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My Town Monday: Art in the Valley

By fromskilledhands ( October 20, 2008 at 5:19 pm) · Filed under Art, Artists, creativity, Cuyahoga Valley, My Town Monday, Peninsula

The arts have always been alive and well in the Village of Peninsula. And the Cuyahoga Valley is a beautiful place to see both natural and man-made art, to listen to music and to dance.

For the past 20 years, we have looked out our window at the Cuyahoga River, and have watched the seasons change. Nature has always influenced our work.

I have an affinity toward Oriental art—the proportions, the way all the design elements move through space, the sense of quiet. These tiles are carved from porcelain clay. After the first firing, colors are inlaid into the carved areas, the excess is removed, and the glaze is applied. These pieces often require multiple firings before they are ready to be framed.

This piece is called Of the Earth.

Silence
This piece is Silence.

The Peninsula Art Academy’s current exhibition is called Political Issues. With the November elections around the corner, and the travesty of the current administration’s policies impacting so many aspects of our lives, it is a timely show.

sign

Don
Don Getz’s collage, “Thanks John”

Stephanie Sibit’s acrylic painting is called “Do It For Liberty”

The Log Cabin Gallery is a wonderful place to explore local art in a lovely setting. Autumn Here and There is the current show. It features autumn-themed, traditional art with a funky, wily nily twist by local and regional artists as well as artists who now live away.

near
On the way to the Log Cabin Gallery.

art
A view of artwork inside the Log Cabin Gallery.

Celebrating the cultural legacy of the Cuyahoga Valley, the Heritage Series presents a variety of great lectures and music. There are contra-dances on the 4th Saturday and on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month.

The hills and valleys sing with the incredible beauty that is this Valley, named Cuyahoga for the crooked river that runs through it.
And in it is the Village of Peninsula, population 602, gently resisting change since 1837.

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I am proud to join the other My Town Monday Marauders in sharing our towns with you. MTM is the brainchild of Travis Erwin. Wander on over to his place, and see where it takes you. You’ll have a good time, and learn a bunch. Really.

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My Town Monday: Music in Our Town

By fromskilledhands ( September 14, 2008 at 5:56 pm) · Filed under Artists, Community, Craft, Cuyahoga Valley, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, My Town Monday, Peninsula

The Village of Peninsula, population 602, is the venue for some pretty amazing things. The Peninsula Art Academy, a not-for-profit organization promoting the Arts in the Village of Peninsula and throughout Northeast Ohio, has artists’ studios, a gallery, and classes and workshops. The 4th Saturday of every month, the PAA holds Blues Nights, an informal open mike jam for all levels of musicians interested in playing and learning the blues.

On Saturday, September 13, the PAA hosted the incredible guitarist Ernie Hawkins. Ernie conducted a workshop for 22 guitar enthusiasts in the afternoon, and played a concert at Peninsula’s beautiful GAR Hal in the evening. We had the opportunity to join the other lucky folks who experienced Ernie’s performance.

Here is a taste of Ernie’s artistry:

For train enthusiasts, and there are lots of those who come to my town, the sounds of train whistles and the wheels of the train on the tracks are another kind of music. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad will be celebrating steam engines from September 24-25, and 27-28th. There will be lots of opportunities to climb aboard!!!

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Travis Erwin is the conductor of the MTM train. You never know where My Town Monday will take you. Wander on over to Travis’ place and see what you find. You’ll have a good time and learn a lot. I promise. And in this election year, my promise is for real .

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Be Brave

By fromskilledhands ( September 12, 2008 at 10:37 pm) · Filed under Artists, Community, Craft, creativity, Discoveries, Musings

Over at Diary of a Self-Portrait, Jessie writes about her Be Brave Project. She quotes Eleanor Roosevelt:

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Interesting words.
To me, it includes:
being willing to stretch,
to expand our horizons and
to reach beyond our comfort zones;
to take chances;
to have faith in ourselves and in our processes.
It is
standing up for what, in our heart of hearts, we know as truth.
As artists, we grow as we explore our world, both inner and outer, through our work

What would you do each day?

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Yellow
Yellow Creek Trading Company

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My Town Monday: A Plethora of Pythons in Peninsula

By fromskilledhands ( July 21, 2008 at 3:53 pm) · Filed under Animals, Art, Artists, Community, Cuyahoga Valley, Giveaway, Hobos, My Town Monday, Peninsula, Peninsula Python, Python Festival

Our Python is at home in front of our studio/gallery. Designed and painted by artist Stephanie Margush, he—or she?— is resting comfortably, waiting for visitors.

The day of the python was a beautiful one in my town, the Village of Peninsula. Python imagery was everywhere, from the fronts of community buildings, to the library, to the front porches and yards of our residents. Take a look:

Dolly
Downtown Emporium

BikeShop
Century Cycles

GAR
GAR Hall

python

Park Place, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association’s store presented a host of activities and exhibits, including Noah:

Noah

Python Posse members were ready for action:

python

The story of the Peninsula Python was everywhere.

stone

Innkeeper George Hoy, of the beautiful Inn at
Brandywine Falls wrote a wonderful book which tells the story of the Python. George and his dog, Louie, were available as the CD was played in the Village.

Louie

The Python Parade was magnificent. Stretching 120 feet, from head to tail, the people-powered python proceeded up Main Street, climbing the hill to Riverview Road and turning south toward the Peninsula Library and Historical Society. This was a great place for the python to park, since the mural commemorating the Peninsula Python is part of the Library.

Larry's

python

inside

python

Much has been said and written about small towns and the spirit that makes them what they are. You kind of know that it’s the right place to be, and that it’s home. The Village of Peninsula, population 602; gently resisting change since 1837.

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You can join the latest member of the Posse, Terrie Farley Moran,and her cohorts: Sam, Travis, Barrie, and Eryl, (Post a comment, suggest a name for the first python, and I’ll enter you in the Python Posse Giveaway–and you could win cool stuff, too!)
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My Town Monday is the product of the vivid imagination of Travis Erwin. Click on over there and read what he has to say about his home town of Amarillo, Texas. Then check out the blogs of the other My Town Marauders.

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Of Animals, Gardens and Art

By fromskilledhands ( July 8, 2008 at 12:39 pm) · Filed under Animals, Art, Artists, Clay, Craft, creativity, Cuyahoga Valley, Gardens

Besides her family, Cuyahoga Valley artist Pat Raeder’s main interests are animals and gardening. She considers herself lucky because she gets to play with dirt all year long. Each has its season: from the middle of August through Thanksgiving, and into the new year, Pat works with clay. In April, she begins the design process for her incredibly beautiful gardens.

The Jungle Series has developed over time; Pat worked on sketches for the series for many months. This group of pieces gave Raeder the opportunity to “stretch” as an artist: the pieces are more complex than those she has done in the past, and she has used more color. When I look at the work, I see a range of forms, each with it’s own character. Some are whimsical, some more serious; all have personalities and a story to tell.

Jungle Fruit
Stoneware clay, decorated with underglazes; on wood base
12″ x 12″ x 22″

Synchronicity is an interesting thing. Although Pat had taken a sculpture class in art school, she didn’t focus on clay. About 35 years ago, Pat Raeder’s husband was given a potter’s wheel and a kiln. He gave it to Pat for Christmas, and they put it in their basement. Teaching herself to throw on the potter’s wheel, Pat’s work slowly improved. But throwing wasn’t her main interest. She began to notice other potters’ work, and the variety of styles and techniques. Finding her niche in hand building, Pat has made jewelry, garden art, animals and this series. The repetition involved in producing the work over many years is a process of study and refinement, so that the artist’s hands and heart know what to do. Pat said that once she started thinking about the Jungle Series, new ideas “kept popping.” I am glad they did.

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