2009 Stutz Open House a great way to spend last Friday!

While visiting the Stutz Artist Open House on Friday night, I got my temporary fill of art. Of all the artists that I saw that night, I am going to mention the following few: Caroline Mecklin, Derek Powell, Vicky Shaffer White, Mark Pack, and the artists in Suite B240.

I was introduced to the work of Caroline Mecklin two years ago when I visited the Stutz Artist Open House for the first time. I have not forgotten her work, and was looking forward to seeing her studio again this year. Her dynamic figures are rich with the life she sees in her live models.

Derek Powell has a studio tucked away at the end of the third floor. His work mostly consists of soft, misty landscapes painted with limited palates. There were also three black and white ink drawings that were reminiscent of Rouault without the color. Their titles, The Last Supper I, II, and III also added to their connection with Rouault.

This past spring I have been drawing on Friday mornings with a group of other artists. One of the artists is Vicky Shaffer White. Vicky presented a slue of nice flower pieces from the past few years; however, I preferred her calm, elegant, clothed figures that she had placed outside her studio.

Mark Pack is one of the artists in residence this year at the Stutz. I have seen his work before and due to my love of the natural world, am fascinated by the intricate designs in his carved acrylic paintings.

Three diverse artists share studio B240. Kate Oberreich had a series of small paintings entitled “A Happy Home”. I met Kate last summer when she was a part of Elegant Funk. Her work is a collage of words and images that provoke thought. She uses realistic images in an abstract manner. Ginny Taylor Rosner photographs empty interiors giving insight into what contemporary man abandons and leaves behind. Carol L. Myers is a print maker who is newly exploring watercolor as a way to express her visual ideas. Themes of snail shells and trees run through her present work.

It was a great night at the Stutz and that is just a taste of what I saw. This coming Friday I'm honored to have three works on display in downtown Indianapolis. Hopefully I will run into some smoosiers that night!

Rachel Steely, Artist