In Memoriam
Dorothy Hales was a member of Pen Women for 43 years. She joined in 1970 – taking on the president role of the Winter Park branch from 1980 to 1982 and again from 1992 to 1994. She was also a past state president.
Oil, acrylic, watercolor, etching – you name it and Dorothy produced art in that medium. She continued to produce and sell her art until she was 99 years young. How many of us will be able to say that???
Not only did she create art, but she was instrumental in sharing art with the world. She was a founding member of the Florida Watercolor Society – which has grown tremendously through the years. She helped to establish the Central Florida Art Association as well as the Art League of Orlando. She was also a long-standing member of the Artists League of Orange County (of which one of our current members – Marianna Ross - is currently President.)
To say that she will be missed by the art community and the community at large is an understatement.
I confess that I did not have the pleasure of knowing Dorothy – but I still got to meet her and hear her. Our group – thanks in great part to the work of Barbara Koepsell - started a program a few years ago of interviewing older members of our branch. Dorothy was one of the first to be interviewed four years ago. You too can meet her and hear her speak if you go to the Interviews section of this website.
Marjorie Bryan – Bobbie to her friends - became a Pen Woman in 2004 at age 82. (It’s never too late to become a Pen Woman!) She continue to paint and create art until she passed at age 91. A native of London, England – she immigrated to this country after the war. The gentle gradations of light and refreshing use of color fuse to give a serenity and beauty to her subjects. Painting was always a joyful experience for Marjorie, something that always comes out in her art.
Marjorie displayed and sold art at many prestigious art shows mostly in Florida, but also in Indiana and Illinois. She garnered many awards over the years, including Best of Show at such events as the Central Florida Artists Association show, the Saint John’s Water Festival, and the Citrus County Festival of Art.
Her paintings can be found in numerous corporate and private collections throughout the United States and England.