Eileen V.
(Gorton) Shanley
February 4, 1917 - February 11, 2008
Eileen
Shanley credited two people for her lifelong interest in art -- her
mother, who she says had an innate artistic sense and Mother Joseph, her
art teacher at the Dominican Academy in Fall River Mass. After
receiving a B.S. degree from URI her daily energies went into the
teaching of Home Economics. She taught Home Economics for 38 years.
She was an accomplished performer at the Stone Bridge Inn in the early
50‘s. Through the years, art was her avocation and in the 70s she
started taking courses again in various media at the Newport Art Museum
and RISD extension. She retired from teaching in 1978 determined to do
what she most wanted to do… paint! She concentrated on watercolor and
attended several workshops given by the American Watercolor Society
artists. She moved from transparent watercolors into gouache. As a
lifelong citizen of Portsmouth RI, she recorded the landmarks and vistas
of the town. With her love of architecture she painted views of Fall
River, Providence and Newport with an eye to unique composition in
concert with her love of color. Her mediums ranged from watercolor to
oil, from collage to sculpture. Once asked why she explored so many
disciplines, she replied that she started late and need to try it all.
She was an artist member of the DeBlois Gallery for 22 years and was a
founding member of the Portsmouth Artist Guild.
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Prudence Island Ferry |
Narragansett tower |
Selected Exhibits and Awards
Dr. Dunn Award, Greater Fall River Art Association Regional Exhibition
McKittrick Design Association Award - RI Watercolor Member’s Annual
Florence B Kane Prize, South Country Juried Show
Lucia Carpenter Price - Artist’s Guild Juried Annual, Arnold Art
Gallery, Newport
Grumbacher Gold Medal Award, RI Watercolor Society
One Person Invitational Exhibit - Greater Fall River Art Association,
Fall River MA
Yarmouth Guild Award, Cape Cod Art Association
One-Person Show, Providence Art Club
Milton Halladay Memorial Award, Providence Art Club
Herbert Cross Prize, South County Art Association , Kingston
Popular Prize, Oil Painting, Newport Art Museum, Member’s Show
One Person Invitational Show - Arts Gallery at Groton’s Barn,
Portsmouth, RI
One Person Show, Wright Gallery, Newport Art Museum
Dr. Edwin Dunlop Memorial Prize, Providence, Watercolor Society
Regional Show - Wheeler Gallery, Providence, RI
Bristol Museum Juried Shows
Memberships
Portsmouth Arts Guild
Rhode Island Watercolor Society
Providence Art Club
Great Fall River Art Association
Newport Art Museum Artists’ Guild (President 1981 & 82)
DeBlois Gallery
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