artHound

Time Capsules at Summit Artspace

January 31, 2015 in artists, artwork, hanging around town, summit artspace | No comments

Over a year in the making, Time Capsules opened Friday evening at the Summit Artspace Gallery. Artist Terry Klausman proposed the exhibit and invited fellow assemblage artists, Bret Hines and Gwen Waight, to join him in filling the space with sculptures and wall pieces that rework all manner of materials into engaging, often thought-provoking, artwork. Even amid the distractions of opening night festivities, Tim Fitzwater captured some interesting views of the artwork – take a look at ZipperCityBlog.

In keeping with the theme, Terry has installed an actual time-capsule-in-progress in the gallery. Artists are invited to add their own contributions to the visual artists of 2015 collection which will be sealed at the close of the exhibit. The crate will then be stored at the Akron-Summit County Public Library, to be re-opened in fifty years!

Time Capsules
Bret Hines – Terry Klausman – Gwen Waight
January 30 – March 7, 2015
Summit Artspace
140 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio 44303
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

February 13, 2015 update: Akron Beacon Journal review by Anderson Turner – Three Dimensional Works Inspire Creativity at Summit Artspace

Meditation/Creation at the BOX gallery

January 18, 2015 in artists, artists of rubber city, hanging around town | No comments

the BOX gallery, a project of Artists of Rubber City, opened its 2015 exhibit schedule with two exhibits, curated by Rosa Maille: Meditation/Creation, featuring the work of Tom Baldwin and Barbara Sabol, Claudia Berlinski, Mardi Gauer, Clarissa Jakobsons and Laurel Winters, in the front gallery and Peculiar Moments – drawings by Mark Jaroszewski in the small box. On Friday, January 16, there was an opening party featuring poetry readings by Clarissa Jakobsons and Barbara Sabol. The official opening reception will take place on Friday, January 30, 2015.

update:
Anderson Turner, writing in the Sunday, February 8, 2015, edition of the Akron Beacon Journal, reviewed both Meditation/Creation and Peculiar Moments in Finding Beauty in Nature at the BOX gallery.

day by day

January 4, 2015 in miscellany | No comments

Saying hello to a new year and farewell to an old standby . . .

This year the start of January did not include a trip to the office supply store for new day planner calendar pages. The pristine condition of last year’s edition was evidence enough that scheduling and planning had quietly made the jump to digital. For twenty years the planner had been a cache of notes, business cards, birthdays, appointments and random thoughts, and, for the most part, was remarkably efficient. Because I’m too sentimental to toss it, I’ll zip it up and consider it a souvenir of days gone by.

the holiday hibiscus

January 1, 2015 in garden, miscellany | No comments

Each fall, usually when the first frost is imminent, the hibiscus moves into its winter home, AKA the basement. Protesting the fact that it has not been relocated to a balmy, southern climate, it proceeds to dramatize its fate by dropping leaves and feigning impending death. During the following weeks, it resigns itself to sharing space with paint cans, tools and laundry and sets about greening up for the winter. Looking positively festive, it bloomed on Christmas Day.

The holiday spirit continued into the new year with another bloom welcoming 2015 (and another bud getting started). Winter has its own outdoor beauty, but it’s nice to have a splash of color and a hint of warmer climes secretly brightening the basement.

Tags: hibiscus

As the Crow Flies

December 28, 2014 in artwork, on page or screen | No comments

The Tally Birds made an appearance in Ohio Rural Electric Power’s Country Living magazine this month, accompanying Karen Kirsch’s article, As the Crow Flies. Opening with the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher quote, “If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows,” Ms. Kirsch includes Corvid folklore, history and behavior in her succinct piece about the blackbirds that make their homes in both rural and urban settings.

You can follow Karen Kirsch’s blog at My Small Country Life.

Tags: blackbirds, crow, printmaking, raven

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2014 in artwork | No comments

Season’s Readings
hand colored block print

Good-bye to Ruppel’s Art & Paint

December 19, 2014 in hanging around town, miscellany | No comments

Akron’s only remaining independent art supply store is closing its doors on Christmas Eve. A constant presence on Carroll Street since 1970, the business began long before that as Pockrandt’s Paint & Supply. Years ago every entity that had a graphics department had an account at Ruppel’s. While employed at the Akron Public Library and later the City of Akron, trips to Ruppel’s for the necessities: display board, paint, ink and pens, also involved browsing among all of the other goodies. At the time I wouldn’t have believed that I would ever be nostalgic about One Shot Lettering Enamel or sheets of Chartpak Transfer Type – never say never! In recent years I have stopped in whenever I needed my favorite paper (Strathmore series 500 sheets) and mat board (Crescent 1613 rag) – and, yes, I purchased the last three sheets of that board.

Ruppel’s was affected by changes in both the art supply business and their customer base, all of which was covered in Betty Lin-Fisher’s article in the Akron Beacon Journal. Although it’s sad to say good-bye, I wish the best to Harold Ruppel and Steve Rarick and hope our paths cross again.

December Downtown Artwalk

December 7, 2014 in artists, artwork, hanging around town, summit artspace | No comments

The studio was in holiday mode for the last artwalk of 2014 – even the blackbirds got in the act. Two handmade ornaments were available this year, a felted wool crow and and his wood, wire and glass cohort.

The Kenmore High School Madrigals put everyone in the holiday mood with their vocal arrangements of classic carols, while pop-up artists Toni Billick, Leona Bowser, Andrea Cistone, Eileen Matias, Deborah Shapiro, Anne Snyder and Mila Susnjar added some visual variety to the mix.

what a weekend!

November 30, 2014 in artists of rubber city, hanging around town, summit artspace | No comments

The weekend following Thanksgiving has traditionally been the start of holiday shopping, but many retailers now welcome shoppers before the dinner dishes are done. American Express started promoting their trademarked Small Business Saturday in 2010 as a shop local event between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and, if the visitors to Summit Artspace are any indication, the respite from the malls and big box stores is a welcome one. Crafty Mart vendors set up at three locations in downtown Akron, one of which was Summit Artspace.

As the booths closed for the day the galleries opened with receptions for new exhibits: Kaleidoscope in the Summit Artspace Gallery and Black and White in the BOX gallery. A third reception celebrated the release of Present Tense, a contemporary art book from Artists of Rubber City.