The Inspired Art of Summer Elder Wise
By Darlene Mae O’Connor
There is an under shared truth about the city of Jamestown even though it has been proven over time and from generation to generation. The truth is that Artists of all genres, working in an endless assortment of mediums, achieving success at every level and spanning a great deal of time have their roots deeply planted here in the rich, creative soils of Southwestern New York. Maybe its growing up in a small city infused with a giant spirit for adventure, being surrounded by the climbing hills lavishly covered by ancient trees rolling all the way to the foothills of the Alleghany Mountains that makes such a magical impression on even the youngest souls. Could it be that an appreciation for wild beauty and random displays of esthetic wonder are inspired by this city of hills and valleys? Jamestown is chiseled out by the Conewango River and is settled between the unpredictable waters of Lake Erie and the more temperate shores of Chautauqua Lake. Our rivers and streams fed by the mighty Niagara have been stirring the waters of imagination for artists and art enthusiasts since time remembered.
Many people say talent and genius skip a generation. I can prove them wrong with this publication’s
Feature Artist, Summer Elder Wise. Summer is a graduate of Falconer High School class of 2014. She attended Jamestown Community College where she began her study of the Fine Arts. She continued her studies at the State University of New York at Fredonia, adding Photography as a minor to her artistic pursuits. This is not surprising to those of us who know her as the “eldest” of the two Elder children belonging to Jon Elder, our friendly and fabulous photographer and chief graphic artist.
“Raise a child in the way they are bent and as they age, they will not depart from it”.
A loosely quoted line of scripture usually referenced as to a child’s spiritual giftedness and development, but art is spiritual and in varying degrees it is a gift so I am comfortable with its application here.
Summer and her younger brother Ian Elder, who now practices the Culinary Arts in Cleveland, grew up hanging with dad in his busy photography studio on Third and Main Streets in the heart of downtown Jamestown. Jon Elder Productions has been a creative force on the Art scene throughout the Tri- state area for over thirty years. The Elder “Artistic Gene” shared by Jon and his talented siblings, comes from a deep well and Jon has successfully passed it on to his children. Summer is proof in this pudding.
Having spent many hours in the company of her talented and practically perfect in every way grandmother, the late Rose Marie Elder, Summer learned the meticulous art of porcelain painting. By sharing her gift and her love of the natural world with her granddaughter, Marie planted seeds that are today producing fruit through the life and work of her beloved granddaughter.
A perfect blend of sugar and spice, Summer is beautiful inside and out and she possesses a “can do” spunk which enables her to keep all the juggling pins of her life in the air. She and her husband Kevin, no slouch in the field of ingenuity engineering, have been really busy with their new home and their best work together as mom and dad to two-year-old Sophia Grace. Herself, a master of the playdough experience and a supreme shell sorter, Sophia is the apple of their eye’s. Her world is one of vivid colors and endless textures that encourage her insatiable curiosity and will no doubt spark a creative flame ensuring the artistic spirit and tradition of her heritage will live on.
A gifted painter, photographer and creative designer, Summer favors working on Home Decor projects as they often employ any one or all of her artistic abilities, she skillfully and seamlessly crafted her own wedding from the invitations to each of the decorations adorning the walls and windows celebrating the joy of this once in a lifetime experience. Her eye for color, shape and balance enables her to see a space and perfectly create art within it to invoke the perfect mood for occasion.
Summer is a budding photographer and she has inherited her father’s artful eye. She has developed a skill for being present in order to capture each special moment while staying almost invisible to those in it. She has been hired to photograph events for venues large and small, locally and in the Buffalo area. She enjoys sharing her craft as a painter having taught classes at the Fish restaurant on the Lake in Bemus Point and different venues from here Buffalo.
Summer herself is a work of art and her talent for each of her disciplines can be seen on her Facebook page; Summer Wise Photos and she can be reached via her email at selder6@ yahoo.com
I am grateful for her time to do this article, for her artistic abilities and especially for her friendship.