Pejepscot Chapter hosts Silouette Artist October 10th

Silhouettes talk and portrait cuttings at Pejepscot event Ruth Monsell of Artful Heirlooms will be on hand Sunday, October 10 at the invitation of the Pejepscot Genealogy Society of Brunswick to deliver a talk on the history of silhouettes and how she has gone about creating them over the past three decades. She will also be available to demonstrate her skill, creating freehand cut silhouette portraits of children and adults, done from live five minute sittings.

The talk is open to the public, and will be begin at 2 PM in the Morrell Meeting Room of the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick. All are invited to bring family or historical silhouettes to display before and after the talk. Advance reservations may be made for sittings, which will run from 1 to 2 PM and from 2:30 to 5 PM.

A silhouettist with over 30 years of experience, Ruth has become internationally known through her website, ArtfulHeirlooms.com, as well as by cutting profiles aboard five international cruise ships. In demand for weddings, reunions, and corporate events, she has also created numerous custom logos. In 2009, her works in cut paper comprised one fourth of a New York City gallery exhibit, Shapes From Maine.

The artist also enjoys creating decorative silhouettes which began with animals, full figures and lighthouses. More recently she has branched out into architectural subjects, beginning with a cutting of the Joshua Chamberlain House in Brunswick, commissioned by their gift shop. Additionally she cut portraits of Joshua and Fannie Chamberlain for the Chamberlain Museum Store. A recent building silhouette was of the historic Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin campus, commissioned for a fundraiser.

In previous years, Ruth has cut portraits twice for Pejepscot Historical Society events. There about a dozen other historical groups and museums in Maine which have called on her to demonstrate her work in cut paper.

Advance appointments for sittings are recommended and may be made by phoning 563-2920 or 866-212-7288. The artist is also able to cut silhouettes of loved ones not present from clear profile (side view) photographs.