MACOMB FARMER’S MARKET
Heart & Soul by Syl
Sylvan Rittenhouse dreams that one day her paintings will make it into a major art gallery, such as the one in St. Louis.
Syl owns a small business through which she sells mostly abstract paintings. Heart & Soul by Syl is a new Macomb Summer Farmers Market vendor booth and drew quite a lot of attention at the May 9 market.
Syl, a Colchester native, has been painting for three years and uses acrylic paint. She also sells her paintings on consignment at the Community News Market, located at 13 East Side Square in Macomb.
The love for art must run in Syl’s family, as her daughter is a K-8 art instructor in Iowa City. In fact, for this past Mother’s Day, Syl’s daughter bought her mom paint as a gift.
Sylvan is thrilled that Macomb now has a Hobby Lobby store, as she has been making trips to Quincy to buy her art supplies.
The name of Rittenhouse’s business, Heart & Soul by Syl, reflects her belief that painting is definitely therapeutic and makes people happy.
The reason she became a painter was that after painting for awhile she could feel it in her soul how calm and peaceful it made her feel.
At some point in time Syl’s paintings artwork will be on exhibit in Sullivan- Taylor Uptown coffee venue. Syl will do custom paintings and her prices generally range from $25 - $50.
Rittenhouse emphasizes that there is no “method to her madness,” and that she designs her paintings as she goes. No two paintings will ever be exactly alike. She even sometimes uses the air from a hair dryer to spread the paint on her abstract pieces.
Syl’s brother-in-law Ken Belden and Syl’s sister are her biggest fans and supporters. Ken not only built the display framework upon which she can hang her paintings, he also assists her in transporting her goods and the set up and the take down of her entire booth.
Stop by Macomb Summer Farmers Market and meet artist Sylvan Rittenhouse. She paints from her heart and soul and would love to discuss her paintings with you. You won’t find Syl’s name on the front of any of her paintings, as she doesn’t want the visual distraction. Instead she writes “Syl” on the back of the frame in her humble style.
To learn more about this new vendor look up her Facebook page which is under Heart & Soul by Syl.
