Ridgefield League of Women Voters’ Annual Art Raffle, Featuring Art by Tina Cobelle-Sturges, Rescheduled for January, 2021
By Marilyn Carroll
Raffle tickets for “Morning Solitude,” Tina’s oceanscape valued at $3,150, may be purchased for $5.00 at rlwv.org. The drawing will be held 9:30 am on Tuesday, January 12th at Keeler Tavern, in conjunction with Alice Paul Day celebration. Marilyn Carroll, President of the LWV of Ridgefield, said “Cobelle-Sturges is the sixth artist from the Ridgefield Guild of Artists who has donated an exquisite work of art to the Ridgefield League, and we are extremely grateful to her for creating “Morning Solitude” to be raffled off.”
On March 10, 2020, at the League’s annual Meet the Artist kick-off celebration, Cobelle-Sturges shared her life experiences and reflected on her journey as an artist, woman, mother and community member. When asked why she wanted to donate one of her sought after paintings to the League, she said “I was honored to do this for the League. I dedicate this to my Mom who instilled upon us how important it is to vote. Voting is a privilege and I am thrilled to be here.”
As Cobelle-Sturges answered questions from League members about her journey as an artist, family, community, exploration, and growth were the themes that seemed to be most important to her. “My father, Charles Cobelle, was a prolific artist. He worked as an architect and when not working his day job he was painting,” she shared. “He used to sketch on the train coming home from New York City. He was very successful and sold his work internationally,” she continued. When talking about her own work as an artist, Cobelle-Sturges said “I wanted to do my own thing, different from my father’s style – sometimes reflective of his work, but my own. Having a family made it a little hard. You need time and space to create, but family comes first.”
Cobelle-Sturges shared what it was like being a woman in the art world, saying “I could never work on my art 40 hours a week while at home taking care of kids. When you are raising a family you don’t have as much time, and I remember working all hours of the night to get paintings done when the children were young.”
Cobelle-Sturges’ determination to create and pursue her art whenever she could prevailed and her first success came by painting tiles – specifically Main Street in Ridgefield and other street and cityscapes. As her work evolved, she became famous for her colorful and distinctive landscapes and streetscapes of New York City, Ridgefield, and Nantucket. However, she said it was important to explore new genres as an artist and to continue to learn and grow, hence her new journey into abstract art. As Cobelle-Sturges said, “art is my life, it completes me, and I feel as an artist I need to expand and do all kinds of different pieces.”
Cobelle-Sturges has been able to explore new genres of art as a member and Board Member of the Ridgefield Guild of Artists. “The Guild gives everyone an opportunity to learn and to show their work, and artists frequently focus their art on timely, important issues,” she said. She highlighted the recent “Compassion” and upcoming “#MeToo” exhibits as examples of artists addressing compelling and important subjects.
