Most artists would be content to find a studio with good light and with enough space to store their material and make their art. Mosaic artist Jes McMillan thinks bigger. She rented a 16,000 square foot building in downtown Miamisburg that once housed a J. C. Penney Store and opened The Mosaic Institute of Greater Dayton. Continue reading
I asked Diane Dover if I could visit her studio after a friend told me about an amazing commissioned piece she was doing. She is making a quilt showing scenes from Huffman Prairie, the field where the Wright Brothers learned how to fly. I had seen photos of the work online, but when I saw it in person I was impressed with the amount of detail. Continue reading
When I heard that Naysan McIlhargey would have an exhibit this month at one of my favorite art venues, I decided it was time for a visit. His show at the Yellow Springs Brewery March 2-27 is called “The Botany of Beer.” Continue reading
I first met Matt Kish when he was being interviewed on The Art Show, a program on Dayton’s public television station. I was there to take behind-the-scenes photos, but Matt’s story was so interesting that I found myself listening instead of shooting.
Matt had been making art for years, with little commercial success or recognition. He finally decided he would quit making art, but only after completing one last project. Moby-Dick had always been important to Matt, and he decided to make it the linchpin of his final art project. He decided to make one drawing a day for 552 days, with each drawing inspired by one of the 552 pages in Moby-Dick.
Matt posted each drawing online. They began to attract viewers, then speaking engagements, then an agent, and finally a publisher. Far from being Matt’s final project, the Moby-Dick drawings seem like they might be a beginning to a successful art career. Continue reading
Painter Terry Hitt works in Dayton’s most colorful building, the K12/TEJAS building at 341 South Jefferson Street. The first time I met Terry he told me how much he enjoyed working there because “it’s filled with so much good energy and artists of all ages to talk to.” Continue reading
I had seen John Sousa’s work online and wanted to know more about it. When I saw that he was to be included in a show at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery I decided it was time to pay him a visit. The exhibition is called “Go Figure – 13 Ohio artists explore the human figure.” Continue reading
I visited Wesley Berg as he was working on drawings for a show at the Dayton Visual Arts Center that opens January 15. His studio is in one of the Front Street buildings, which are filled with artists and a lot of small businesses. Continue reading
I love to watch and then photograph artists at work. I usually have to schedule these types of photo shoots, but in the case of Loretta Puncer, all I had to do was to drop by her Gallery 510 (508 East Fifth Street) in Dayton’s Oregon District. Continue reading
Tristan Cupp is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Zoot Theater Company, which creates and produces original puppet productions. Since its founding in 2006, Zoot has collaborated with groups such as Central State University, The Human Race Theater Company, The Dayton Art Institute, The University of Dayton and many other schools and organizations. Continue reading
I first saw the art of Marsha Pippenger when I was doing a photo shoot in the office of Dayton’s Mayor, Nan Whaley. The Mayor posed next to one of Marsha’s works and told me that she and her staff loved it. Continue reading
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