Betsy Cox, exhibit creator at ARTWORKS around town is pleased to  announce the Gallery will host its first Hop in over a year on April 9, 2021.  Ushering in this “new normal” chapter is the opening of a spectacular array of paintings presented by the Pittsburgh Pastel Artists League (PPAL).  A free reception will take place from 5:30 until 8 p.m. and will require the wearing of masks and social distancing to comply with current pandemic guidelines set forth by the state of West Virginia.

“Pure Pigment” is the title of the show that will run from April 2 until May 26 in the Studio Gallery of ARTWORKS.  PPAL was founded in 2002.  Their press release states the group “is a member supported art organization dedicated to pastel artists and to the promotion, understanding and enjoyment of the medium of soft pastels.”  Pastels are produced and sold as either, soft, medium or hard.  Soft pastels provide a wide array of possibilities that produce dramatic paintings in vivid colors.  Eric Dye, member of ARTWORKS and PPAL explains,“Pastels are sticks of pure pigment made from the same minerals as oil and acrylic paints.  Since pastels are a dry medium and aren’t mixed like those mediums, pastel painters must have a rainbow of colors at their disposal.” Soft pastels are produced by dozens of manufacturers, some  made by hand and come in hundreds of different colors.

Members of  the group come from all over the tri-state area and range from the internationally known professional to those new to the medium.  Quarterly meetings in many different locations as well as newsletters, workshops, classes, exhibits and group excursions are just some of the many activities of this energetic group.  Anyone interested in joining the PPAL is welcome to join and enjoy all member benefits.  Dues have been suspended for the 2021 year because of Covid.  Access more information from their member-supported website, www.ppal-artists.com .

The exhibit is a  great place to get your Mother’s Day or Easter gift.   Framed originals, prints and notecards will be for sale during the entire show.  In addition to Eric Dye,  participating members include; Sandra Beitsinger, Cindy Berceli, Cynthia Gilberti, Diane Grguras, Nanette Hought, Gina Judy, Renee’ Keil, Jan Pini, Marian Sallade and Patricia Young.

ARTWORKS around town is a nonprofit, charitable and educational organization that operates a Gallery and Art Center for the benefit of the artists and general public of the region.  Located in Wheeling’s Historic Centre Market, hours are Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. except for Fridays when closing is at 6.  Anyone interested in becoming a member, go to the website  artworksaroundtown.com for information and an application.

March at ARTWORKS around town promises to be an exciting bright spot in this otherwise dreary winter.  Betsy Cox is keeping her “Retrospective” collection in the Studio Gallery for another month and a new artist is debuting his skills in the Student Gallery.

Betsy’s painting talents are beautifully arrayed in the north gallery at ARTWORKS.  Watercolors, oils and pastels show the range of her skills in everything she attempts.  Best known recently for her award winning ceramic work, her paintings are a must see as well.  Betsy sells originals, prints and note cards at the historic Center Market Gallery.

For the first time, Logan Picard Keller will have his artwork on display, and ARTWORKS is honored to host this promising young talent.  Born in France, Logan has been drawing and creating art since he was 2 1/2 years old.  For the most part, he is self-educated having no previous formal training.  He was introduced to different mediums as he was growing up by his mother, Anissa.

Logan considers himself to be an experimental artist, using several different styles in crafting his acrylic pours.  In addition to painting, Logan loves to sculpt and design his own characters for gaming and comic books using pencils and markers.  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of his work will be given to the Nsaba Orphanage of Uganda, Africa to support the organization and children in need.

ARTWORKS around town is a non profit charitable and educational Gallery and Art Center for the benefit of the artists and general public of the region.  It is open six days a week from 10 am until 5:30pm Monday through Saturday except for Friday when closing is at 6 pm.  Anyone wishing to become a member may access the website: artworksaroundtown.org for information and an application.

Nationally known and respected artist, Betsy Cox will present a collection of work never previously exhibited.  The Studio Gallery at ARTWORKS around town will host a Retrospective of her two-dimensional work for the months of February and March.  The student side of the North end will continue to exhibit works by Gallery members depicting beautiful winter scenes.

Cox is most recently known for her work in ceramics.  She has earned many awards in local as well as national shows.  This Retrospective Exhibit reveals another aspect of her talent not usually seen.  There will be almost 40 year’s worth of paintings starting with an acrylic still life done in 1972.  There will be florals, still lifes and landscapes painted in various mediums including pastel, acrylic, oil and watercolor.  She has worked with clay prints and encaustic in addition to more traditional forms of expression.

She grew up in a family that was immersed in artistic expression of one kind or another.  Her mother and brother did leatherwork, her father liked to draw and work in mosaics and her sister painted.  Her mother’s Austrian side of the family boasted sculptors.  Needless to say, Betsy has come from a long line of creative and innovative artists.

The Retrospective promises to reveal many layers of skill Cox has honed over many years of practice and experience.  Betsy’s love of nature and her keen eye for detail are evident in everything she does, whether in clay or paint.  Betsy’s ceramic items are available for purchase in her permanent space at the Gallery.  She sells note cards as well as her originals.Visitors are encouraged to view both exhibits six days a week, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.  ARTWORKS around town is located in Wheeling’s Historic Centre Market.  ARTWORKS is a nonprofit charitable and educational organization that operates a Gallery and Art Center for the benefit of the artists and general public of the region.  Anyone interested in becoming a member, please go to the website: artworksaroundtown.com for information and an application.

As we look outside our windows these days, we are well aware winter is still with us.  Snow scenes also abound inside on the panels at the north end of ARTWORKS around town.  This month, members of the Gallery are presenting their favorite winter paintings.  Snow is one of the most difficult things to render in any medium and the members of ARTWORKS have done a beautiful job in oil, pastel, acrylic and watercolor.

January provides an excellent opportunity to visit the Gallery now that shopping pressure for the holidays is over and there is more time to browse.  Karen Catlett’s stunning watercolors are in place for the entire month in the Studio Gallery.  If you missed them in December, you still have a chance to view and buy them.  Karen’s work is sought after by collectors, both nationally and locally.  She has captured nature with detail and color masterfully rendered.

Members of ARTWORKS have given us a varied array of beautifully painted and photographed scenes.  Many of the artists have work displayed on the walls of the student section including, Larry Travis, Sandy Hadsell, Janet Sheehan and Eric Dye among others.  Visit the Gallery daily six days a week from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. to see a stunning collection of unique pieces of artwork, photography, prints ready for framing, ceramics, knitted items, note cards, greeting cards and jewelry.

Located in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market, ARTWORKS is a nonprofit, charitable and educational organization that operates a Gallery and Art Center for the benefit of the artists and general public of the region.  Artists wishing to join ARTWORKS may find information and an application at the Gallery’s website:  artworksaroundtown.com .

December at ARTWORKS will feature the works of skilled watercolor artist, Karen Catlett in the Studio Gallery.  In the student section, pieces by members of ARTWORKS will be on display.  While Covid 19 safety measures are still in effect, an opening reception will not be held but visitors are welcome to view both shows during business hours six days a week.

Catlett is a celebrated watercolorist whose works have won awards locally and nationally.  Her love of nature is obvious in her skillful treatment of the living things around her.  She captures birds, flowers and landscapes with sensitivity and a keen mastery of design and color theory.  Her show title is “Watercolor Memories” and she has thirty new paintings to exhibit.

She has conducted numerous programs and workshops across the country for art leagues, civic groups and technical colleges.  Catlett is a member of both the West Virginia and Pittsburgh Watercolor Societies and has been a contributing member at ARTWORKS for two years.  She sells her originals, prints, note cards and her unique woven jewelry at the Gallery, located in the historic Centre Market.

The other side of the north gallery will display works by members of ARTWORKS around town.  Look for winter inspired works done by artists including, Sandy Hadsell, Janet Sheehan, Greg Siegwart, Giulio Cappelletti and Larry Travis.

December is a perfect time to visit ARTWORKS to view fresh work by the area’s most talented artists.  The Gallery offers original paintings, photographs, prints, stained glass, carvings, soaps, woven items, ceramic pieces and unique jewelry items found nowhere else.Celebrate the holidays with ARTWORKS around town, located in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market.  Hours are from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday with closing at 6 p.m. on Fridays.  Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Gallery, please go to the website for details and an application: artworksaroundtown.com

“Introduction” Anne Foreman

“Something Old, Something New” the March 2017 show at Artworks around town opens on First Friday, March 3, at the Centre Market Studio Gallery. The show is open to the public from 5:30 to 8PM.
The title of this show came from the musing of one of the participating artists and longtime member of Artworks, Anne Hazlett Foreman. Exhibiting along with Foreman is another longtime member of Artworks, Lenora Turbanic. The new artist on the scene is Jes Reger, a young watercolorist.

“Gold Finch” Lenora Turbanic

Lenora Turbanic also works in watercolor but in a different style than Jes. While Jes’s work is mainly a loose wet style with details in a more detailed dry style. Lenora’s watercolor work is mainly a more controlled style emphasizing watercolor’s delicacy and softness. Anne has painted in watercolor, but has worked more in oil and acrylic lately.

Anne is well known for her portraits of Early American re-enactors and many of her ancestors. She has joking said, “I’ve sold my grandparents, my parents, my uncles and my cousins to complete strangers.” Most of those paintings have depicted her family years ago in nostalgic scenes. Anne has also created murals of the history of Wheeling for Wilson Lodge at Oglebay Park and at the Centre Market in the Artworks Gallery. Some newer paintings of Anne’s portray her young grandchildren. Anne is know locally for her numerous paintings of dogs. Her animal paintings have memorialize a number of local well loved dogs as well as her own Newfoundlands and her favorite pug, Tank.

“Orange Rose” Jes Reger

Lenora has painted a variety of animals as well, along with numerous scenes of flowers and flower gardens. She has painted chimps and giraffes, cats and birds, and a good many trees in landscape scenes. Lenora has taught watercolor for years in private and small group lessons to children and adults. “To see a student’s face light up when looking at something they painted, Lenora remarked, is the reward of teaching watercolor painting.” Why does Lenora paint? “I paint when it becomes too painful not to”, paraphrased from the book ART AND FEAR. That remark will resonate with many

“Rose’s Magic” Anne Foreman

an artistic person or lover of the arts.
Jes is just getting her “feet wet” in the exhibiting of her art work. A recent graduate of WLU she is an art instructor at both the Oglebay Institute Stifel Fine Arts Center and the Anchor after school program at Madison School. She has recently begun instructing workshops in watercolor at The Cat’s Paw Studio. This show is her first exhibition with so few artists. While Jes finds her art as a form of expression, many of her pieces of artwork have a mystical dreamy unformed quality to them. She paints things that make her smile and has “a passion for capturing the essence and beauty of the world around her”. Her paintings have a spontaneous quality that defies definition.

“Mike’s Pond” Lenora Turbanic

This show will be new work from the “older artists” as well as new work from the “new artist”. It will be a treat to the eye and imagination of the viewer who finishes every work of art in their mind and eye.

“Bandit” Jes Reger