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Avery Spencer
Avery Spencer's Artwork
Biography
 Avery E. Spencer, a University of Massachusetts graduated and certified high school art teacher, is well known in the Berkshires. She has exhibited her work at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, DeCordova Museum, Springfield Museum of Fine Arts and the Berkshire Museum.
Spencer has sold many of her works and is represented in the permanent collections of the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts, Haverford College in Philadelphia, the Margolin Library in Pittsfield and in many private collections.
She has traveled extensively in Europe, where she studied Renaissance Art and History at Johns Hopkins College of International Studies, Bologna, Italy. She also studied anthropology at the University of New Mexico, and participated in an Anasazi dig.
Spencer taught art for several years in public schools of Becket, Hinsdale, Washington, Peru, Windsor, and Gateway Regional High school in Huntington. Later, she taught art, did membership and wrote publicity at the Berkshire Museum for over nine years. Spencer works in oils, acrylics, pen and ink, and pastels. She is a member of the Dalton Art Guild, Sheffield Art League and the Becket Art Center.
How did I become an artist?
In the first grade, I was given a bright yellow sheet of paper, with sky blue lines on it, and a pencil the color of mushed strawberries in milk. I was told to use the large circular motions as well as slanted up and down strokes across the page. This exercise gave me a sense of pleasure and excitement. This was my first attempt at drawing.
I walked two miles to school. There were many things along the way that caught my attention - twisted apples trees whose branches were low enough for me to climb, feeling their rough texture and noting the beauty of their blossoms, a noisy wandering brook had to be investigated for its many colorful, smooth, flat stones, some of which I used for hopscotch at recess; there were also ducks, chickens, goats, cows, geese, lovely wildflowers - even wild blackberries and strawberries to see - and eat.
I continued to find a world of my own, by walking in the woods - seeing trees, birds, squirrels,
chipmunks, ferns, toadstools, and many other things too numerous to mention. Later, my classmates, and the people of the village, going about their various activities caught my attention.
My love of nature and people created an intense feeling in me that had to be expressed. I started to draw all that I observed, hoping to share with others the joy I had experienced.
I did not realize, at the time in my life, that the feeling of wonder and excitement I had inside of me, would lead me to study the great works of many famous artists as I attended nine colleges, traveling to the southwest, Europe and Mexico, to obtain my degree in Art and Teacher Certification to teach at the High School Level.
My becoming an artist began in such a simple way.
Avery Spencer
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