The following dates have been identified for the 2019 MCAL Fall Workshops. We realize you all have busy schedules and hope you can join us for one or both of these events. Details are still being worked out and we will pass them along as soon as they become available. So far here is what we know: Saturday, October 5th, Hydrastone/Colored Pencil by William Peck Saturday, November 2nd, Art & Business by Mary Urbas of Lakeland CC Please realize these are still in the planning stages and dates may change. So for now save the dates and check back soon!

Chair - Darell Kent Location - Cool Beans Cafe, 103 W Liberty St, Medina, OH 44256 "Celebrating Spring" That is a great thought for all of us, and it is also the theme of the first showing of this season at Cool Beans Cafe in downtown Medina. We hope everyone can make their way there to see the colorful Spring art by our members Alice Hauser, Maria Leysons, Darrell Kent, Richard Franta, Annette Miller, Cheryl Mikula, Lou McCulloch, and Chris Kelly. Keep Celebrating!

A huge thank you to Angela and Russ Huston for covering the event in their article at MedinaCountyLife.com. A summary is included below. The full article can be read here. "The 35th Annual Visual Art Festival Reception and Award Presentations were held March 18, at Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital Medical Office Building. Participating students entered their work into one of three categories. A panel of judges selected first, second, third, and honorable mention winners in each category. The judges chose the winners based on their technical excellence in a chosen media, consistency in the work, and a distinct 'voice' carried throughout. The first category, the "Continuing Art Education Scholarship," is open to county high school seniors who have declared a major and will be attending college in the fall. These entrants present a portfolio of their work, similar to a graduating art major in college who is required to hold a senior show. Scholarships are given by the Medina County Art League, which holds a raffle of donated artwork from its members at the Art in the Park event held annually on the third Sunday in July. The scholarship winners in this category were: First Place ($1,000), Diana Rice, Cloverleaf High School; Second Place, ($700), Sophie Schrubb, Highland High School; Third Place ($550), Franklin Vallant, Cloverleaf High School, ; and Honorable Mention ($350), Maxfield Goettler, Highland High School. The winners in the second category, for non-scholarship entries who did not have to be seniors and who did not have to declare college majors, were: First Place, Charlie Reed, Cloverleaf High School. Second, Third, and Honorable Mention were all from Highland High School, respectively: Sarah Pleasant, Alexa Sir Louis, and Ryan Chema. The winners in the third category, Individual (requiring no porftolio) were: First Place, Kristin Curran, Highland High School, for "Salute;" Second Place Kristin Mullen, Highland High School, for "Trapped in the Cold;" Third Place Laura Miles, Brunswick High School, for "Light or Dark;" and Honorable Mention, Kailey Sandor, Highland High School, for "Shades."" Thank you from the Medina County Art League to all who participated and more importantly provided funding for the scholarships to support these young men and women in their educational pursuits. Additional photos of the event can be found at this link.

Medina County Art League 2019 Spring Workshop With Guest Artists April Couch Saturday, March 30, 2019 - 10 am to 4 pm Zentangle a Wooden Bowl Workshop description: In this class, you will learn how to paint, sand and buff a wood bowl to prepare it for drawing.  You will then learn the Zentangle method of drawing which we will then apply to the bowl.  Finally,  you will learn to seal the bowl to protect your drawing. There is a $15 materials cost per person, payable on day of class directly to April Couch, which will include the bowl, paints, varnish, a brush and a pen. About April Couch: Wife, Mom, Artist. Fine line, Zentangle inspired art drawn on many different mediums. Creating art for everyday living. facebook.com/TotallyTangledCreations I started doing this about seven years ago. And it came about as a result of my not being able to really focus or stay awake at church. I realized that church was the only place that I had to sit and listen and not doodle. If I’m on the phone I’m doodling, if I’m just watching TV I’m doodling. I realized that I kind of have a mind-to-hand connection, I need to be moving my hand for me to focus and to have clarity. And then soon after that, I just started doodling in my notes at church, I’d be taking notes on the sermon, then I’d just doodle around the page. I walked into Pat Catan’s and I just saw this book and it said “Zentangle” and it looked just like the doodles I had been doing. So it just gave me an organized way of doodling. And once I figured that out, I joined a zentangle club, I went to a beginning class. And the instructor was like, “What are you doing here?” And I said, “I came to take the class.” She said, “You don’t need this class.” So we had our first art show of the group, and I submitted 12 pieces and by the time I got there 11 of the 12 had sold. Literally, I stood there and started crying in the middle of the floor and I was like, “I figured out what I want to do when I grow up! I wanna draw, I want to be an artist!” I could have gone to art school, I actually had opportunities for art scholarships and decided to go into business instead. Therefore, at age 43 I officially, I guess, entered the art world and started trying to sell my art. It’s just grown and grown and grown since then.

Michael Situ is a nationally recognized and award winning artist in the United States. He will be conducting workshops in Cleveland on March 22-23. Details in the image below.

6th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition Online Submissions Due: March 20, 2019 Opening Reception: April 5, 6-9pm, Awards @7pm See PDF for Additional Details

A huge thanks to Karen Martin for sharing her incredibly emotional story of how she began sculpting dogs. She explained her process and dealings with the foundry she uses to create her bronze sculptures. She also discussed how the sculpting process has made her a better painter and has helped her see her subjects in a different way. Thanks again Karen for sharing with us!