GREENVILLE — “Art at the Mill” opens a new season of exhibits at Historic Bear’s Mill’s Clark Gallery on Friday, March 31. Featured artists for this initial show are Noblesville, Indiana plein-air painter Beth Forst and husband and wife duo Jerry and Jenni Davis who create unique porcelain pieces.
An opening night reception from 6-8 p.m. will feature finger food and drinks as well as brief gallery talks by the artists who will share information about their work, methods, and inspiration at 7 p.m. This event, curated by Jan Roestamadji and Julie Clark, is free and open to the public.
“I am very excited about our opening exhibit which will appropriately greet spring with vibrant and joyous color, and am truly looking forward to all the exhibitions we have booked for the Mill this year,” said Marti Goetz, Executive Director of Friends of Bear’s Mill. “We’ll have some returning favorites as well as artists we’ve recently discovered; you’ll see a wide variety of lovely work this season, including blown glass, sculptures, photographs, furniture, pottery, and more.”
All of the exhibits will open on the Final Friday of each month, and continue until the Sunday prior to the next opening.
Following a career in graphic arts, Beth Forst became a full time artist who says that she strives to create work that pleases her own ideals and reflects her joy in life; much of her work is inspired by her travels in this country and abroad. According to Clark Gallery Coordinator Jan Roestamadji, this exhibit will include pleasing florals, evocative nauticals, and transporting landscapes. Her works are in homes throughout the nation.
“Beth’s remarkable body of work results from the artist’s focus on original excellence; simply put, she is one of my favorite local artists , and my personal friend. I am sure art enthusiasts and collectors will appreciate Beth’s painterly talent,” Roestamadji concluded.
Jerry Davis was a junior at Vandalia Butler High School when he found his life’s calling and started making pottery, an artistic pursuit that continues four decades later. His strikingly beautiful one-of-a-kind crystalline glazed porcelain pieces are sometimes further enhanced by carving, piercing, and incising done by Jenni Davis, Jerry’s wife. From 1983 until 2000, Jerry served as the official “Senator’s Potter,” designing and producing pieces for Senator John Glenn to give as gifts to his friends, employees, and associates in Ohio and Washington, D.C.
The art exhibit, which can be viewed during regular store hours at the Mill, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, will remain in place through April 23. Historic Bear’s Mill is owned and operated by Friends of Bear’s Mill, a non-profit organization, and is located at 6450 Arcanum-Bear’s Mill Road about 5 miles east of Greenville. For more information, contact Bear’s Mill at 937-548-5112 or www.bearsmill.org.
