artHound

Although it’s been sunny, hot and humid all month, at 11:28 this morning it was official: this year’s beautiful, abundant spring passed the torch to summer! It’s no surprise that the daylilies, which have been blooming for weeks, are ahead of schedule - the perennial garden seems to be on fast forward this year. Can vegetables be far behind? The stalks of corn in local farmers’ fields are sporting tassels. City Fresh started last week with shares that included a bounty of herbs, greens, squash and strawberries. It’s time to celebrate the solstice and the season of the sun and the strong sun moon!

Daylily
mixed media: pastel/watercolor
private collection

Four artists, Rachel Gentner, Bonnie Stipe, Charles Szabla and Ron White, present four different approaches to aspects of the human figure in Figuratively Speaking, the current exhibit at Summit Artspace. Larger-than-life paintings share the gallery with tiny, intimate pastels while traditional realism contrasts with conceptual explorations. The choice of media is diverse: charcoal and pastel, oil and acrylic, ceramics and fiber.

Among the many who attended Friday’s opening reception was Rosemary, who graciously posed with her likeness, a ceramic sculpture by Ron White:

Figuratively Speaking
June 19 - July 31, 2010
Summit Artspace
140 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio

Sunday’s Beacon Journal review by Dottie Shinn is available here.
Postcard design by Liz at Immix Studio.

Hats off to Every Blooming Thing for the marvelous Friday evening reception that opened my little summer show - and many thanks to everyone who attended!

Arranging a selection of small artwork on the gallery wall was a pleasure. Included are block prints, monotypes, mixed media and even a couple watercolors - light, airy and fun pieces compatible with the brightly colored, cheerful interior of Every Blooming Thing.

Hard to miss this announcement:

Blooming Artist Series featuring the art of Joan Colbert
June 11 - July 30, 2010
Every Blooming Thing
1079 West Exchange Street
Akron, Ohio

top image:
Millie
hand colored block print

It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.
Aesop

The diva crows are becoming a series! Two new prints were created just in time to make their debut at a little summer show. Millie is looking thoroughly modern in her cloche, while Flora is ready for a garden party! All will be hand colored as soon as the ink dries.

Last Saturday the weather was perfect for an outdoor demo at the Spring Whimsy Show at the Log Cabin Gallery in Peninsula. Even a black snake came out to savor the sunshine.

Today the weather was suitable only for staying under cover, listening to the rain and the river. Those adventurous few who did stop by seemed to feel it was well worth a walk in the rain.

Spring Whimsy will conclude next weekend, so plan a visit for Thursday, Friday or Saturday, June 11, 12 and 13, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Log Cabin Gallery
1671 Main Street
Peninsula, Ohio
www.thelogcabingallery.com

The Artists of Rubber City 20th Annual Juried Show is now open in the BOX gallery on the third floor of Summit Artspace. Actually, it is spilling out of both the big box and the little box onto temporary display walls set up to accommodate the exhibit. Juror Gianna Commito, Assistant Professor of Painting, Kent State University, chose 50 works, representing a wide range of media and styles, by 37 artists. The closing of her statement, in which she wrote that she “strove to curate a show that presented the strongest and most varied representation of craftsmanship, vision and innovation” resulting in “a cross-section of talent that both complements and challenges the strengths of each artist’s contribution” makes it especially gratifying to have two pieces included in this exhibit.

    
Arctic                            Spring Garden
monotype                     monotype
3″ x 3″                          3″ x 3″

Artists of Rubber City 20th Annual Juried Show
June 5 - 26, 2010
the BOX gallery
Summit Artspace - 3rd floor
140 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio
open Friday & Saturday, noon - 4:30 p.m.

Take a couple nifty little blockprint blackbirds, print on cardstock, add letterpress callouts, pair with matching envelopes and you have cawing cards!

Printed on recycled notecard stock, there are currently two versions. Each signed block print is embellished with a tiny bit of letterpress using 9 pt. Old English type. Cheerio!

Cheerio! and Caw! Cawing Cards are now available in my Etsy shop.

It was a picture perfect spring day outside and a delightful day inside - thanks to everyone who came by for my annual open studio!

Congratulations to the door prize winners: BlackbirdBox/Glendale Crow will be delivered to Bill O. and a set of Cawing Cards, letterpress and block print notecards, are headed to Janie F.

Starting tomorrow owner/photographer, Diane Seskes , will welcome visitors to Spring Whimsy at The Log Cabin Gallery in Peninsula, Ohio. Open for six three-day weekends, Spring Whimsy features the work of nineteen artists - many who will be on hand for the Meet the Artists Reception next week, Friday, May 14, 5 - 7 p.m.

In addition to relief prints (that’s a very familiar crow on the postcard - thanks, Diane!), several new BlackbirdBoxes were created just for this show, including a couple tiny boxes with a photo surprise inside! Here they are, tagged and ready to go . . .

Fresh Art, the annual juried show at Summit Artspace, opened last Friday, bringing to a close a fairly intensive eight days of preparation. The judges, Clare Murray Adams and John Adams, chose 79 pieces that “offered a fresh approach in content, technique, emotion or style.” The fantastic range of work guaranteed an exciting show (and a challenging installation).

   
Opening the same evening was Disquiet - Sculpture & Paintings by Joanna Chapin at the BOX gallery. Located on the third floor of Summit Artspace, the BOX is a project of Artists of Rubber City. Disquiet, the fourth exhibit since last fall’s debut of the BOX, is a powerful exhibit that fills both the big box and the little box.

In addition to the gallery openings, artist Katina Radwanski opened her lovely studio, a welcome addition to the third floor of Summit Artspace.

As if this weren’t enough, the art parties continued through the weekend with Saturday’s Downtown Artwalk followed by the Sunday Sampler. Whew!

Fresh Art design by Liz Remmel, Immix Studio.