05/07/2026
๐จโจ NEW WATERCOLOR INSTRUCTOR ANNOUNCEMENT at The Next Picture Show! โจ๐จ
We are thrilled to welcome Suzanne Shedosky as our new watercolor instructor! Her extensive background, national exhibition history, and lifelong dedication to the arts bring an incredible depth of experience to our program.
"Suzanne Shedosky
Suzanne was born September 11, 1955, in Joliet, Illinois. She grew up in rural Lockport, and moved to the Sauk Valley area in 1987.
She studied painting and drawing at the Merfeld Atelier, formerly of New Lenox, Illinois, from 1976 to 1992. Suzanne held the position of studio assistant to artist, Gerald Merfeld from 1983 to 1992 and taught classes there from 1989 to 1992. She also taught art classes, and done demonstrations for Sauk Valley Community College and other local art groups, specializing in figure, still-life, and landscapes in oil, pastels, and watercolor.
Besides showing locally, Suzanne has exhibited extensively in national competitions including Allied Artists of America, New York; Oil Painter's of America, Chicago; Midwest Pastel Society, Chicago; American Professional Artist League, New York; and Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, New York.
Invitationals include Happy Canyon Western Art Invitational, Pendleton Round-UP, Pendleton, Oregon, and Art for the Sangres Exhibition and Sale, San Isabel Foundation, WestCliffe, Colorado.
Some of her more notable awards include the "Silver Medal of Honor" for an oil painting, Allied Artists of America, 1992, New York; "Best of Show" Oil Painter's of America 1993, Chicago; "Award for a Landscape in Oil" Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, New York 1986.
Her work has been featured in the Western Horseman magazine in June 1996 and also in The Best of Oil Painting and Floral Inspirations. She has been included in Who's Who in American Art since 1987.
Suzanne, and her husband Bruce Apgar, relocated to a rural home six miles south of Prophetstown in 2005. Bruce passed away in 2019, but she continues to enjoy the isolation of rural Prophetstown.
Since 1992 she has driven a schoolbus for the Rock Falls and Sterling school districts.
From 1987 to the present throughout the summer months, she works as a camera operator for R.N.S. Videomedia, a company that specializes in recording the horses and riders competing in 3 Day Eventing. She takes her paints along on these trips to take advantage of painting in a variety of locations. "
๐๏ธ CLASS DETAILS:
โข Classes will be held every Saturday (unless otherwise noted by the instructor)
โข Time: 12:00 p.m. โ 2:00 p.m.
โข Location: Basement of The Next Picture Show
๐ฒ COST:
โข $99 for members
โข $125 for non-members
โก๏ธ Includes a block of 6 classes to be used at your leisure
๐จ SUPPLIES:
Participants are encouraged to bring their own supplies, as the gallery has limited materials available. After your first class, Suzanne will provide additional guidance on materials and expectations moving forward.
We are excited to have Suzanne leading this new watercolor opportunity and cannot wait to see what our artists create!
