Photograph of Paulette Van Roekens, 1958, photo courtesy of Davis Meltzer

...Generous, eager and lively, she rejoices in color and movement and translates that color and movement into vivacious pigment. She gravitates toward subjects that sparkle with pattern and bright hues - the circus, the theater, ballets, the summer life of Philadelphia's parks, children, the Atlantic beaches. She rejoices in the sensuous feel of paint. She responds to the gay and alert aspects of life.- Henry Pitz, artist and critic

Painter Paulette van Roekens, a.k.a. Paulette van Roekens Meltzer, was born in France and attended both the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art and Design) and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her talent was recognized early on, and in 1916 she was awarded the John Sartain Fellowship at the Philadelphia School of Design. Her early paintings often were of still lifes, using flowers, pots, and tables. She worked in pastels, monotype, and oil's. In later years, she found new expressions of color and movement. Circuses, merry-go-rounds, balloons, ballet dancers, beach scenes with umbrellas, kites, moving people, and butterflies were among the many subjects that interested her. From 1923 to 1961 Van Roekens taught painting and drawing at the Moore Institute alongside her husband, painter Arthur Meltzer. She won many awards and her work is represented in several art institutions. Van Roekens had 14 solo exhibitions and exhibited in principal museums in this country including the National Academy of Design in New York, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She also exhibited in South America.