In Memory of…

these very special artists,
who we had the joy to know & paint with

Donald Roger Clark

September 14, 1936 - December 21, 2023

Pastel, oil, and acrylic artist, Fine Art Connection of Thomaston - Art Department • Ten-2-One Artists, 2013-2023

Donald Roger Clark, 87, husband of Beatrix (Bresett) Clark, passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 21, 2023, at Cook Willow Health and Rehab. Donald was born in Southington on September 14, 1936, son of the late Charles and Gladys (Springer) Clark. He was a retired employee of Pratt & Whitney, where he worked for 35 years. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard for many years. Donald and Beatrix were married for more than 64 years and lived most of their life in Wolcott. Donald was a life member of the Wolcott Volunteer Fire Department Company 2, where he rose to the rank of captain.

Donald enjoyed many things in life. He was a very talented artist and musician. He enjoyed camping and flying remote controlled airplanes with the RC Club in Thomaston. One of his biggest hobbies was CB & ham radio.

Don described his artistic path as the following: As my interest of art during my younger years progressed, it was never considered anything more than fun to do. Actually,”DOODLING” was my favorite. As I grew older, I became more aware of the various ways to create art. By my 50's, I started to attend adult education classes in local high schools and colleges, learning how to create art using various mediums such as acrylics, oils, charcoals, pen & ink, and pastels. In addition to that, how to draw cartoons and caricatures.

With all that said, my education never stops. Especially since our Ten-2-One Artists group formed - we meet every Thursday morning for three hours of painting, enjoying the time spent, and sharing our knowledge. (The coffee and snacks are great!)

Jean M. (Stachurski) Ganci

February 23, 1931 - October 3, 2022

Oil, acrylic, and pastel artist, Fine Art Connection of Thomaston - Art Department • Ten-2-One Artists, 2014-2016

On October 3, 2022, Jean M. Ganci of Farmington CT passed into heaven. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt; she loved her family very much. She left her mark through her teaching, artwork, community involvement, creativity, and attention to detail as an elementary school teacher and talented artist.

Jean was an accomplished artist who taught art outside the classroom, earned multiple awards and was locally recognized in both NY and CT. She excelled in many art mediums including oils, pastels, acrylics as well as pen and ink. Many of Jean’s works look alive with vibrant colors, textures, shadows and light and tell a story. Jean portrayed God’s love and connection through much of her work.

In college Jean was active in artistry and ceramics. In the 1960s, Jean illustrated a cookbook for the League of Women in Putnam Valley NY. In the 1970s she perfected her art craft in oils and pastels in Columbia County, NY with influence from well-known Hudson River artists including Fredrick Church and Thomas Cole. She exhibited for many years at Olana in Hudson NY where she earned many ribbons, notably for her landscape oils of forests, meadows, ponds. In the early 1980s Jean exhibited and sold her work in a gallery in East Long Meadow MA. Later in the 1980s she joined the Watertown Art League where she was active for over 20 years. There she taught, served as program chair for guest artists, exhibited and sold works through Woodbury Town Hall Art Shows. Jean was also a member and exhibited with the 550 Gallery in Bethlehem, CT, the Ten-2-One Artists in Thomaston, CT, and with the Heritage Village Brush and Pencil Group in Southbury.

Mark A. Wells

May 22, 1947 - June 29, 2021


Landscape artist, Fine Art Connection of Thomaston - Art Department • Ten-2-One Artists, 2015, & 2020-21

Mark Andrew Wells, 74, of Northfield, died June 29, 2021, at home, surrounded by his family. He was the beloved husband of Edna Z. Wells.

Mark was born May 22, 1947, in Torrington, a son of the late Gordon and Irene (Ohotnicky) Wells. He was a graduate of Wolcott High School, class of 1965. He attended Paier School of Art in Hamden from 1971 to 1972, and Northwestern Connecticut Community College, studying fine art from 1973 to 1975. He studied life drawing at Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven from 1982 to 1985, and at the Washington Art Association from 1987 to 1991. He studied painting with Ira Barkoff from 2014 to 2016.

Oil landscape painting was Mark’s lifelong passion. He was a member of the Washington Art Association. His work was exhibited in Connecticut and Vermont galleries, including the Mattatuck Museum, having won an honorable mention in 1997 for the museum’s Connecticut Visions Exhibition; the Washington Art Association; Phoenix Rising in Thomaston; Artwell Gallery in Torrington; Crescent Gallery in Thomaston; Whiting Mills in Winsted; Gallery 25 in New Milford; Underground Gallery in Collinsville and Harwood Hill Motel in Bennington, Vt., having served as artist in residence there from 2016 to 2017. He also won the 2018 Watertown Art League first place award in oil painting. His work is in many private collections.

Fredricka 'Ricki' (Riggs) Schwanka

August 9, 1947 - February 15, 2019

Watercolor artist, Fine Art Connection of Thomaston - Art Department • Ten-2-One Artists, 2013-2019

Fredreicka “Ricki” (Riggs) Schwanka, 71, of Terryville, wife of Paul A. Schwanka, passed away Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, at Bristol Hospital. Ricki was born Aug. 9, 1947, in Bristol, she was the daughter of the late John J. and Mary (Sadoski) Riggs. Prior to her retirement, she was a florist for Jayne Eugene Florist and the former Village Florist of Terryville. Ricki was a member of the Ten-2-One Artists, Thomaston and was a volunteer for Friends of the Terryville Public Library.

Emma L. (Henning) Byrne

May 4, 1926 - January 28, 2018

Oil and acrylic artist, Fine Art Connection of Thomaston - Art Department • Ten-2-One Artists, 2013-2018

Emma L. Byrne, 91, passed away peacefully and surrounded by her family on Sunday, January 28, 2018, after a brief illness.  She was the wife of the late Robert W. Byrne.

Emma was born in Manhattan, NY, on May 4, 1926, daughter of Walter J. and Henrietta (Frank) Henning.  She grew up in Montrose, NY before moving to Torrington in 1951 when Bob became employed at the Torrington Company.  During WWII, she worked at Anaconda in Hastings, NY and later at National City Bank in Manhattan until her marriage in 1948.

Her true passion was her art, particularly working in oils and pastels as well as acrylic and watercolor.  Starting in the early 1960s, she studied with teachers in both Connecticut and Massachusetts, including at the Northwest Connecticut Community College, and showed her work throughout the region in member and juried shows.  At different times, Emma belonged to several art organizations including the Torrington Artist Association, the West Hartford Art League and the Kent Art Association, where she was proud to have won the Grumbacher Award in 1999 for a pastel titled “Blue Decanter” and a Members Award for Excellence in 2001.  She was also associated for many years with a group of artists called The Rogues who worked at the 550 Gallery in Bethlehem and, more recently, the Ten-2-One Artists at the Crescent Gallery in Thomaston. A number of her paintings were included in a show by Ten-2-One at the State Capitol in Hartford.  She enjoyed travelling to Cape Cod and other locations to sketch and paint and took great pleasure from the good friendships she had with her artist colleagues.

Mary Reynolds

February 21, 1926 - January 25, 2017

Watercolor artist, Director of the Fine Art Connection of Thomaston’s Art Department 2007-2008 • Ten-2-One Artists, 2013-2017 (Solo Show, “A Parade of Paintings”, July 2014).

Mary Siebert Reynolds died on Wednesday at Saint Mary’s Hospital less than a month shy of her 91st birthday. Mary was born Feb. 21, 1926, one of four children born to Dorothy Rappelt Siebert and Edward Louis Siebert of Waterbury. Mary graduated from Waterbury Catholic High School and Saint Mary’s School of Nursing. She was a registered nurse at Saint Mary’s Hospital and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. Mary was a staff member of Thomaston High School for 20 years, first as the founder and teacher of the nurse aide program and then as school nurse.

Mary met her husband, Thomas F. Reynolds Jr. on a blind date in 1949, and the two were married five years later. They moved into a house in Thomaston that Tom and his father built, which would remain their home for their entire marriage. In 1960, Mary and Tom became the exuberant, proud parents of son Tom. Mary lived life to the fullest. She was the life of every party. She loved Boston Terriers and loved following politics. She was a loyal fan of the men’s and women’s UCONN Huskies basketball teams. She was a lector at Saint Thomas Catholic Church in Thomaston. For more than 50 years, Mary was a member of the Thomaston Ladies Choral Club. At age 66, she took up watercolor painting and untapped a talent she never knew she had. She helped organize Senior Citizen Education Enrichment Classes, and took classes herself in creative writing, yoga and line dancing.

Mary was a U.S. Cadet nurse, and loved her country and her community. In 1965, she created the Thomaston Fourth of July Children’s Parade for her son, his cousins and their neighborhood friends. In no time, this event included children from all over Thomaston and surrounding towns. For more than 50 years, Mary hosted the parade, wearing a red-white-and-blue dress and hoop skirt. Generations of kids marched on the street in front of her home and, at the end of the parade, gathered with her to sing Happy Birthday to the United States. Mary served as chairperson for reopening the Thomaston Opera House. In 1999, she was named Thomaston’s Citizen of the Year. Always the organizer, she left behind a sheet of notes for her obituary with this as the last line: “She loved the people and the town of Thomaston.”

The world was a better and much happier place for having her in it.

Leo Raia

January 3, 1936 - December 29, 2016

Oil and acrylic artist, Fine Art Connection of Thomaston - Art Department • Ten-2-One Artists, 2014-2016

Leo was born January 3, 1936 in New York, NY, son of the late Joseph and Stella (Battaglia) Raia. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. Prior to his retirement, he owned and operated Raia Custom Upholstery. Leo was a talented painter, an avid fisherman, loved the casino. He loved to eat and drink and have fun, He was a Tiger! He was a member of the Ten-2-One Artist Club The Fine Arts Connection of Thomaston. Leo is loved by everyone who ever met him. His joy for life showed in everything he did. He was often heard saying: "I live life my way!" and boy did he!! Nothing slowed him down. He loved his family and his friends and he loved to eat, drink and laugh!