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Special art by special people

By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com

Erin Dougherty’s painting “Maine Sunflower” was such a success that she has already received requests from three people to paint similar works for them.

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Matt Ell, of Centermoreland, completes a drawing for a block print he made at Verve Vertu at Arts Universe in Wilkes-Barre.

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST

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Erin Dougherty, of Dallas, works on a hand-felted purse she is making at Verve Vertu at Arts Universe in Wilkes-Barre.

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST

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The 35-year-old Dallas resident is an artist at Verve Vertu Art Studio in Wilkes-Barre, an apprenticeship studio devoted to focusing on and developing the artistic abilities of people with special needs.

Dougherty has Down syndrome, but that doesn’t stop her from pursuing a passion for art. Her inspiration for “Maine Sunflower” came from a painting she viewed on a Verve Vertu field trip during the summer to the Ogunquit Museum-American Art in Ogunquit, Maine.

“I’m lovin’ it,” Dougherty said of her experiences at the studio. “I like making something.”

The Verve Vertu Art Studio is part of the Deutsch Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating and expanding leisure and recreation interests for people with disabilities and special needs. The institute is holding its 30th anniversary celebrity brunch fundraiser, “It’s a Jungle Out There,” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Center in Scranton.

The art studio opened in 2004 inside ArtsYOUniverse in the former Stegmaier Mansion on South Franklin Street. When Arts YOUniverse moved to the former First United Methodist Church on North Franklin Street in January, the studio relocated with it.

Gwen Harleman, arts coordinator at the studio, says Verve means high energy or spirit in Latin, and Vertu translates from French to excellence in objects of art. That high spirit for art is evident among the students who create silk batiks, felted wallets, watercolor and acrylic paintings and other artwork.

About 20 artists are served by the studio, three of whom are full-time and receive a quarterly stipend. All of the artists are paid a percentage of the profits from work they have created that is sold. Classes are also offered to the general community.

“Some of us might learn slower than others, but we don’t like to focus on the disabilities but the abilities we have in art,” Harleman said.

The students have also been taking wool spinning classes at “Ewe and I,” a working sheep farm that is a spinoff of Lehman Nursery in Dallas. The studio purchased some of the wool and Dougherty is incorporating it into her felt wallets.

“We try to introduce something new every few months,” Harleman said. “It’s an ongoing learning process.”

On a recent visit to Verve Vertu, Matt Ell, 26, of Centermoreland, carved a Christmas cat from a stamping sponge for the studio’s upcoming Christmas art exhibit. The exhibit will be held Dec. 4 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton.

Ell, who has autism, enjoys drawing cats because “they’re the greatest.” However, his favorite artistic thing to do is draw cartoons and monster characters such as Godzilla. His brother, Christopher, works as a cartoonist for DreamWorks Animation SKG in California.

“I like to do artwork,” Ell said.

Dougherty created an angel on felt because she feels angels are beautiful. She regularly draws angels, flowers and leaves and, more often than not, chooses bright shades of yellow, purple and pink.

“I can’t help myself,” Dougherty said. “I just love pink.”

An exhibit of artwork by Verve Vertu artists is currently on display at Marquis Art and Frame in Wilkes-Barre. A line of greeting cards created by the artists is also for sale at Ah!Some Chocolates in Shavertown.

In addition, a full line of art is available for purchase at the Verve Vertu Studio from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

find out more

For more information on the Verve Vertu Art Studio, call 208-5305 or visit www.vervevertu.com. The studio also has a new blog at www.vervevertu.blogspot.com.