“ART AT THE MILL” RETURNS

The Clark Gallery at Historic Bear’s Mill will host a return of “Art At the Mill,” starting with an exhibit featuring landscapes by painter Stacie Seuberling and the nature-infused sculptures of Stephanie Skurow. The show opens with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 28; the artists will share information about their work, methods, and inspiration at 7 p.m. The exhibit will continue through Sunday, June 20; subsequent exhibits will open on the final Friday of each month through November 26. “Art at the Mill,” curated by Jan Roestamadji and Julie Clark, is free and open to the public. 

According to Ms. Roestamadji, the artists are sisters who live and work in Cincinnati where they share a studio at Pendleton Art Center. “They each produce exciting, innovative, and unique creative expressions of nature; their breathtaking pieces will appeal to lovers of almost all artistic styles and traditions,” Ms. Roestamadji said. Ms. Clark states that she is thrilled to once again be involved with this effort which draws people to Bear’s Mill and the surrounding 35 acres, and contributes to the preservation and upkeep of this historic treasure. “This is but the first piece of an exciting season featuring diverse artists from a variety of disciplines; we are looking forward to once again providing access to exceptional art in this inviting and welcoming setting,” she concluded. 

Sculptor Stephanie Skurow, a graduate of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning has always been involved in creating art; her resume includes an impressive stint in the art department of The Cincinnati Post as an illustrator and graphic designer. Her current output includes delightful whimsical boxes in clay, wood, and papier mache, three-dimensional pieces originally inspired by a gingerbread house she spotted at a Dollar Store. Stephanie also creates papier mache vessels using easily accessed materials combining papers, patterns, twigs and other natural objects to create pleasing and interesting organic forms. 

Along with her sister and fellow artist, Stacie Seuberling, also a CCDAAP graduate, spent part of her childhood in a home where the backyard was actually untouched farmland and woods; growing up in this comforting landscape contributes to Stacie’s ability to create realistic and soothing investigations of color, space, and light. “I’m trying to depict nature the way it was at the moment I encountered it, trying to draw the color of light, consciously giving beauty to people,” she explains. All four seasons appear in her drawings with sunrises, sunsets, and water being frequently depicted elements in her evocative work producing a peek at nature’s secret gardens.

The Clark Gallery and the Mill Shop are operated by Friends of Bear’s Mill, which has recently become the newest addition to Darke County Park District. Bear’s Mill is located at 6450 Arcanum-Bear's Mill Road, about 5 miles east of Greenville. “Art At the Mill” is funded in part by a grant from Darke County Endowment for the Arts, and can be viewed during regular Mill store hours, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, contact Bear's Mill at 937-548-5112 or www.bearsmill.org.