Florida’s Flora and Fauna:
Oil and Acrylic Paintings by Toni Rash
South Euclid, Ohio —12 June, 2009 - Notre Dame College’s Clara Fritzsche Library will host “Florida’s Flora and Fauna,” an exhibition of oil and acrylic paintings by accomplished local artist Toni Rash. A favorite subject of Rash’s has always been wildlife and its preservation within the ecosystems. The show will reflect these interests and includes florals and portraits of wildlife found in the southeastern sector of the United States, particularly in the state of Florida.
A 1964 graduate of Notre Dame College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Rash also holds a Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from Cleveland State University. Her career in art began many years prior to attending Notre Dame College. While in elementary school, beginning with kindergarten, her teachers took note of her artistic ability, particularly when she drew her first portrait of the Breck shampoo girl in the 1950s from a photo in a magazine. Since then, Rash has excelled in portraiture and studied with noted Cleveland Institute of Art portrait instructor Hose Cintron at the Willoughby School of Fine Arts. Rash displays a versatility in her output and enjoys all genres, including wildlife, florals and landscapes. She also paints in a variety of media, including oils, acrylics, watercolor and graphite or pencil.
The prolific Rash has exhibited widely and she has been the subject of a variety of newspaper articles which feature her various one-woman art exhibits in numerous local and regional libraries, art shows, art galleries and Florida plein aire art fests on the Gulf Coast. Rash’s works have garnered numerous awards and hang in private collections across the country. Rash’s showing of “Slovenian Landscapes” has been exhibited at several Slovenian art shows and cultural events. One Slovenian family enjoyed these works so much that they purchased an entire series of these landscapes to display in their home. For the last four to five years, Rash has participated in the Charlotte County Fair’s Art Exhibition in Port Charlotte, Florida, winning “Best of Show” for two years, first and second place ribbons for her oil paintings, watercolors and acrylic renditions in the various categories. Locally, Rash has participated in exhibits at Lakeland Community College, Lake Farmparks, Penitentiary Glen and various art galleries in northeast Ohio.
In addition to her artistic endeavors, Rash also writes poetry and has had several poems published in local and national newspapers and anthologies. One poem entitled “Ode to President Carter” is part of the collection of the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Her poem “Pen to Paper” was included in Poetic Possibilities: Using Poetry to Enhance Literacy Learning edited by Susan Israel and published by the International Reading Association. Another poem, “Sunset Drama,” was published in Voices of Cleveland: A Poetic Anthology, Cleveland State University Poetry Center, 1996. Rash often accompanies her floral and animal studies on display with some of her poetic works relating to nature themes, as she plans to do in this show.
The exhibit is free and open to the public and will run from July 16 through August 31, 2009. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, July 16th from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit may be viewed during library hours: (July 16-August 7) Monday-Tuesday 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sunday CLOSED. For August hours or more information about the show, check the library web site at www.NotreDameCollege.edu/library/ or contact Karen Zoller at 216-373-5267. |
