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Historic Bear’s Mill
Vibrant paintings and art books on display at Bear’s Mill
Cincinnati artist Donna Talerico who celebrates the shapes and patterns
of color and light in her work will display her vibrant paintings
alongside fascinating art books created by Judith Serling-Sturm at the
next “Art at the Mill” exhibit which opens in the Clark Gallery on
Friday, July 26 and continues through Sunday, August 25. An opening
night reception offering finger food and drinks from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
will feature the artists briefly sharing information about their work,
methods and inspiration at 7 p.m. “Art at the Mill,” curated by Jan
Roestamadji and Julie Clark, is free and open to the public.
“Both of these women are wonderful and interesting artists,” Ms. Clark
said, pointing out that Judith Serling-Strum’s work is about much more
than making pretty books, and often offers thought-provoking insight
into current and historical events and the preservation of the natural
world. Ms. Roestamadji adds that although the artists were paired in
this exhibit simply because both come from Cincinnati, the evocative
paintings of Donna Talerico are delightfully complemented by the unique
and diverse artist books created by Ms. Serling-Strum, making for an
exciting collaboration that should inspire viewers to enhance their own
homes with a purchase from this exhibit.
In the work of Judith Serling-Sturm, binding techniques, book
structure, materials and content are equal players in the communication
of an idea. Among the works to be exhibited at the Mill are handmade
blank books with a myriad of exposed binding techniques, as well as
several nature-based artist books. “’Earth’s Beauty,’ without text,
glorifies the gifts of the earth using materials dug from its core,
grown from its richness, and created from its bounty, while ‘Vanishing
Rainforest’ is a visual warning about what is happening to our planet,”
the artist explains. Papers handmade from native plants and mounted on
a fallen tree branch are used in “Woodland Wanderings, which also
contains “gifts dropped to the ground by mother nature and by humans.”
After spending twenty years working in black and white as a fashion
illustrator, Donna Talerico’s life as an artist turned to color in 1998
after attending an inspirational workshop in France. Bold color and
gestural brush strokes inhabit her paintings, as she explores the
borderland between representational and abstraction. Her abstract and
figurative art portrays streetscapes, landscapes, and more, much of it
inspired by her love of France inspired by the remembrances of her
maternal grandmother, who had emigrated from Luxembourg as a World War
I war bride. The fluid style employed by the artist infuses her work
with energy, infusing all her scenes with life, creating dynamic and
joyous images that transport the viewer to the observed site.
The colorful paintings on rusting sheets of metal created by nationally
recognized artist Mike Elsass, along with imaginative steel sculptures
created by Loveland, Ohio resident Leslie Lehr Daly remain on view in
the Clark Gallery through Sunday, July 21. Owned and operated by
Friends of Bear’s Mill, the historic mill is located at 6450
Arcanum-Bear's Mill Road about 5 miles east of Greenville. “Art At the
Mill” is funded in part by a grant from Darke County Endowment for the
Arts, and can be viewed during regular Mill store hours. Current hours
of operation are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and from
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, contact Bear's Mill
at 937-548-5112 or www.bearsmill.org.
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