GREENVILLE – Art at the Mill will feature the landscapes and floral paintings of Indiana native Marilyn Witt as well as the crystalline-glazed pottery of Nineveh, Ind. resident Adam Egenolf from Friday, Oct. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 24. This exhibit in the Clark Gallery at historic Bear’s Mill opens on the final Friday of October with a reception from 6-8 p.m. offering finger food and drinks as well as brief talks by the artists who will share information about their work, methods, and inspiration at 7 p.m. Art at the Mill, curated by Jan Roestamadji and Julie Clark is free and open to the public.
“Both Marilyn and Adam bring a rural sensibility to their charming yet sophisticated work, making for a perfect fit in our inviting rustic setting,” Ms. Clark stated. According to Ms. Roestamadji, Egenolf’s elegant yet joyful ceramic pieces elicit a sense of delight and peace, as do the colorful paintings of Ms. Witt. “These gifted artists produce outstanding work that will brighten and enhance the décor of any home,” said Ms. Roestamadji.
Witt lives on a farm surrounded by nature and the rural scenery that inspires her paintings; her works in pastel and oil start with a plain white piece of paper or canvas on which she strives to create something beautiful and harmonic. “I define my work as impressionistic with a strong focus on emotional impact,” she says, explaining that her favorite artist is Monet, but that her favorite painting is the one she is about to begin. She is attracted to her subjects by patterns of light and shadow, delighting in the way light reveals a landscape, object, or figure. She strives to elicit a sense of peace or delight in her work, saying that she “wants the viewer to be able to see ‘forever’ in her paintings.
The attractive and graceful pottery created by Egenolf is based on technology, but results in art. A full-time artist for over twelve years, Egenolf has been perfecting the crystalline glazes which show movement and depth in his work since his days as a college student earning a combined degree in ceramics and science. After each porcelain pot is fired to a temperature of 2300 degrees, allowing the zinc-saturated glaze to melt and spread over the pot, the kiln is cooled quickly, causing the glaze to stop running, and then held at a lower temperature for several hours while crystals are formed. This process contains so many variables that predicting the final result is almost impossible. “I find out if I got it right every time I open my kiln,” the potter stated.
The stone and sterling jewelry of Richmond, Ind. artist Terri Logan along with functional and decorative “BOWLS!” created by the Millrace Potters Collective remain on display in the Clark Gallery through Oct. 20. Owned and operated by Friends of Bear’s Mill, the historic mill is located at 6450 Arcanum-Bear’s Mill Road about five 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. Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays 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.
