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<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; A skeleton is propped up by a waterfall. A giraffe grazes on the savannah. An Eve-like woman lounges luxuriously by an apple and a snake. And, a lone figure sits on a rock, gazing out at a watery expanse.</p><p>At first glance, you might think these images are photos.</p><p>But, look again. Study these pieces of art and you&#8217;ll realize that artists who have studied the techniques of Nanticoke native Anthony Waichulis have created them using oils, charcoal, pastels and other media.</p><p>&#8220;I hope people can see this exhibit,&#8221; Waichulis, 44, said in a telephone interview from his studio in Bear Creek. &#8220;We hope everyone comes out to join in this celebration and see great art in a beautiful space. We&#8217;d like to pack in as many people as we can.&#8221;</p><p>About 80 pieces crafted by students of Waichulis &#8212; and students of his students, in Ani Art Academies around the world &#8212; will be on display Saturday through Aug. 26 at the Pauly Friedman Gallery at Misericordia University.</p><p>A Meet-the-Artists reception is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday.</p><p>Local artists whose work will be represented include Phil Kidd, of Bear Creek, who contributed the &#8220;charcoal-and-pencil portrait of &#8216;The Fall of Man,&#8217;&#8221; featuring Eve, the apple and the snake; Sharon Hourigan, of Mountain Top, whose oil panting of &#8220;Wait &#8216;Til You See What Happens Next&#8221; shows a man contemplating the water; and Helen Crispino, of Dalton, whose oil painting of the giraffe might make you feel as if you are in Africa.</p><p>Other pieces in the juried show were selected from Ani Art Academies Anguilla, located on the Caribbean island of Anguilla; Ani Art Academies Dominicana, in the Dominican Republic; Ani Art Academy America in Red Bank, N.J.; and Ani Art Academy Thailand, which is on the Koh Yoi Noi island.</p><p>&#8220;Ani,&#8221; by the way, is a shortened form of the Swahili word &#8220;Andjani,&#8221; which means &#8220;path&#8221; or &#8220;way.&#8221;</p><p>When asked if he regularly visits all of these academies, Waichulis laughed and admitted he does not. &#8220;I&#8217;m 6 foot 8 and I hate to fly,&#8221; he said.</p><p>But the artists who teach at those academies have all studied with Waichulis, who explained the Ani Academies would not exist in so many places without the support of Tim Reynolds, an artist and co-founder of a Wall Street trading firm who wanted to establish a training program for artists around the world.</p><p>&#8220;Rather than purchase 1,000 great paintings and put them in his house, he thought it would be much more worthwhile to train artists,&#8221; Waichulis said. &#8220;All the students get to go to school for free, in all the countries. They have full merit scholarships, and all materials and tuition and related expenses are covered.&#8221;</p><p>One of Waichulis&#8217; younger students, Chelsea Herron, of Wyoming, said she is fortunate to have an apprenticeship at the Ani Art Academies Waichulis, in Bear Creek Township.</p><p>&#8220;We dedicate 30 hours a week to the studio,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s like a part-time job. We work on our stuff and we move at our own speed. There&#8217;s no test to pass. You come in and write an essay to Anthony stating your dedication to art, and also submit a portfolio.&#8221;</p><p>Explaining that she has been studying &#8220;the four basic shapes &#8212; spheres, cylinders, cones and cubes, and how light affects those forms,&#8221; she said she is free to paint &#8220;whatever inspires me at the moment.&#8221;</p><p>The exhibit will include a portrait she calls &#8220;Dearly Departed,&#8221; which depicts a skeleton, decorated with flowers and resting by a waterfall.</p><p>&#8220;I was thinking about where we create our lives and where we end,&#8221; she said, explaining the piece is done as a &#8220;vanitas,&#8221; in a style that originated with medieval artists who wanted to show that life is fleeting, and therefore, perhaps, all the more precious.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ani Academies apprentice Chelsea Herron created this &#8216;Dearly Departed&#8217; piece in the style of medieval painters who wanted to show the all-too-temporary aspects of life. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ani.chelseaherrondearlydeparted.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ani Academies apprentice Chelsea Herron created this &#8216;Dearly Departed&#8217; piece in the style of medieval painters who wanted to show the all-too-temporary aspects of life. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photos </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ani.philkiddthefallofman.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Phil Kidd&#8217;s &#8216;The Fall of Man&#8217; will be among the artwork on display at the Pauly Friedman Gallery through Aug. 26. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ani.philkiddthefallofman.jpg</photo1><caption1>Phil Kidd&#8217;s &#8216;The Fall of Man&#8217; will be among the artwork on display at the Pauly Friedman Gallery through Aug. 26. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photos </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ani.serenitybycrispino.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">&#8216;Serenity&#8217; is an oil painting by Helen Crispino, of Dalton. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ani.serenitybycrispino.jpg</photo2><caption2>&#8216;Serenity&#8217; is an oil painting by Helen Crispino, of Dalton. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photos </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ani.sharonhourigan.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">&#8216;Wait &#8216;Till You See What Happens Next,&#8217; by Sharon L. Hourigan, of Mountain Top, captures a feeling of anticipation. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_ani.sharonhourigan.jpg</photo3><caption3>&#8216;Wait &#8216;Till You See What Happens Next,&#8217; by Sharon L. Hourigan, of Mountain Top, captures a feeling of anticipation. </caption3><photoCredit3>Submitted photos </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Art exhibit opens at Misericordia</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> &#8220;Capturing Realism 2017,&#8221; a biennial exhibit featuring works by instructors, alumni and apprentices of the Ani Art Academies</p><p><strong>Where: </strong>Pauly Friedman Gallery at Misericordia University, 301 Lake St., Dallas Township</p><p><strong>When:</strong> From Saturday through Aug. 26, with gallery hours 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays</p><p><strong>Meet-the-Artists Reception:</strong> 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday</p><p><strong>Info: </strong> 570-674-6250</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

‘Capturing Realism 2017’ opens at Misericordia’s Friedman gallery Saturday