Fine Prints For All

If you always thought having an art collection was out of reach financially, think again. The Cleveland Museum of Art wants to jump-start your print collection with the 31st Fine Prints Fair, the second oldest continually running print fair in the United States, from Sept. 24-27. The prints, which span from 16th century to today, come from 15 dealers throughout the country and are guaranteed originals. These hand-selected dealers, along with with the Inter-Museum Conservation Association, a nonprofit conservation laboratory, are at the fair to educate visitors and hopefully inspire someone to collect. "Dealers will have prints starting at $100 so that students or young people can start collecting," says Jane Glaubinger, the Cleveland Museum of Art's curator of prints. "There is such a wide variety of prices and something for everybody."

Morris Blackburn Forms, 1945, color screenprint. Courtesy of Dolan/Maxwell

Forms by Morris Blackburn 
Abstraction was nothing new by 1945 when Blackburn made this print, but the artist's use of dimension is definitely exciting. "The artist has removed the idea of three-dimension by using these spots of very bright, solid colors," says Glaubinger. "He used the areas of flat, bright colors to flatten out the space."

.Henri Riviere La Montagne, 1897, lithograph. Courtesy of Pia Gallo

 La Montage by Henri Riviere 
The Parisian artist, who spent his summers in Brittany, France, was inspired by the colorful landscapes he saw during his time in northwestern France. Replicating those vibrant images, which were made in the 1890s during the height of lithography in France, required a lot of skill. "For each color, you're printing from a separate stone or different plate," Glaubinger says. "It's complicated to print a lot of different colors and to register the paper perfectly each time you print."

Martin Lewis Little Penthouse, 1931, drypoint. Courtesy of The Old Print Shop, Inc.

Little Penthouse by Martin Lewis 
The artist, who lived in New York, was not afraid of the dark. In fact, he often used night scenes and added a few light effects. "He would have a dim scene and then would include a bright light like a lamppost or something," says Glaubinger. "In this print, he uses the window as his light source." Lewis was also never tempted by color, as he was skillful in black and white. "They don't always want to work in color," adds Glaubinger. "There's something about the contrast of the black ink of the white paper."

Different Strokes: Michelle Darvis Paints a Picture a Day for a Year

From soaking up rays on a sweltering day to freezing through near-frostbite-inducing winds, Hudson painter Michelle Darvis endured it all for the sake of art. In 2014, Darvis painted a picture outdoors all 365 days of the year.

“This project was a modern take on painting,” Darvis says. “On Instagram, you’re posting a picture every day, it captures your life, and this project is like an old-fashioned way to do this.”

Darvis’ works are on display in countries from Australia to Italy and also at Hudson Fine Art & Framing Co., where you can see all 365 pieces in the A Year in Plein Air exhibit until Feb. 7. Here is a peek at three of Darvis’ favorites.

Photo Credit: Hudson Fine Art & Framing Co.

Wedding Day Morning

Darvis tied the knot in 2014, but that didn’t stop her from pulling out her easel on her wedding day — a time usually filled with chaos. “It was peaceful. I got a chance to reflect on the day,"says Darvis, who will discuss the experience more during a talk at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Hudson gallery.

Photo Credit: Hudson Fine Art & Framing Co.

Lakeshore Boulevard

As Darvis painted this view of Lake Erie from her grandmother’s house in Madison, fierce winds battered at her. “This was the closest we thought we got to frostbite,” says Darvis.

Photo Credit: Joesph Darvis

Brain Garden

As a drawing major at Kent University, Darvis sat outside and sketched Brain Garden from different angles for a class. "This is a tribute to Kent State in a way," says Darvis. "It's an iconic piece of art by a famous Kent State sculptor."


Update: A Year in Plein Air has been extended until Feb. 7. There will be a closing reception Feb. 7 from 2 to 5 p.m. with coffee and refreshments. 

Plant Life

Lady Luck

For Dawn Tekler, what started out as an attempt to get more out of her photography without the use of Photoshop has blossomed into her first solo show. “I was looking for alternative processes, and I came across the encaustic wax process and it looked so intriguing," says the Cleveland artist. "So I bought a kit and after that, it just sort of took off.” From Feb. 1-March 9, The Truth Lies Beneath the Surface, an exhibit featuring her wax-encased landscape photographs and pressed flowers pieces, will be on display at the Guren Art Gallery at the Cleveland Botanical Garden as a part of Orchid Mania. The Cleveland Institute of Art graduate, who owns the Naji, Naji & Tekler gallery in 78th Street Studios with two other artists, talks to us about finding alternative uses for her griddle and her green thumb.

Cleveland Magazine: Can you describe the encaustic wax process?

Dawn Tekler: It’s painting with hot wax. I have a griddle – basically something that you would make pancakes on, like a Sunbeam griddle – and I have hot wax mixed with oil paint, and I have a heat gun and a paintbrush. As I paint with the hot wax I can control it with the heat gun, keeping it warm or if it cools, I can layer wax on top of cold wax, creating different textures.

CM: How does it preserve over time?

DT: It’s actually an archival process. The encaustic process has been around since between A.D. 100-300. There are Fayum mummy portraits that are still around that have this encaustic wax process. ... It’s beeswax, damar resin and oil paint. Those three things are archival.

CM: How were you inspired by Orchid Mania?

DT: I have a lot of pieces that have orchids incorporated with them. I also grow orchids. So it was a way of ... How I can preserve the labor that I’ve put into the plant ... and make something out of that last a long time?

Want to see more form Dawn Tekler and other local creators? Click here to see her work in Cleveland Magazine's November 2013 "A Handmade Tale" package.