Marvelous March Happenings at Artworks

ARTWORKS around town will be” hopping” the month of March

A varied array of artists will bring their work to the Gallery with a festive reception on March 1, 2024.  The traditional First Friday Hop takes place from 5:30-8 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

James Luke, Jonathan Walsh and Bellaire High School art students will have work in both guest galleries at Artworks.  Aaron Anslow joins us to demonstrate his clay skills on a wheel, Saturday March 2nd from 10:30-1 in the north Gallery.  This event is free and all are welcome.  James Luke will cover the walls with images of outer space.  His show, titled “Celestial Captures, A Journey Through Astrophotography by James Luke”, promises to be even more spectacular than his last exhibit.   Ceramist Jonathan Walsh represents Oglebay Institute’s Ceramics Takeover with his pieces of clay art.  Bellaire High School students who attended workshops led by Aaron Anslow will have their clay pieces on display as well.

James Luke got his first telescope when he was 11 years old.  It was to be followed by upgrading to an Orion 10-inch dobsonian telescope and web camera in 2012.  He has participated in  many presentations and talks on astrophotography and has had some of his best pieces published.

Jonathan Walsh has been a teacher for 20 years, the last 12 instructing students in ceramics at Parkersburg High School.  His work has been accepted into 14 regional juried shows, 2 national juried shows, community, two person, and individual shows as well and winning awards in a few of them.

Bellaire High School art students, under the direction of instructor, Megan Ritchea, will be exhibiting their efforts in clay work.  Aaron Anslow spent weeks at the school as artist in residence, instructing the students in pottery wheel skills, hand building drills, texture carving and glazing techniques. Anslow is a well known artist who currently teaches ceramics and sculpture at West Liberty University and owns and operates Earthsmith Studio in Bethany, West Virginia.  He has shown work internationally in China, nationally in the Strictly Functional juried Exhibition and in Clay Times Magazine.

ARTWORKS around town is a non profit fine art  and education center dedicated to serving the people of the area.  Open six days a week from 10 a.m until 5:30 p.m., the Gallery is located in Wheeling’s Historic Centre Market.  Artworks sponsors workshops, some ongoing and some by demand. Visit the desk or go online to see opportunities, updates and to apply for membership in the Gallery:  http://www.artworksaroundtown.org

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New Year Welcomes DaVonte Smith, Moundsville Middle School and Tabetha Morgan to ARTWORKS

January brings in the New Year at ARTWORKS around town with two fantastic exhibits.  DaVonte Smith will be in the Studio Gallery and Moundsville Middle School students will be in the Student Gallery.  A special treat will include some works by the students’ instructor, Tabetha Morgan who was named West Virginia’s Art Educator of the Year.  Opening both shows is a Gallery Hop on Friday, January 5th from 5:30-8 p.m.  The party is free and open to the public and provides a great opportunity to meet our special guest artists.

DaVonte Smith is a 17 year old senior at Bridgeport High School.  Smith had a busy summer, painting a  huge mural on the wall of his high school’s gym.  In addition to that feat, he was awarded a scholarship to Carnegie Melon University for a one month-long-pre-college program on architecture.  This talented young man will have his work at ARTWORKS around town for January and February.  He also will have two pieces at the  Stifel Center of Oglebay Institute in January.  Von has been awarded a full-ride scholarship to Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he plans to study architecture.  He is especially interested in the design aspect of that major.

Moundsville Middle School is very fortunate to have Tabetha Morgan as its art teacher.  Her students will have pieces in the Student Gallery at ARTWORKS in January.  Morgan will also be featuring a few of her paintings.

These two special exhibits will usher in the new year at the Gallery with very unique shows.  ARTWORKS is a non profit gallery and art center dedicated to serving the people of the Ohio Valley.  Open six days a week, Monday through Saturday  from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., ARTWORKS is always looking for new members.  Pick up an application at the desk or go online for more information, artworksaroundtown.com.

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ARTWORKS hosts New Member Show 2023

ARTWORKS around town is celebrating the addition of three artist members in the past year.  Carole Cain, Audrey Moore and Gary Pastor have joined the Centre Market Gallery during 2023.  Welcome them during the free Gallery Hop on Friday, December 1st from 5:30-8 p.m.

Carole Cain discovered her skills in photography literally by accident.  A fall from a bike left her with a broken wrist.  Unable to pursue her stained glass work, she turned to photography.  She has been able to capture and share the non-staged individual’s moment in time with her Street Photography.  She has also done landscapes and commercial building projects.  When asked about her first-year impressions of ARTWORKS, she replied, “I have never known or enjoyed a more creative community …” “Regardless of the art medium, color, balance, perspective and creativity are talents shared among all members.”

Audrey Moore has been making art since she was little.  Avoiding coloring books and such structured things, she had the freedom of a blank page to “be the writer of my own visual song.”  Moore’s range of subject matter is broad and fresh.  She shared her thoughts on being a member of the Gallery.  “I am thrilled to be part of an organized group of artists who prioritize community and authenticity in their gallery and their work.  I look forward to all the opportunities I will encounter while being a member of ARTWORKS around town.

Gary Pastor is our newest member, joining just last month.  His woodworking skills are impressive and unique.  Furniture as well as hanging pieces round out his contributions to ARTWORKS.  He uses a technique called The Lichtenberg Technique of Electrified Fracking which creates a lightning like effect on the surface of his pieces.

A free open critique will be held at ARTWORKS on Saturday, December 2, led by Greg Siegwart and Bobbi Priebe.  Starting at noon, artists both budding and experienced are encouraged to bring their work to the Gallery for helpful hints in a relaxed fun atmosphere.ARTWORKS is the home of over 20 artists who have stocked their panels and bins with everything on your shopping list for the Holiday Season with original work, prints, cards, jewelry, knitted, felted and woven pieces, and Gift Cards for those who are still looking.  ARTWORKS is a nonprofit fine art educational gallery dedicated to serving the community.  The Gallery is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.  Artists desiring to join ARTWORKS are encouraged to access the website for more details and an application : artworksaroundtown.com  or pick up an application at the desk in Centre Market.

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Ohio Valley Plein Air Paint Out – September 27th through October 1st

Artworks around town is proud to host the third Ohio Valley Plein Air Paint Out from Wednesday, September 27th to Sunday, October 1st.  Under the direction of founder Eric Dye, the five day event will feature painting opportunities in four areas of the valley.  Sandscrest, Moundsville, Oglebay and Wheeling are the venues selected for this year.

The Paint Out will begin with a meet and greet session Wednesday evening for registered artists where they will pick up their packets and receive guidelines for the event.  The next four days are set aside for painting outdoors.  The works will be judged by Dr. Yan Sun, Dean of Art at Muskingum University and founder of the Yan Sun Art Museum and Gallery in Zanesville, Ohio.  Cash awards will be presented on Sunday at a public reception beginning at 2:30 p.m. at Artworks.

Dye has been planning for this year’s Paint Out for many months, working tirelessly to make sure all painters will have the best experience possible.  He is a member of Artworks around town and has won numerous awards for his paintings and sculptures. He has been working with students from Marshall County, giving workshops on painting outdoors and encouraging their participation in the Paint Out experience. 

Completed works will be exhibited in the Gallery for the month of October and many will be available for purchase.  Join the artists for a reception on Sunday, October 1st at 2:30 p.m.  During the party, Dr Sun will explain the process he used to determine the awards for each piece.

Sponsors for the 2023 Paint Out are: Wheeling Arts and Cultural Commission, Wheeling Ohio County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Moundsville City Council, Gary Dietz Insurance Agency Artworks around town and two anonymous donors.  Artworks around town is a nonprofit art center dedicated to serving the public in the Ohio Valley.  Located in Wheeling’s Historic Centre Market, the Gallery is open six days a week from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

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It is all about Plein Aire in September at Artworks

September’s Gallery Hop ushers in two exhibits at Artworks around town.  Jane Seward’s stunning watercolors are in the Studio Gallery for a second month. Three artists from our Gallery, Sandra Hadsell, Bobbi Priebe and Janet Sheehan, participated in Les Journees des Peintures 2023 in Manchester UK last July.  Their paintings will be presented in the Student Gallery.  The shows will open with a free public reception on Friday, September 1 from 5:30-8 p.m at Artworks in the Centre Market.

Jane Seward’s watercolors have awed visitors to Artworks in the last few weeks.  Her use of light, color and design are amazing and worth a visit to the Gallery this month.  Living near the woods that have inspired much of her work, Seward has absorbed the atmosphere around her and successfully transferred it to paper so vividly, we feel we are beside her as she walks. 

Janet Sheehan, Sandra Hadsell and Bobbi Priebe traveled to Manchester, UK in July to participate in an international group of painters who gather every few years to paint for a week in a different host country.  Painters from the United States, Switzerland, France and the UK capture local scenes of churches, farms and historic buildings.  Visiting painters stay with host families between painting sessions.  Finished works are exhibited after each day’s session and at the end of the week.  Wheeling artists hosted the previous gathering a few years ago.

Artworks around town is sponsoring it’s own plain air event.  The Ohio Valley Paint Out is scheduled from September 27 until October 1. 2023.  Based at Artworks, scenes to be painted include Sandscrest, Moundsville, Oglebay and Wheeling.  Details at the Gallery or on line: artworksaroundtown.com.

Artworks is hosting a Critique on Saturday, September 2nd at the Gallery in Centre Market at noon.  Bobbi Priebe and Greg Siegwart lead this informal gathering of artists with their finished works or those in progress.  Helpful hints are shared in a relaxed, judgment-free atmosphere.  These meetings take place every three months.  Artworks is a non profit gallery and education center serving the community in promoting fine art.  Open six days a week, Monday through Saturday from 10 am. until 5:30 p.m.  Artworks welcomes qualified new members.  Please stop by the desk for information or go to the website: artworksaroundtown.com for information and an application.

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Cindy L. Johnson is “Hiding” at Artworks

   

Artworks is pleased to host author Cindy L. Johnson as she launches her new fiction work,  “Hiding”.  A reception and book signing will be held in the Gallery at Artworks Around Town on Saturday July 29, 2023 at 7 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public.  A special guest will be WVU’s Mountaineer.

Johnson’s first volume is part of a trilogy.  She is currently working on the second one, titled “Hunting”.  “Healing” will be the last in the series.  The first book deals with New York City lawyer Camilla S. Kennedy’s involvement with a man whose power and control eventually force her to escape to her home in West Virginia.  As the back cover of the book states, “She was going home to the hollow. The place she left over twenty years ago.  Now was the time for Hiding”.

 “It’s not based on anybody I know.  It wasn’t a story that I set out to write.  It just came tumbling out”, Johnson stated in an interview recently.  Her character’s home is Pocahontas County in West Virginia.  The trilogy promises to be a good read for all and especially those who love the state, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.

The reception and book signing will take place in the Gallery of Artworks Around Town, located in Wheeling’s Historic Centre Market.  All are welcome to meet the author, Cindy L. Johnson, purchase her book and have it signed, enjoy some cake and meet WVU’s Mountaineer.

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