Ashtabula Arts Center News

“Growing up, I received a strong foundation in the arts at The Ashtabula Arts Center. I danced with Janyce Hyatt, threw pots with Corinne Lloyd, played piano with Muriel Whistler, learned to draw from Ray Koski, participated in Puppet Theater, performed in Straw Hat Theatre and well, I did just about everything you could imagine from 1960 to the early 70's. I attended Harbor High School my freshman year and then finished my last three years at Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts. During my college years at The College of Wooster, I studied studio art with George Olson.

“I like to paint loose and free. Movement, mood and dynamics are the most important aspects of a painting for me. A good painting will catch the viewer off balance, wake them up a bit and set them imagining - what is happening here? Paint on paper becomes more than the sum of its parts when breath and story and spirit come together in strong, fluid brush strokes of playful discovery, supported by attention to composition, light and color.

“Growing up along the banks of Lake Erie in Ashtabula my wild place was always the beach. The big oak tree, the lift bridge, the view of the harbor, the railroad yards, quiet tide pools, the scent of rain before a storm, sitting on the pier watching the moon rise, sailing... these are the blood-memory landmarks of my childhood. The lake expresses many moods in its many seasons. The abstract frozen ice caps of winter's crust melts into spring storms, then summer's warm sun, followed by November's howling menace. How to paint one gray sky as it is? I no longer live beside the lake, but every trip back, I always reserve a few quiet hours to go walk the beach alone. My paintings in one way or another speak to my circle of quiet. I hope you find something in them that speaks to yours. “Great Lake” is a tribute to my family and the community that raised me. My currency of memory I spend on you with humble gratitude.”

On display April 4 - 29

The Ashtabula Arts Center gallery will be filled from wall to wall with the inspiring artworks of area students during April’s annual Kiwanis Competition. Over the years, this annual exhibit has become a favorite with visitors of the Arts Center. The competition, for students of the Ashtabula Area Schools, Saints John and Paul and the Buckeye Schools in grades 7-12, was established over 20 years ago by the Ashtabula Kiwanis Club as a way to encourage and recognize outstanding talent and achievement in the visual arts. Teachers are asked to submit the best of their students’ works to the competition. Entries are judged and scholarships are awarded which allow winners to register for a class of their choice at the Arts Center. The cost of the classes is paid for by a grant from the Kiwanis Club of Ashtabula. Over 300 scholarships have been awarded in the history of this competition. The benefits of this type of recognition program can be far-reaching. Many winners have gone on to receive scholarships to study art or a related field in college. All have had the benefit of having their excellence recognized and rewarded. All entries will be on display in the gallery. Stop in to view this exciting show and see just how many talented students we have living in our community! Admission is free.

Gallery hours: Mon. - Thurs. 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. The gallery is also open before all theater performances and during intermission. Admission to the gallery is free.

The final Harry Potter movie is out and the tale has been told but that's no reason for the fun to end! Join us for a day at "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." J.K. Rowling's fantasy school will be the setting and inspiration for our Kid’s Day which begins by sorting you into your house. Will you be in Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw? Once sorted, you will receive your class schedule and meet your instructors. Attend Potions Class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures and Transformation. Even learn a magic trick and a spell or two! Many of your favorite activities will be back from last year. We will make fake blood, slime and all kinds of creepy decorations. Of course we will concoct a disgusting looking edible treat... Register early! Space is limited!

Once again, the Ashtabula Arts Center gallery will be filled from wall to wall with the inspiring artworks of area students. Over the years, the Kiwanis Competition has become a favorite exhibit with visitors of the Arts Center. The competition, for students of the Ashtabula Area Schools, Saints John and Paul and the Buckeye Schools in grades 7-12, was established over 20 years ago by the Ashtabula Kiwanis Club as a way to encourage and recognize outstanding achievement in the visual arts. Teachers are asked to submit the best of their students’ works to the competition. Entries are judged and scholarships are awarded which allow winners to register for a class of their choice at the Arts Center. The cost of the classes is paid for by a grant from the Kiwanis Club of Ashtabula. All entries will be displayed at the Arts Center. Over 300 scholarships have been awarded in the history of this competition. The benefits of this type of recognition program can be far-reaching. Many winners have gone on to receive scholarships to study art or a related field in college. All have had the benefit of having their excellence recognized and rewarded. Stop in to view this annual favorite and see just how many talented students we have living in our community. Admission is free.

“Growing up in the mountains of Pennsylvania and becoming and Eagle Scout taught me to appreciate nature,” says Tom. “I served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War and later worked in the Pentagon with the Defense Intelligence Agency. After the Navy, I returned home and married my wife, Carol. The two of us moved to Pittsburgh where I attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh majoring in graphic design. There I won the Merrill-Milai Scholarship and worked as a courtroom sketch artist and free-lanced for various local television stations as a news artist. After graduating, I worked as an illustrator. In 1981 I opened my own commercial art studio.
“My interest in fine art begain when I noticed an advertisement for a national art contest. This contest was for the National Park Academy Arts for the Parks Competition. A rendering of an eagle soaring across Mount Rushmore made the exhibit. More than 3,000 entries from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico entered the competition to make the top 100 for the exhibit. My painting was the first painting sold and was displayed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. The painting ended up at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. Then, in 1993, an oil painting entitled “Autumn Cardinals and Creepers” featuring the scarlet songbird in Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area won the Grand Prize and the Gold Medallion Award of Merit for the Arts for the Parks Competition. The painting is now part of the permanent collection of the National Park Foundation.”
A few of Tom’s other accomplishments include the 1992 winning image for the New York Duck Stamp; The 1993 Ducks Unlimited Guess Artist Print “Long Day Pause”; and a painting, “Goose Island” was selected for Birds in Art, which is a prestigious international wildlife art exhibit at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin. This work was singled out from entries submitted by artists worldwide. He has been twice selected to participate in the Wildlife Art Sale at Christie’s of London, England, an event that maintains the highest standards of today’s best wildlife art from around the world. He has also illustrated various books and
magazines such as the Nature Conservancy, Smithsonian Institute and Field and Stream. Stop in to see the Arts Center’s amazing exhibit featuring Tom’s work!