MERIT AWARD … Elizabeth Steingass of Archbold (above) received the Merit Award for her oil painting, “Ghost Pumpkins,” at the first annual Autumn Exhibit, which took place on Thursday, September 25, at the Black Swamp Art Center in Archbold.
MIXED MEDIA … Mark Eckhart of Archbold (above) shows his mixed media exhibit, “Autumn from Space,” at the first annual Autumn Exhibit at the Black Swamp Art Center in Archbold.
PHOTOS BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
GLASS ARTIST … Kim Lerma of Wauseon (above) shows her glass media exhibit, “Sun & Moon,” at the first annual Autumn Exhibit at the Black Swamp Art Center in Archbold.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
The Black Swamp Art Center hosted its first annual Autumn Art Exhibit on Thursday, September 25, recognizing the talents of many juried artists from across the tri-state area.
There was a mixture of various media displayed on the opening night of the exhibit, which will run through November.
Hope Wallace, who is the director of the Black Swamp Arts Center, commented that the center has been around for about a year and wanted to create a juried exhibition that recurs every year.
“It’s a really good way to build a body of professional artists,” said Wallace. “So, we will have this every year in the fall. It is juried, meaning that not everyone who enters the exhibit has their work accepted.”
She added that while entering exhibits can sometimes be a little difficult, it’s also a really good way to gauge your art against your peers.
“We’re hoping to move forward in doing a lot more of this,” Wallace noted. “We want to support artists from all over. It becomes a staple showcase for artists.”
Among the exhibits that were displayed were those from artists from various towns, including Delta, Cridersville, Archbold, Wauseon, Toledo, Findlay, and Indianapolis, Indiana.
“We like to get some participation from Michigan, so we would actually like to serve the Tri-State area,” said Wallace.
Wallace noted the success of this year’s event was enhanced by over 117 art pieces submitted, and eventually, 68 art pieces were selected for the exhibit.
“It’s an all-media exhibit,” pointed out Wallace. “We didn’t include photography at this time, but we will have a photography show at some point. I think each show gets more attention that way.”
Nearly all of the exhibits that are displayed at the Autumn Exhibit are being offered for sale.
“There are plenty of working artists here, some of them do this for a living,” pointed out Wallace. “Some of them supplement, some of them just dabble. But it’s a really great vehicle for that.”
Serving as juror for this year’s Autumn Exhibit was Steve Smith, a Bluffton College graduate with a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. He later taught at Defiance College from 1980 to 2011 and has exhibited in major regional and national exhibitions since 1974.
Among the award winners was Elizabeth Steingass of Archbold, who received the Merit Award for her oil painting, “Ghost Pumpkins”, in which she was shocked by the award, but happy.
“I was practicing oil painting again, so I was collecting things from my house to do still life,” said Steingass. “These pumpkins showed up in our compost pile.
“We had never planted white pumpkins or about them or anything; they just showed up. I brought them inside and painted them, and the Ghost Pumpkins title seemed fitting since we didn’t know where they came from.”
Mark Eckhart of Archbold had his mixed media exhibit, “Autumn Farm Space,” on display.
“I’m a resin artist, so I work with resins, and I dye the resins either with alcohol or micro powders,” said Eckhart. “As I pour, I pour in different layers, and then I bring in other types of media, like this one has the stones in it to make islands.
“The theme of the show is autumn, so my entry is called “Autumn From Space.” So, I try to make it look like swirling clouds and oceans and a couple of islands.”
Another area artist, Kim Lerma of Wauseon, exhibited her glass work, “Sun & Moon.” “I stopped by their textile show and I told them about the stained glass that I was doing,” commented Lerma. “They said, I should enter it in this show, and so we entered.”
Lerma said that she had taught herself glass art. “I took one class in Perrysburg and just thought it was really cool,” she noted. “So, I got the stuff and set up a studio at home, and that was my second big piece that I made.”
Several awards were handed out following the opening night of the art exhibition.
Best of Show: Laura Barnhardt Corle, Findlay, Ohio, “Nest 2024”, watercolor.
Outstanding Award: Mike Huffman, Lima, Ohio, “Nina Simone”, oil painting.
Outstanding Award: Jax Foster, Bowling Green, Ohio, “Hand of David”, oil painting.
Outstanding Award: Noreen Molek, Columbia Station, Ohio, “Red Birds”, charcoal.
Merit Award: Mark Nafziger, Archbold, “Porcelain Bottle with Fans”, ceramics.
Merit Award: Elizabeth Steingass, Archbold, “Ghost Pumpkins”, oil painting.
Merit Award: Richard Witteborg, Defiance, “Composition #1, assemblage.
Honorable Mention: Ruth Matthews, Wauseon, “Endless Bales”, pastel.
Honorable Mention: Debra Buchanan, Toledo, “Succulent Tea”, oil painting.
Honorable Mention: Hope Wallace, Fort Wayne, Indiana, “Amphibian Axiom”, ceramics.
The Black Swamp Arts Center is open Wednesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.