By Phyllis Sigal
It’s been a whirlwind few months of creating, teaching, collaborating and getting to know Wheeling. And now, the three artists-in-residence at Stifel Fine Arts Center are focused on an end-of-term exhibition of their work.
Ceramic tiles, encaustic art creations, oil paintings and stained glass will line the hallway just outside the Banquet View Rooms at Oglebay’s Wilson Lodge from June 20-30, as a final wrap-up of the artists’ experiences in Wheeling.
“As visual artists, it’s always good to share your work,” said Rick Morgan, director of Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center. “The exhibition is a perfect opportunity for that … good for their portfolios and a good resume builder for an artist. It will help to showcase all they’ve been doing for the past three months in one beautiful little package,” he added.
Meet the artists and see and purchase their freshly created works of art at an opening reception, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, June 20, in the high-traffic space just beyond the Skyline Kitchen and Bar.
The Creators
Artists Freddie Bainbridge, Terra Leone and Ellie Stanislav, who started their residence at Stifel Fine Arts Center earlier this spring, will share what they’ve been working on with the public.
• Bainbridge: Encaustic artist creating textured, layered wax artworks, some adorned with jewels, dried flowers or bits of paper.
• Leone: Mixed media artist exploring stained glass, oil paintings and digital art, including innovative techniques combining traditional and digital methods.
• Stanislav: Ceramic artist specializing in whimsical bug tiles, floral ceramics and large-scale ceramic mosaics inspired by nature.
Hot Wax and Blow Torches
Encaustic artist Bainbridge will offer at least half a dozen pieces for sale in a variety of sizes. His art ranges from small works under a foot to pieces as big as 36 inches by 46 inches. He also creates artist’s proofs and limited edition prints from his originals.
In the encaustic process, molten wax and pigments, with the addition of dried flowers, crystals, photographs, pieces of twine, patterned paper and imagination converge for a magical end product. Seeing is believing.
One piece he created during the early days of the residency, titled “Sunrise Sunset,” depicts “a quiet moment suspended in time,” he said. The piece blends smooth and textured encaustic wax over a photograph Bainbridge shot. “The scene invites the viewer to step inside — where light hovers on the horizon and it’s impossible to tell if the day is just beginning or gracefully ending. A meditation on ambiguity, beauty, and the in-between,” he said of the piece, which will be on display at Oglebay.
Along with the works at the June exhibition, Bainbridge will have some pieces for sale at the Garden Market for the Secret Gardens Tour on Saturday, June 14, on the walkways near the Mansion Museum at Oglebay.
Mixing Media
Leone set her sights on learning a completely new skill: the art of stained-glass, which she has added to the multitude of media in which she works. And talk about mixed media: she creates different versions of the same subject in different ways.
First, she makes a pattern — a sketch version — for a stained-glass piece in the Procreate application on her iPad. Then, she creates a stained-glass piece from the pattern. Finally, she paints the stained-glass creation in oils on an aluminum panel. Also, in Procreate she creates a time-lapse version of the work.
She will share her oils and stained-glass creations at the exhibition.
Working the Bugs Out
Ceramicist Stanislav has created a bug mold, a whimsical creature based on the tansy beetle. As part of her creative process, she’s been experimenting with different glazes for her tiles.
She’s planning to display various tile arrangements of the bugs, including “a larger version with 16 bug tiles within frame tiles as well as some smaller arrangements with framed singular tiles,” she explained. “Garden Party” is the title of her bug pieces.
A series of magnolias and black-eyed Susan tiles, “Magnolia, Transplanted,” will be at the exhibition, as well.
One of her latest creations is a mold for a coontail tile — a coontail is an underwater grass. These, as well as dragonfly tiles, will be at the exhibition.
Collaborations
One major benefit of the Stifel artists-in-residence program is the opportunity for collaboration.
Artist banter inspired several pieces of art.
Many of Bainbridge’s pieces start with a photograph of an architectural feature. Leone has created an oil over acrylic piece from one of those photographs in vibrant blues, greens and purples.
Stanislav hopes to make a tile based on one of Bainbridge’s encaustic pieces.
Look for that creative play and much more at the June exhibition, showcasing the three artists’ work.
Event Details
•Opening reception: 5:30-6:30 p.m. June 20
• Location: Outside the Banquet View Rooms at Oglebay’s Wilson Lodge
• Exhibition Dates: June 20-30