ABOUT US
April Scimio has spent 35 years as a graphic designer producing creative works for clients. Recently, however, she’s discovered a wellspring of personal creativity, producing paintings rooted in the abstract expressionist tradition.
A native of Lititz, Pennsylvania, and a graduate of Penn State, April is the fourth generation of artists in her family. One of her earliest recollections is taking the train to Philadelphia with her mother to see the Van Gogh retrospective of 1970, where, so taken with the thick, textural quality of the paintings, she reached beyond the ropes to touch one.
Growing naturally from that early experience, April’s work is more about the inherent qualities of the medium than any particular subject. Her paintings are richly layered, evocative color fields that may hint at landscapes with their calming greys and natural shades, but ultimately speak their own language of mood and rhythm.
April's paintings have been accepted into “Images 2019,” Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, a juried exhibition, State College, PA, and the “Biennial Exhibition,” at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA. She's had her work featured in “What We See: Two Views from One Window,” a two-artist show by Bill and April Scimio, at the Green Drake Gallery, Milheim, PA, and as the sole featured-artist at Bonfatto’s Corner Cafe Gallery, Bellefonte, PA.
An avid outdoorsman, Bill Scimio draws inspiration from the natural world and the often-overlooked treasures found there—an antler shed, a grouse feather, an oak branch with acorns. These treasures are reimagined into metal. Their sculptural forms—sometimes realistic, sometimes interpretive—display a sense of presence, of personality, and often of whimsy.
Scimio grew up in Sewickley, a small town in the shadow of Pittsburgh’s skyline and its blue-collar work ethic, and it is only natural that metal has become his medium of choice. One of his first jobs was at a sheet-metal shop to earn money for college. Settling in Spruce Creek after graduating from Penn State, Scimio found himself again in a place rich in iron-age history.
Bill has exhibited his work in regional shows such as the Western Pennsylvania Wildlife Art Expo and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Arts Biennial exhibition. He recently had a two-person show with his wife at the Green Drake Gallery in Millheim, PA. In the fall of 2020 he will have a show at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Altoona. He has done commission work for numerous nonprofit organizations including the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Arts, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ruffed Grouse Society, and Trout Unlimited.
