contemporary art group

Sheilia has been taking pictures since she was a child, chronicling all the events while growing up in an artistic family in Westport, Connecticut. Her father, Samuel Reindorf came to the United States from Toronto on a scholarship to the Art Students League.  He had his own advertising agency in New York City and had a studio in his home in Westport where he painted.  He wanted his daughter, Sheilia, to become a concert pianist and she won a scholarship to attend Juilliard School of Music, followed by her brother Mark, a concert violinist.  Samuel and his wife Esther, who embroiders pictures, retired early to an artists’ colony in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 40 years ago. In San Miguel, Samuel continued to paint and had shows of his paintings in the United States, Mexico and Canada.  His paintings are in many private collections and a book of his paintings by Alpine Fine Arts Collections was published in 1983. Sheilia's twin sisters, Lisa and Wanda are both accomplished painters and have had sold out shows in San Miguel, New York City, and Boston, where they both live. Her youngest sister, Nicole, plays the cello and is working on stained glass.

Through her music contacts, Sheilia became interested in jazz and is now on the board and Publicity Director of the New Jersey Jazz Society.  After marriage and raising three children of her own, she began to develop her love of photography.  Sheilia became involved with the Cranford Camera Club, now the Cranford/Millburn Camera Club, and went on to become President of that organization.  She has attended several workshops, the Great American Photography Workshop in California and Crested Butte, Colorado with nature photographers, John Shaw, Bill Fortenoy and Cliff Zenor and Santa Fe Workshops with Reid Callanan both in Santa Fe and San Miguel De Allende, Mexico.  She also attended a workshop in Cape May with Nancy Ori and then became involved with the NJ Photography Forum run by Nancy Ori and Michael Creem.

In addition to being the founding past President of the Contemporary Art Group, Sheilia is involved with several photography organizations including Unique Vision, run by Ross Wagner.  It was this group that got her interested in seeing images in a special way.  While she used to concentrate on floral photography, that has changed after attending discussions led by Ross at Unique Vision meetings and seeing what other photographers were doing. Sheilia loves “seeing everyday images in a different way, that most people don’t see,” and is currently taking images of reflections and motion.  Her photograph “On Thin Ice”, makes you think about what you are actually seeing.

Sheilia has exhibited her images at  the Watchung Arts Center, Les Malamut Gallery in Union, The Westfield Art Gallery, the Jewish Community Center in Edison, the North Edison Library and the Millburn Library.  Her photographs are in private collections in Arizona, Mexico, Canada, Boston, St. Marten, and New York.