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Historic Bear’s Mill
Vibrant paintings and art books on display at Bear’s Mill

Cincinnati artist Donna Talerico who celebrates the shapes and patterns of color and light in her work will display her vibrant paintings alongside fascinating art books created by Judith Serling-Sturm at the next “Art at the Mill” exhibit which opens in the Clark Gallery on Friday, July 26 and continues through Sunday, August 25. An opening night reception offering finger food and drinks from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. will feature the artists briefly sharing information about their work, methods and inspiration at 7 p.m. “Art at the Mill,” curated by Jan Roestamadji and Julie Clark, is free and open to the public.

“Both of these women are wonderful and interesting artists,” Ms. Clark said, pointing out that Judith Serling-Strum’s work is about much more than making pretty books, and often offers thought-provoking insight into current and historical events and the preservation of the natural world. Ms. Roestamadji adds that although the artists were paired in this exhibit simply because both come from Cincinnati, the evocative paintings of Donna Talerico are delightfully complemented by the unique and diverse artist books created by Ms. Serling-Strum, making for an exciting collaboration that should inspire viewers to enhance their own homes with a purchase from this exhibit.

In the work of Judith Serling-Sturm, binding techniques, book structure, materials and content are equal players in the communication of an idea. Among the works to be exhibited at the Mill are handmade blank books with a myriad of exposed binding techniques, as well as several nature-based artist books. “’Earth’s Beauty,’ without text, glorifies the gifts of the earth using materials dug from its core, grown from its richness, and created from its bounty, while ‘Vanishing Rainforest’ is a visual warning about what is happening to our planet,” the artist explains. Papers handmade from native plants and mounted on a fallen tree branch are used in “Woodland Wanderings, which also contains “gifts dropped to the ground by mother nature and by humans.”

After spending twenty years working in black and white as a fashion illustrator, Donna Talerico’s life as an artist turned to color in 1998 after attending an inspirational workshop in France. Bold color and gestural brush strokes inhabit her paintings, as she explores the borderland between representational and abstraction. Her abstract and figurative art portrays streetscapes, landscapes, and more, much of it inspired by her love of France inspired by the remembrances of her maternal grandmother, who had emigrated from Luxembourg as a World War I war bride. The fluid style employed by the artist infuses her work with energy, infusing all her scenes with life, creating dynamic and joyous images that transport the viewer to the observed site.

The colorful paintings on rusting sheets of metal created by nationally recognized artist Mike Elsass, along with imaginative steel sculptures created by Loveland, Ohio resident Leslie Lehr Daly remain on view in the Clark Gallery through Sunday, July 21. Owned and operated by Friends of Bear’s Mill, the historic mill is located at 6450 Arcanum-Bear's Mill Road about 5 miles east of Greenville. “Art At the Mill” is funded in part by a grant from Darke County Endowment for the Arts, and can be viewed during regular Mill store hours. Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, contact Bear's Mill at 937-548-5112 or www.bearsmill.org.


 
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