Hello all Northeast Ohio Plein Air Artists, Here are the current details on this year’s Northeast Ohio Plein Air Festival. This year’s event has been greatly expanded. We will be able to paint anywhere in the region between October 1, 2021, and October 23, 2021. On Saturday, October 23rd we will come together for one afternoon of submission, judging, awards, and reception. There will be a 2-hour window to register and submit your art from 10 am until noon. Go get yourself a nice lunch in the area while we jury, judge, and hang the show. The open reception and viewing with the award ceremony will be from 2 pm until 5. I am very excited to share with you that we have a gallery space to exhibit and sell our participating art. It is the Julliard 3rd Space Art Gallery in Canton, Ohio, at 600 Market Avenue, Canton, OH 44702. It has been great working with Kathy Pugh and she and the board have lowered their commission from sales from 30% to 20% for our event and for the exhibition period thru November 24th, 2021. There will be a registration process and fee this year so that we can build a kitty for future events and keep this event growing. Artists can submit 2 works for a $30 fee and $10 for additional qualifying art. We will try to make registration forms available online before the event. All art should be framed and ready to hang ON A CENTRAL D-RING, this allows us to accept and hang more art. If submissions exceed the available space we will jury in the top 40 or so pieces and artists can take home any unaccepted art the same day. There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes awarded to the top art as selected from this year’s judge. Kathy has arranged for a judge this year who is a prominent art collector from this area. Unsold art can be retrieved on Saturday, November 27th from 9-11 am or Tuesday, November 30th from 3-6 pm, or by special arrangements with Kathy Pugh. Please share these details with other artists and artists groups. We want to make this the area's largest plein air season wrap-up event for all of you for years to come. Early sponsors include Streamline Publishing, Plein Air Magazine, Dick Blick Art Materials, 3rd Space Gallery, and Julliard Art Center. More details will be available on the NEO Plein Air Groups Facebook page as they become known. https://www.facebook.com/groups/658500458205853

Harvest for the Arts Fundraiser by Medina County Arts Council Grace Zay, an active MCAL Member, founder of the first Art in the Park (1973), and organizer of the first Art League Scholarship Fund will be honored with a Service to the Arts award on Thursday, September 23 at 6:30 pm at the Buffalo Creek Retreat. Please visit the MCAC website (www.medinacountyartscouncil.org) for additional information and tickets. We would love to have our Medina County Art League members out to support her and her lifetime of efforts!

Since the opening of the art league Art Center in the fall of1979, the members were pleased to have one designated place to hold their monthly meetings, sponsor workshops, and hold spring and fall art exhibits to interest the community in the arts. The Art Center became a “ Teaching Wing” of the art league. We held a class for children and adults in drawing, oil, acrylic, and watercolor painting. Also, calligraphy, lead glass, and photography. These classes provided an art experience for the community. Qualified art league instructors were encouraged by the number of registrations and the well-attended classes. According to the treasurer’s report on file, the Art Center was self-supporting during this time. In the early part of 1980, class registration dropped due to unemployment and inflation. Then came a rental fee increase, phone, postage, and utility expenses and it became too costly to stay there. The board voted not to extend the lease. In June 1984, the lease termination was signed by then-president Max Brent. A security deposit of $300 was deposited in the art league account. The equipment and supplies we had amassed were then stored in member’s garages or barns and in a storage locker. The artists were able to exhibit at Art in the Park, after submitting slides of their work and being accepted. In 1985 the library offered space for children’s art classes and art league exhibits. Monthly meetings were then held at the Nichols Building for $15.00 a month. After a few years, the Grace Drake Theater was available for use for our meetings. Currently, we have our monthly meetings at the AI Root Community Room. Our workshops are also held there. Respectfully submitted, Grace Zay

We paint from 9 am until noonish (or whenever you want to finish). Please bring your face mask. What if it rains? I look outside at 8 am and if it’s not raining (and the wind is not so strong that it would knock over an easel), then I go painting. Please be aware, there may not be washrooms at all locations. Protect yourself from the sun and keep hydrated...bring a hat and water to drink. Wednesday, May 7, 2021.....Seiberling Nature Realm, 1828 Smith Road, Akron. (our traditional first location of the season), Located at the southern end of the Cuyahoga Valley. Eastside of the Cuyahoga River. Please meet in the parking lot. The Nature Realm offers several ponds, ravines, Nature Center with deck, walking paths, wetlands, prairie, asphalt paths, birds, and more. Wednesday, May 12, 2021.....Buckeye Woods Park, 6335 Wedgewood Rd (Rt 162), Lafayette Township, Medina. The entrance is 0.5 miles east of Rt 42. Three-acre pond, bridge, asphalt path, wooded hiking trails. Wednesday, May 19, 2021.....Richfield Heritage Preserve, 4374 Broadview Rd, Richfield 44286 (the entrance is just to the south of the Richfield Giant Eagle. Pass the little office to the end of the drive. No cars are permitted to drive through the property. The road to the north of the parking area leads to several buildings, one with an expanse of lawn that overlooks the lake. Further up the road are streams, smaller buildings and the path continues around the lake. Richfield Heritage Preserve is a 336-acre hidden treasure located in Richfield, Ohio. The place has quite a history and I encourage you to explore what has happened there over time: https://www.friendsofcrowellhilaka.org/#/ Wednesday, May 26, 2021.....Plum Creek North, 2390 Plum Creek Parkway, Brunswick Hills. Picturesque pond surrounded by lush greenery and wonderful reflections. Small deck overlooks water. Walking paths, tall dark evergreen trees. Wednesday, June 2, 2021.....Cascade Locks/Mustill Store Museum, 57 W. North Street, Akron. Built during 1826 and 1827, the Cascade Locks became the site of the city’s first industrial valley. The same topography that presented an obstacle for the canal builders provided waterpower for a string of industries that soon lined the canal. This new village, founded by Dr. Eliakim Crosby, with the help of Simon Perkins, was called Cascade. It later became what we now call North Akron. The restored Mustill Store dates back to 1847 and is one of the oldest buildings in Akron. Now a museum; opens at 10 am. Please see the website for directions: https://cascadelocks.org/mustill-store.php Wednesday, June 9, 2021.....River Styx Park, 8200 River Styx Road, Wadsworth, Ohio 44281. Located near the intersection of Blake Rd and River Styx Rd. in Guilford Township. A .5-mile paved loop trail circles the three-acre pond found at this site and passes through a wooded area. The pond is fed by a unique aeration tower. The park district periodically stocks this pond for family fishing enjoyment with largemouth bass; bluegill; some channel catfish; and, in the spring and fall, rainbow trout. A daylily garden donated by the River Styx Garden Club provides a splash of color along the trail during the summer months. Park overlooks some farmland. Wednesday, June 16, 2021......TO BE ANNOUNCED Wednesday, June 23, 2021.....Hinkley Lake (either paint at Boat House or at the Spillway...your choice. Parking at both locations. Bounded by Bellus Rd to the north, State Rd to the east, and Rt 606 to the west. Hinkley Township, part of the Cleveland Metropark system. The lake impounds 87 surface acres of water on the east branch of the Rocky River which makes it the largest inland lake in Cleveland Metroparks. The parking lot is on the east side of the lake with an entrance drive on Bellus Rd. for the spillway. Another option where we have set up many times is at the Boathouse area, off the driveway that runs on the west side of the lake. Wednesday, June 30, 2021......Ledges Overlook, 405 Truxell Rd, Peninsula 44264. Within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, just east of Kendall Lake. This is probably the most popular overlook in the park and for good reason. This rock outcropping gives an unobstructed view across the valley facing west. From the parking lot, walk to the southwest corner of the grass field (the shelter is north of the parking lot). Sunsets offer some of the most impressive photos. This will give you a chance to paint giant old glacial boulders. Then there’s the view.

Fellow Plein Air Painters: We have been invited by the Historic Zoar Village organization to paint at Zoar as their guests at Zoar Maifest, Saturday, May 8, 9:30-4:00. As Plein air artists in action, we will of course be part of the day's entertainment, and in return, we will receive a free lunch and passes to the Zoar museums. There will be German food, music and dancing, and a vintage car show, all part of the Maifest. Check-in at the Zoar Store for your lunch ticket and museum passes. The event starts at 10:00 but I would recommend getting there around 9:30 to set up. Parking will be at the end of 3rd Street or at the Zoar Hotel Parking lot. All the museum buildings will be open, so the public will be everywhere and artists are welcome to set up wherever. The main hub will be around the Garden but there are many good painting subjects throughout this town that has a friendly village at atmosphere. (The center garden is now brimming with decorative plants and flowers, but originally it was the town's community vegetable garden, and its original greenhouse has been preserved, just one of many 'paint-able subjects' in Zoar.) Zoar is a National Historic Landmark that was settled in1817 as a communal society by German Separatists who had left Germany in search of religious freedom. Their religion emphasized simple low key ceremonies with more of an emphasis on a personal, mystical relationship with God Also, hope to see folks coming out for our first Plein Air paint out of this season....this coming Wednesday, May 5, 2020, at the Seiberling Nature Realm. Let's keep our fingers crossed it won't rain! And another group Northeast Ohio Plein Air has a Facebook Group with dates this summer. Get out and enjoy the summer weather: https://www.facebook.com/groups/457627509002632

where MCAL members practice their life drawing skills Want to practice your human figure drawing skills at home? Visit the MCAL Facebook page and learn about the online version of Open Studio. You can practice drawing/painting the human figure in your own home with our model photographs that are available on the MCAL Facebook page. We have a new model each month to use in practicing your drawing skills. When you have finished your drawing/painting, photograph it, and then send in a .jpg of your artwork to have it posted on the MCAL Facebook page. See the MCAL Facebook page for details. Photos from the current Open Studio at Home session:

Get out those paints, pencils, camera, etc. and put this down time to use improving your artistic skills. You have had lots of ideas for new art projects. This virus has given you the opportunity to actually work on them without distractions.

Chair - George Harth Location - Marie's Cafe, 117 Public Square, Medina, OH 44256 Marie’s Café art exhibit - Cancelled until further notice

Grace Zay is our Artist in the Spotlight Grace Zay has been a shining light in the Medina County arts community since she and her husband, Arthur, moved to Medina in 1952. As a member of the Medina County Art League, she organized the first Medina County Art Scholarship fundraising benefit in 1971. In 1973, she helped to found the first Art in the Park show and market-- a mid-July event that now brings thousands of visitors to the Medina square each year. Grace loved to paint since she was young, and so she took lessons from Medina County artists Franklin Bates and Frederick Graff. In the early 1970s, Grace was asked to design the cover of St. Francis Xavier’s church cookbook. She produced pen-and-ink sketches of several notable buildings around the Medina square for the cover and additional sketches inside the book. In the 1970s, she designed a series of Medina plates as a fundraiser for Welcome Wagon and a series of metal Christmas -- “Ornaments of Hope” -- for Easter Seals. Those plates and ornaments still hang in homes all around Medina, and can be seen in the John Smart House museum run by the Medina County Historical Society. Grace’s artwork has appeared as notecards, on the bulletins of St. Francis Church, and on advertisements for the Bruce Block Realty Company. Medina artist Grace Zay helped found the city's annual Art in the Park. This is a watercolor painting she created of the first show, in 1973. Grace is a life member of the Whiskey Painters of America. She received the Medina County Women of Distinction award in 1993 and the Medina County Historical Society’s highest honor, the Northrop Award, in 2006. (Edited from an original article by Mary Jane Brewer.)

As you may have read in the President's Message, we would like to try as a group to have an art challenge! Each month I will present a theme. MCAL Members will make art according to that theme, submit them to me via email and we will feature those pieces digitally online. Octobers Theme: “Fall in Medina” (Send 1 submission to me at vincent@studiodraco.com with the header “MCAL Challenge”. Be sure to include in the email, Artists Name, Title of Piece, Medium, Website or other pertinent info. Please send .jpg or .png file formats please. One piece per member will be posted. No artwork sales will be conducted thru the MCAL website.) October 2019 Challenge Gallery

Greetings MCAL Members! Hard to believe that it is October already! The weather is beginning to change, the leaves are beginning to turn colors and whispers of the holidays can even be heard if you listen close enough. I personally love this season as it presents us as artists so many moments of inspiration. From a beautifully colored tree to a tender moment with family members inspiration is all around us. Keep your eyes open and your sketchbooks near for your next opportunity. A new thing I would like to try as a group is an art challenge! Each month I will present a theme. MCAL Members will make art according to that theme, submit them to me via email and we will feature those pieces digitally online. Octobers Theme: “Fall in Medina” (Send 1 submission to me at vincent@studiodraco.com with the header “MCAL Challenge”. Be sure to include in the email, Artists Name, Title of Piece, Medium, Website or other pertinent info. Please send .jpg or .png file formats please. One piece per member will be posted. No artwork sales will be conducted thru the MCAL website.) In other news, I would like to thank Carol Kessel for organizing the two fall workshops for the Art League this year. The first which was a wonderful event was Hydrostone with Bill Peck in September. He expanded his talk from last year at our General Meeting and showed us all the nuances of working with hydrostone as a surface for colored pencils. Members who attended crafted some absolutely beautiful work. As I write this message, we are eagerly awaiting the October Workshop which will feature Mary Urbas, who will be teaching us about how to improve the business aspect of our artwork. Thanks again Carol for bringing us great educational opportunities. Our exhibitions continue to excel and provide opportunities for all of our members to show (and maybe even sell) work. In no particular order, we are grateful to have local businesses such as Cool Beans and Marie’s Cafe support the work we do. The current exhibit at Cool Beans feature’s artwork of the theme “Show Me Some Water”, and Marie’s Cafe features the artwork of Karen Martin. Please stop by and see the exhibits if you have time. As you all know, we lost a couple of venues last year. The Board is hard at work discussing this topic and looking for new venues to show our work. If anyone has suggestions or would like to Chair a new venue, please see Kathy or I. We have one in the works and hopefully will get some ideas for more here soon. I want to congratulate all of our members who are creating great work and showing it out in the public. Our website has several news articles congratulating members who are winning awards and having wonderful shows over the last few months. For example, Barbera Zimmerman won “Best of Category” at the CVAC Juried show and the PerSisters, which comprises of many MCAL artists have a show at the Medina County Library. Keep up the wonderful work everyone! If you visit the shows, put it on Instagram or facebook. Don’t forget to mention MCAL. I also wanted to touch base on the technology initiatives that I mentioned last month. I am happy to say that we are beginning to look at solutions for collecting Art in the Park applications online, and I am developing an Online Gallery for Members to submit artwork for display. More info will be forthcoming on those and other initiatives we are working on in the near future. Finally, sometimes our business meetings run longer than expected, particularly at our first meeting of the year. Our apologies to our new visitors and guests for such a long meeting. To help with this in the future, perhaps the guests that are just coming to hear the speaker could come about 30 to 40 mins. later. We love having guests and we want them to feel most welcome to our meetings. Until next month, get out there and make some art for yourself and/or our New Challenge! Vince Matheney and Kathy Stokes-Shafer Co-Presidents, Medina County Art League

Medina County Art League member Annette Carruthers - Clayful Art by Annette will be participating in this wonderful holiday show that benefits the Akron Zoo which will be held on Thursday December 5th from 4 - 7:30 pm. She will have a variety of animal gifts and ornaments created with polymer clay. Admission is Free!