A trio of exhibitions open Saturday at Trumbull Art Gallery

Daniel Rauschenbach and Tom Sewickley both will have solo exhibitions, and 16 members of the Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society will display their work in a group show.

According to TAG Gallery Director William Mullane, “Exhibiting art by Mahoning Valley artists Daniel Rauschenbach, a talented watercolor artist, and Thomas Sewickley, a master pastel artist, provides an exciting and dynamic addition to our gallery. Their work beautifully complements the pieces being shown from the Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society.”

Rauschenbach, who splits his time between the Mahoning Valley and Maine, is displaying 18 watercolors, all created within the last 2.5 years.

“The pieces are ranging from Youngstown landscapes to Maine landscapes to a few florals I did over at Fellows Riverside (Gardens) last spring,” Rauschenbach said. “There’s four of those, and they’re a little bit brighter. You’re gonna walk into that space and you’re gonna be like, ‘Wow, that’s bright.’ The pieces all have a little bit of bright, bold colors, a little bit of metallic watercolor into them. I think it’s gonna just highlight the space.”

Rauschenbach, who co-owned Soap Gallery in downtown Youngstown, prefers “plein air” painting, creating his landscapes in nature as opposed to working from photographs or memory.

“It’s a little bit more of that real experience, but also gives it an on-the-spot critique,” he said. “For most of the pieces, how it works is I’ll spend probably six to 10 hours doing the painting at the location, and then I’ll do probably another 18 to 30 hours in the studio working on the bigger pieces Most are about 2-foot-by-3-foot, so they have a little bit more time put into them.”

Sewickley is a Youngstown native and Youngstown State University graduate who has taught in Warren City Schools for 28 years and currently is a digital art technologies teacher at Warren G. Harding High School.

His work features soft pastels on sandpaper. He had a one-man show last year at Mill Creek MetroParks’ Weller Gallery, and his work has won multiple awards in the Butler Institute of American Art’s Area Artist Annual Exhibition.

The Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society was founded in 1982 to encourage local watercolorists, and its membership ranges from beginners to professionals.

It provides artists with a place to share work, learn new techniques and get information about watercolor shows and exhibition opportunities.

Participating artists in the watercolor show are: Suzanne Anzellotti, Mike Cantelmo, Sharon Clifford, Brenda Myers Cohen, Carole Damschroder, Susan Dryburgh, Elizabeth A. Ford, Shari Fry, Ed Gorse, Alison Gregg, Milie Hawkins, Edward Jones, Karen Nelson, Jody Nudell, Lynne Rosati and Cythnia Sahyoun.

All three exhibitions run Saturday through April 18 with an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.

If you go …

WHAT: Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society, Tom Sewickley and Daniel Rauschenbach exhibitions

WHEN: Saturday through April 18 with opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Trumbull Art Gallery, 158 N. Park Ave., Warren

HOW MUCH: Admission is free. For more information, go to www.trumbullartgallery.com or call 330-395-4876.