| Alisonn Zorba of
Willington, Connecticut has
had a life-long love of animals
and art. Primarily self-taught,
she had exceptional mentoring
from high school instructors
Nora Addy Drake and Robert DeVoe
and a year at Boston Museum
School of Fine Arts. She was
inspired to emulate the
vibrant and realistic pastel
portraiture of family friend,
Doris Bryant of Sharon,
Massachusetts. Horses were the
main focus of attention in her
early work but gradually she
turned her hand to dogs. One of Zorba’s pastels of a
Yorkshire Terrier was the first
artist’s work in more than a
half- century on the cover of
the American Kennel Gazette
(December 1982). Another, this a
portrait of a Morgan Horse,
spent a year in the office of
the Governor of the State of
Connecticut and now hangs in the
foyer of the new Horse Arena at
the University of Connecticut.
Though primarily working in
pastels, she has done many
canine breed studies in pen and
ink ~ many used by Farmington
Valley Kennel Club for covers
for their award-winning club
publications. A special logo
design for the Farmington club’s
50th Anniversary show (seen in
Gazette November 1990) again
brought her to the attention of
the Gazette staff and she was
invited to submit pen and ink
studies for the Gazette breed
columns for July and August
1991. Further, submission of
that published work for
competition in illustration, the
Dog Writer’s Association of
America awarded her a Maxwell
Medallion for the work.
In February 1995 Alisonn was
invited to submit work to the
William Secord Gallery in New
York City, New York, for an
exhibit entitled "Contemporary
Dogs" comprising an
outstanding group of 12 artists'
work. The Opening coincided with
that year's other Westminster
Kennel Club Dog Show
festivities. Her work continues
to be on display there.
In the fall of 1997 a friend
suggested entering Dog
Fancier’s Club’s 10th Annual Art
Competition. A prestigious jury
panel comprising representatives
of Christie’s in New York City,
the Spanierman Gallery, New
York, and the Board of the
American Kennel Club awarded
both her pastel study of a
Whippet full-figure and an oil
painting of a brace of Borzoi
heads first places in their
respective categories. In more
recent competitions she has
garnered a second place with an
oil painting of Pugs and
another first place for a
pastel of a pair of Jack Russell
Terriers.
The Zorba family has owned
and operated Zenny’s
Restaurant, Inc. in Storrs,
Connecticut since 1980. Alisonn,
has had dogs all her life,
English and Irish Setters,
Cocker Spaniels, a Jack Russell
Terrier and Miniature Schnauzers
and earlier in her life, cats
and a horse. Having wandered the
dog show scene shooting candids
for her work, one day she
decided to try having a showdog
of her own- acquired a Welsh
Springer Spaniel bitch, Bonnie,
and, doing her own training,
handling and grooming, finished
Bonnie’s championship, trained
for therapy visiting and
qualified with Delta Society,
and then discovered agility
competition.
Her Bonnie has achieved her
MX (Master Excellent) AKC title
and became the first Welsh
Springer Spaniel to achieve a
Master Jumper with Weaves (MXJ)
AKC title as well as becoming
Top Welsh Springer Spaniel in
AKC Agility for 2003. Alisonn
also competes with her second
Welsh Springer Spaniel, Duncan,
and an older gentleman Cocker
Spaniel, Beaukin, in the New
England area.
. |
