Jacklyn Massari: In Milford By Way of Europe

How did you first get involved in the arts? 

When I was younger, I used to paint on houses and antiques until my parents put me into private art lessons. I fell in love with drawing and painting and have continued to pursue it ever since. 

What is your latest project?  

I have most recently been studying and working at an art center in Europe, and my latest work has been a series of egg tempera paintings. I have been working mostly on renaissance style portraits and icon paintings. Egg tempera was very popular during the renaissance, before painters discovered oil paint, which is now much more common than egg tempera. My time in europe has influenced me to take my art in this direction.

What advice do you wish you'd received when you first got started? 

1. Problem-solve in any possible way. For example, if you need to know what fabric looks like when it is draped over a woman's arm but you don't have the fabric or a model, use your scarf and drape it over a big water bottle instead! It is a great reference. 

2. Artists produce beautiful things, but we also will produce a lot of junk. That does not make you a bad artist, it makes you a smart artist because it means that you are working and learning. 

3. I could write a million things but I'll just leave it at two. 

Who are some local artists people should check out?  

William Bailey, who is a former Yale art instructor, as well as an established still life painter with a studio in New Haven, CT. 

Qimin Liu resides in East Lyme, Connecticut, and is an internationally known Chinese figure painter, as well as associate professor of art at Eastern Connecticut State University. 

As for Milford, my artistic heroine is Mary Mullins. She spent many hours teaching me everything she knew about art since I was a child, up until I left for University. She is an oil painter who has been painting most of her life.