Clara Fritzsche Library Presents

Northcoast Impressions:
works created in the “open air” around Cleveland
by Plein Air Painters, Cleveland

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio- 20 June 2005 - Notre Dame College’s Clara Fritzsche Library will host “Northcoast Impressions,” an exhibit of works done “in the open air” by Plein Air Painters, Cleveland. Through the months of May and June this group of artists visited the scenic Notre Dame campus to capture images of the grounds and buildings on canvas. These works plus other scenes of the Greater Cleveland area will be included in the exhibit, which will be part of South Euclid Fun Day, an opportunity for people to explore various institutions in the City of South Euclid scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 30th. The exhibit is being coordinated by Betty Kovacs, a two-year member of Plein Air Painters, Cleveland and a member of the Ohio Plein Air Painters Society.

Plein Air Painters, Cleveland was formed in 2003 by Alix Hallman Travis to celebrate painting on site from life with others who share that challenge and enthusiasm. The group of artists gathers every Monday morning at various locations ranging from the Flats and the Westside Market to Little Italy and North Chagrin Reservation. Painting en plein air involves painting from direct observation in nature utilizing natural light from outdoors or painting the directly observed subject matter from shelter. One such indoor vantage point that provides an ever-changing variety of objects, shapes and lights is the windows from Great Lakes Resources at the intersection of East 55th Street and Broadway, whose owners Mark Jablonski and Jay Romer allow members to use their third floor office to paint street scenes. The natural elements (sun, wind, cold, etc.) and the ever-moving light on a subject offer a unique challenge and necessitate working quickly. Rapid brush strokes are characteristic of the method and watercolor is often the medium of choice for this reason, although oils are also used. The French Impressionists often worked outdoors and there are similarities in subject matter and technique.

Travis, a retired librarian who worked at the Cleveland Public Schools’ Miles Park Elementary School, studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art. She continues her artistic development by taking workshops from artists who share her passion for painting from life and en plein air. Travis is active in many artists’ groups and is a charter member of the Ohio Plein Air Society. She has exhibited widely in juried art shows at the local, regional and national level, with her works appearing in shows in Chagrin Falls, Chardon and Columbus, Ohio and Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Collectors from Westport, Connecticut, Ithaca and New York, New York, Gaithersburg, Maryland, Cleveland, Ohio and Oak Park, Illinois have added works by Travis to their collections.

The exhibit will also feature work by Notre Dame College alumna Toni Fiderio (NDC ’72). An accomplished watercolorist, Fiderio has exhibited before at the college in its juried All-College art shows, receiving numerous awards, and as one of the exhibitors in “A Trio of Watercolorists,” hosted by Notre Dame College’s Art Department. She was an instructor at the School of Fine Arts in Willoughby and has also taught art classes at her alma mater. This summer Fiderio will be teaching watercolor painting at Notre Dame College.

The exhibit will run from July 7th through August 31st, 2005. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, July 7th from 7 to 9 p.m. The event is free and refreshments will be served. Call for summer hours. For more information, contact Karen Zoller at 216-373-5267.