Art: Mary Ann Miller | “Joie des Pommes” (Joy of Apples)
Jacksonville Branch
Mary Ann Miller’s quadriptych painting, “Joie des Pommes” (Joy of Apples), was one of 34 submissions from Pen Women across the country.
Juror Marina Loew, assistant director and curator of exhibitions at the Thousand Islands Arts Center, stated, “I loved the creativity and storytelling of this piece. As a viewer, you’re pulled into each frame to take a better look at what the little impressionists are up to and you keep coming back for more. The small details, the added 3D media, and the use of line and color all combine to make a very charming, approachable work of art. In addition, the artist’s statement clearly connects to the ‘Mind of Many Colors’ theme, enhancing the overall message and interpretation.”
Miller is a native Floridian and member of the Jacksonville Branch, art educator, and professional watercolor artist. She taught elementary school art in Jacksonville for 26 years before retiring in 2006. Her work in transparent watercolor has been recognized throughout Florida and Europe. She is a longtime member of NLAPW, and her art has been featured in various Pen Women publications, including The Pen Woman.
For the past 30 years, she has been traveling to various parts of Europe, following in the footsteps of artists such as van Gogh, Monet, and Matisse. Sketchbooks from these trips have been combined and published to make the “Blue Vase” series of four books. In 2016, she won second place in the multidiscipline category of the inaugural Vinnie Ream Award competition for one of her books.
Letters: Pat Underwood | “Trimming Poison Ivy”
Des Moines Branch
Pat Underwood, of Colfax, Iowa, serves as vice president and treasurer of the Des Moines Branch. She’s a national award-winning author of three poetry books, a children’s story, and a circulating play.
She shares this about her work: “Poetry is full of mystery. It’s always fascinating where the words come from — this unique way of communicating, this unusual creation of ideas, this sensitivity to the pains and joys of the world.”
Underwood’s passion is sharing work with others and discovering a phrase that relates to them. She says, “I’m driven to write little memoirs about Dad sifting soil through his fingers to test the moisture for planting his fields, about bobcats and snake grass surrounding my country hillside, and about all the precious lives who mean everything to me.” She adds, “And I like to write about what fun it is to be a woman who loves romance — that bloom in our eyes when we know we’re appreciated.”
About Underwood’s winning poetry chapbook, “Trimming Poison Ivy,” the finalist judge wrote, “The poems of ‘Trimming Poison Ivy’ are both narrative and lyrical — that is, many of the poems tell stories from the poet’s life: their memories, family, their past and present. The poems are also deftly lyrical, using sound, language, and rhythm to build a captivating collection of imagery, detail, and description.
From orchards and farm kitchens, to burn piles and wild woods, the poems take the reader through a journey rooted in memory, love, and the natural world. The poems dazzle with detail and texture, but more than that, they never shy away from high emotional stakes.”
Music: Mary Fineman |“Suite from the Faraway Pavilion”
Member-at-Large
Mary Fineman’s composition, “Suite from the Faraway Pavilion,” is scored for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano/voice. Her artistic statement describes how the work mirrors Vinnie Ream’s own creative process.
Fineman’s artistic spirit moves easily between two worlds — from the intimate universe of a pianist singersongwriter to the expansive territory of the neo-classical world — bringing passion and a love of melody, whether for song, chamber ensemble, orchestra, or piano. An Oakland-based musician, she studied music theory with Grace Newsom Cushman. She spent 10 years in Montreal in piano studies with Lauretta Altman and Phil Cohen at Concordia University, where she also taught. Fineman studied jazz at McGill and accompanied instrumentalists, singers, and dancers as a freelance pianist.
Her music trajectory changed radically in 2003 after visiting an energy healer. Fineman suddenly started to hear her own music and began composing in diverse genres. Performances include the Paramount Theater with the Oakland Symphony, under the late Michael Morgan, Piedmont Piano Company, Center for New Music, the Marsh Berkeley, Old First Church, and performances in New York and Indianapolis. Her work has been heard on radio KDFC, Internet Archive, wosradio.com, and Call for Scores: Solo Piano by E4TT.
In 2024, her song cycle, “It’s About Love,” was again featured, with Fineman as vocalist and pianist, with the Community Women’s Orchestra in Oakland, under conductor Martha Stoddard.
She has composed more than 80 songs and many piano works. Find her music on CDs (“Everyday Secrets,” “You and Me,” “Mary Fineman Solo Piano”), Spotify, etc., at maryfineman.com, and YouTube. Fineman’s winning composition is part of Diptych 2 on her CD, “You and Me.”
- Listen to the winning composition
- View an excerpt of the score
- Read the lyrics