WWAC gifts the community with art

"Fall in Olmsted Falls," a watercolor by Claire Palmisano, was awarded second place in the amateur category. Photo by Louise Seeholzer

The 19th edition of the Community of Fine Arts Show is an adventure of delight to the eye and a refreshing lift to the spirit. The Westlake-Westshore Arts Council is presenting a five-week edition of the 2019 juried art show at Westlake Porter Public Library. On its closing day, Aug. 31, the public is invited to a Meet the Artists Reception & Awards Ceremony from 2 to 3:30 p.m. 

In addition to the remarkable art display, free Live Art Demonstrations are being held in the library's lobby on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon. The scheduled demonstrations are: Aug. 10 – Ink Drawing by Sean Crum; Aug. 17 – Acrylic by Tom Baracskai; Aug. 24 – Watercolor by Ken Marshall. (A Mixed Media demonstration was given by Gail Crum on Aug. 3.)

The 81 art works accepted in this year’s COFA were judged the day before the exhibit opened. The experienced and highly credited judges that made the award decisions were Sharlene Pearl Green, Stuart Pearl and Cathy Welner.

Green, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kent State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Miami University, is an Associate Professor of Art at Cuyahoga Community College’s Western Campus where she has taught since 1990. This artist, who works primarily with the human figure and with landscape, has worked in a variety of media. In addition to her many credits, Green’s award winning work is included in public and private collections. 

Pearl is an Ohio artist whose photographs are included in two Cleveland Museum of Art books and Landscape Architecture magazine. The numerous places where his photographs are on display include WVIZ/WCPN Ideastream, Metroparks, and the Holden Arboretum. His work received “Best In Show” in the 2008 Butler Midyear Exhibit. Pearl, who is an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist, aims at creating images with lasting impact that tell a story. His current projects include photography for the Cleveland Metroparks handbook on snails and slugs.  

Welner, who was born in Syracuse, New York, is now an Ohio resident, and has been teaching watercolor since 1975 and has been on the faculty of Continuing Education at the Cleveland Institute of Art. She has taught workshops nationally and internationally. Welner, who received her degree in education from the State University of New York, has work featured in galleries in New York, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts and Ohio.

The three judges had a challenging task. The quality of the pieces accepted for this show keeps the viewer lingering to take in the detail of a work and then repeating the process time and again. But decisions were made and awards given in the following eight categories. 

WATERCOLOR

Professional category:

  • 1st place: Nancy Notarianni, “Bird of a Feather”
  • 2nd place: Bob Parry, “Cider Still Life"
  • Honorable Mention: Ken Marshall, “Iris"

Amateur category:

  • 1st place: Martha Anderson, “Pacific Coastline”
  • 2nd place: Claire Palmisano, “Fall in Olmsted Falls”
  • Honorable Mention: Karen Bennett, “Boat Dock Scenery”

OIL/ACRYLIC

Professional category:

  • 1st place: Dani Marinucci, “The Things I Love”  

Amateur category:

  • 1st place: Barbara Hall, “The Red Handled Pitcher”
  • 2nd place: Jean Smith, “A Country Lane”
  • Honorable Mention: Grace Lin, “Still Life = Granny Smith, Cortland” 

MIXED MEDIUM

Professional category:

  • 1st place: Gail Crum, “Bessie & Merrill”
  • 2nd place: Vicki Thompson, “Happy in a Tree”
  • Honorable Mention: Julie Cantrell, “Tree Trio Tryptic”

Amateur category:

  • 1st place: Georgene Carlton, “Mystique”

DRAWING/PEN & INK

Amateur category:

  • 1st place: Howard Hoehn, “Portrait of a Giraffe”
  • 2nd place: Marguerite Arendec, “Conner”
  • Honorable Mention: Eileen Elliott, “Elegant Iris”

CHARCOAL/PASTEL

Amateur category:

  • 2nd place: Grace Lin, “Pensive”
  • Honorable Mention: Paul Collander, “Falling Clouds”

DIGITAL

Amateur category:

  • 1st place: Punit Vaidya, “Portrait of My Lovely One”
  • Honorable Mention: Jeff Darner, “Hide and Seek”

PRINTMAKING

Professional category:

  • 1st place: Ken Marshall, “The Story Tellers”

PHOTOGRAPHY

Professional category:

  • 2nd place: Neil Doren, “Reflections at Black Rock State Park Lake”
  • Honorable Mention: Judith Maruszan, “Morning Dew”

Amateur category:

  • 1st place: Paul Collander, “A Cloud Tidal Wave”
  • 2nd place: Ellen Erzen, “Oriole Family”
  • Honorable Mention: Chris Christensen, “Snow Bird”

Louise Seeholzer

Publicist for Westlake-Westshore Arts Council

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Volume 11, Issue 15, Posted 10:09 AM, 08.06.2019