Galleries strip down
Instead of bundling up, a couple of art exhibitions will strip down this weekend.
Opening Saturday at downtown Warren’s Art on Park will be the annual Nude on Park exhibition.
This is the seventh year for the show devoted to the uncovered human form. Curator David Wheeler, who creates art as Dovey Wuvey, said the show traditionally is one of its largest exhibitions in terms of submissions, but this year’s show is somewhat smaller.
Participating artists in the nonjuried show are: David Rosine, Alex Infante, Mathew Felter, Samandra Lynne, Elliott Lengel, James Owens, Beth Carson, Alex Ohlin, Carmen Denno, Zenith Vargo, Jeff Vargo, Jeremiah Witkowski, Jersee Hogue, Sam Perry, William Mullane, Gary Barnes Phd, Joy Cotton, Hannah Jefferson, Apryle Elizabeth, Shannon Fee, Neffie Lala, Pete Vouvounas, Rachel Hathhorn, Tessa LeBaron and Dovey Wuvey.
Coinciding with Nude on Park will be a pop-up show by Southington-based artist Michelle Coe, who will be showing about 16 pieces.
While Coe’s work has been featured in group shows at Art on Park and Trumbull Art Gallery, this will be the largest exhibition of the self-taught artists’ work.
“My primary focus is nature, how we’re connected to it and how there’s more to everything than what we see with the naked eye.”
Coe lets the paint take her on a journey, and trees hold a particular fascination with the artist.
“One of my hashtags is #alwaysatree, because when you think about a tree and all the life that is living in and on a tree and the various stages of the cycles of life,” she said. “We look and see a tree, but we don’t often think of all the life systems that are around it. A lot of the little figures you see (in the paintings) are life, what we might not see with the naked eye.”
A reception is planned from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Art on Park, 180 N. Park Ave., Warren, and will feature live music by singer-songwriter Jonathan Blackshire. His latest album is “Life Interrupted.”
Opening Friday at Coy Cornelius and Judy Rodgers Studios, 1931 Belmont Ave., Youngstown, will be “Art Della Vita,” featuring the work of the Lotus Figure Drawing Group.
It features work created by participants in the monthly nude figure drawing sessions hosted by Sara Lee originally in Warren and now in Youngstown.
“Art Della Vita” can be seen from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, and the reception will include a nude model for figure drawing.
The two shows happening on the same weekend isn’t a coincidence.
“We planned it that way,” Wheeler said. “Many of the artists who participate in this show (Nude on Park) also are part of that group.”
Admission is free for both events, and viewers must be 18 years of age or older to attend.




