelors in Studio Art and a minor in Graphic Design. 
​Currently she lives in Holland, MI.
Susan Wray
Although her college degree (San Jose State University) is B.S. Industrial Design, Susan's  career soon moved into marketing and communications. She worked at Worden Company and at Haworth for many years. 
 
Upon retiring in 2006, she concentrated her efforts and interests on painting in pastels. She studied at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, took workshops, and now paints out of her studio at home.  She and her husband have made thier 80-acre estate a Conservation Easement of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. Many of her paintings are inspired by the scenes and bird sightings there. 

ARTIST STATEMENT
I paint in pastel and in oil. My subjects are the scenery of southwest Michigan - landscapes, barns, trees, and the shore. I also enjoy painting birds. My eye is often caught by humanity's intersection with nature. I like a building in my landscape, a fence in snow, a path into woods. 
I am a member of the Plein Air Artists of West Michigan and the Great Lakes Pastel Society.  
Sri McCarthy
Sri Soekarmoen McCarthy is a Michigander who was born and spent her childhood in West Java, Indonesia. Her journey as an artist began when she took a watercolor class in 2015. In 2019, she was among the Top 20 artists featured in the Holland Art in Bloom Tulip Time Festival art competition. She won 1st place in the Grand Valley Artist/Holland Area Arts Council juried competition in the same year. Currently, many of her works are also featured in the City Center Arts in Muskegon. Her cheerful personality and multicultural background are reflected throughout her work. She is fearless and enjoys experimenting with new methods or materials. She graduated from Western Michigan University and works full time at a West Michigan based company. She lives with her husband Kevin and a black cat named Minmei.
​
ARTIST STATEMENT
​I woke up one day and art found me. It follows me wherever I go. Through art, I meet friends from all corners of the world. Art brings so much joy to my life. It is the shortest bridge between new friends. And, friendship makes the world more beautiful. My father once said to me, “There is no such thing as ugly. Change your lens and you will find beauty in everything you see.“ THIS I believe.
Kathy Sligh
To me art is not my work, it's my passion, and the activity I love most. It's my love of color, animals, and nature that drive my imagination.
Growing up I always felt happiest when drawing or in my art classes at school. My notes were always filled with doodles. As a young adult, earning a living and just living life got in the way of my creativity, and I put my love of art on a shelf. The past few years have gifted me with the time to follow my dreams and explore my talents as an emerging artist.
I am now on a mission of self-discovery and enjoy working with multiple mediums. The two I enjoy most at the moment are oils and alcohol inks.
My dog, Ellie, had a very special spot in my heart, so I created my first pet portrait of her and have been painting other's pets in oils ever since. I love seeing each painting come to life on my canvas and I especially enjoy the reaction I get when they are presented to their owners!
Recently, I discovered alcohol inks and adore the flow of them. They force me to be free with my art and experiment with color, flow, and composition. My paintings are more impressionistic and can be painted with air, brush, or free flow right on the canvas. I love sharing this newer medium with others with my "Intro to Alcohol Ink" classes.
Dee Freestone
Dee is a West Michigan native and resident of Holland since 1986. Married since 1988 to Mike, they have four wonderful kids and three great daughters-in law. Dee has loved the aspect of creating since an early age. She has explored this through numerous painting classes, pottery, and has even done landscape fabric art via quilting. To satisfy her desire to learn a new skill and challenge herself, she delved into leather and has not turned back. She enjoys the texture and beauty that comes from each leather creation she does. Each item is made to last and wear beautifully over time.
Black River Designs was begun as an homage to the wonderful history of Holland and West Michigan as well as the heritage of quality and creation that is embodied in its people.
Tony Spallino
Born in Italy and raised in Oregon Ohio, Tony spent 15 years as a volunteer firefighter and has spent the last 27 years as an Integrated Machining and Engineering teacher at Clay High School. Always having a love of the arts, Tony is a self taught painter. Originally using only a palette knife with oil as his medium. He has expanded into brush work and is constantly looking to grow artistically. Tony loves to travel with his wife Andrea and is always inspired by new surroundings. Passion and desire are the key to his work.