A day of art

A fabulous day of art yesterday. First, we had lunch with our friend from church Harry Parsons at the Chef-O-Nette in our old neighborhood where we had our first meal as Columbus residents almost 50 years ago. We both had our favorite--the Hang-Over sandwich.  So many memories--our son (then about 4) and I used to stop there after dropping his sister off at Tremont School across the street.

Then we headed downtown to the Gallery in the Riffe building to see the Ohio Watercolor Show (OWS).  Best arrangement EVER. Hanging a show is an art--my husband does it for our church shows--and this one is perfection. There is one more drop in class there with Suzanne Acceta on January 4, 2017. 

Then on to German Village Meeting Haus to see the Central Ohio Watercolor Show (COWS). From there we went to an cartoonist's home to see his wonderful collection and his studio. The 1903 three story brick house faces Schiller Park--what a wonderful "front yard." Then home for a nap before pizza. 

 

COWS Fall Festival of Paintings

Sunday afternoon we went down to German Village to enjoy the opening of the Central Ohio Watercolor Society Fall Festival of Paintings. It is a lovely show, in a delightful environment--Caterina Ltd., which sells French, German, Italian and other European ceramics and linens.



The COWS show is on the third floor. On the second floor is a show by a photographer, Debbie Rosenfeld, who worked in the World Trade Center until 9/11. She and her husband started their lives over here in Columbus and I thought her use of black and white with some color was quite stunning.

Caterina is a wonderful place to beginning your early Christmas shopping, either selecting from their quality pieces of hand painted items (I have some Polish hand painted coffee cups I purchased there last year, and when I have my morning coffee I apologize to Poland), their nativity scenes, or the art from individual local artists and groups.

Fay, Gustav, Hannah, Ike and Jeri

Poor Haiti! Probably the poorest country in our hemisphere and it's been hit by some bad hurricanes this late summer. And now Jeri. Oh, she's not a hurricane. She's Jeri Platt, a Columbus Methodist who has been on many mission trips to Haiti, and she's a fabulous watercolor artist. The Visual Arts Ministry hung a show of her wonderful paintings of the Haitian people at the Church at Mill Run, 3500 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026. There will be a reception for the artist next Sunday afternoon, 2-4 p.m. The show is on the second floor in the main corridor, September 6-October 16, 2008.

Update: We went over to Mill Run after the first service at Lytham to see how it looked (We were out of town when it was hung). I think there are 24 paintings, and they are just wonderful. NOTHING IS FOR SALE! She uses her art to tell the story of Haiti and Christian missions. But if they were for sale, I'd be in line.

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Columbus Fall Art Shows

Sunday we enjoyed a trip to German Village (restored area of Columbus, OH) to see the Fall Show of the Central Ohio Watercolor Society at Caterina LTD, 571 South Third St., Columbus. If you're looking for a delightful outing with friends, go out for lunch at any of the wonderful restaurants in that area, shop for Christmas gifts at Caterina (dishes from Poland, Italy and France), and enjoy the show on the second and third floors.







I love this pottery made and painted in Poland. Each mug is different, and there were several styles of bowls and casseroles, all with lovely designs. These were $12 each--more than I usually pay for a mug, but I have some in the cupboard that are nearly 50 years old and cost $.10. Run the average.

Then as you drive home, swing by the Caspian II Building at 3518 Riverside Drive in Upper Arlington, south of the Nottingham Road Stoplight. The Upper Arlington Art League has its fall show there. My husband has 2 paintings in the COWS show and 3 in the UAAL show.

By the way, the Upper Arlington Art League helped get the hugely successful community Labor Day Art Show off the ground. In 1966 this show started as an art exhibit for local artists near the Miller Park Library with about a dozen artists. Don Dodrill got the ball rolling and then founded the art league. I think my husband and I may have been some of the first members (although I don't belong anymore). Then when the show outgrew that space, it moved to Jones Middle School for a few years, then up to the city building on Kenney Road, across from the OSU golf course. Now it is held in a city park and attracts tens of thousands (I blogged about it here). As it grew, the UAAL developed a kids' art tent and helped with events as well as many members entering and selling their works in the show. All of this was eventually taken over by the city. UAAL is the only group of amateur and professional artists based in UA, although many of their members are also participating in COWS, Dublin and Worthington groups.

Many of the founders of UAAL are still in the group, and of course, they are now in their 60s, 70s and 80s. The city has a gallery in its city/municipal building, called the "Concourse Gallery." The Cultural Arts Commission has now decided that the UAAL isn't good enough to have shows in their gallery. Shame, shame on you, UA, for living up to your reputation as just a bit hoity-toity and stuck up, for not respecting your elders, and being clueless about your own history!