Photo courtesy of Dawn Petrill
Dawn Petrill and her acrylic painting, Nearly Forgotten, with Brenda Layman, author of the poem The Green Vase, which inspired Petrill’s painting.
From paintings to poems, the central Ohio branch of the National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW) sets for its next awe-inspiring exhibition.
The local NLAPW group – which formed in 1932 and consists of about 30 women with professional backgrounds in fields like photography, painting, writing and music composition – is finishing up its current exhibition at the Works in Newark and will soon transport the collection to the Carnegie Gallery Art Exhibit at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
“These exhibits are a great way for us to show who we are, what we do and give people an opportunity to learn what the pen women are all about,” says Dawn Petrill, a three-plus-year NLAPW member and head of the exhibitions.
The exhibition, titled Seasons of our Lives, explores life-changing moments by 18 of the local pen women. The collection has a natural theme and features works like lush landscape paintings, poems, essays and photographs of vast farmland.
Photo courtesy of Darlene Yeager-Torre
The Long Road Ahead
“We were looking for a way to give us some creative license but also find a common theme we can work from,” Petrill says about the title of the show. “It’s a way of unifying us while letting us be creative in our expression of that theme.”
Petrill’s acrylic paintings are featured in the exhibit and incorporate her family, wooded areas and a colorful bouquet. One of her creations even inspired a fellow pen woman to write a poem, and now the two works coincide in the series. Every piece is available for purchase.
Apart from the exhibition, Petrill notes that women in any creative field are welcome to join, and that the group is always inspiring her artistic endeavors.
“Oh my gosh, I am just so inspired by the pen women,” says Petrill. “Every time we meet it’s just a wealth of wisdom. … Some members have been doing their (artistic) profession for 20, 30 maybe even 40 years and it’s just cool to be in a group with such diversity and that wealth of experience.”
View Seasons of our Lives
- The Works: Through July 6
- Carnegie Gallery Art Exhibit at Columbus Metropolitan Library: July 11-Aug. 24
Enjoy refreshments and meet the artist at the Carnegie Gallery on July 12 from 6-8 p.m.
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com