
Frances Mangino, Silly Upside Down Girls
From Oct. 27, 2016 through Jan. 7, 2017, Watercolor Ohio returns to the Riffe Gallery for the 39th year. With a total of 82 watercolor paintings, the exhibit will feature the best of work by the Ohio Watercolor Society (OWS).
A competitive element only adds to this colorful and diverse collection of paintings. Three pieces of art will be chosen as winners, and the three artists will receive cash prizes. The exhibition juror will be Carrie Burns Brown, a mixed media artist and National Watercolor Society member.
A native of Georgia and current resident of Greenville, S.C., Burns Brown taught at the Greenville Museum Center for Education for 31 years. She has taught Springmaid Water media workshops since 1985. Her work has been featured in a variety of publications. Appointed by the governor of South Carolina, Burns Brown served on the South Carolina Arts Commission Board for six years and currently serves on the advisory board for the Greenville Little Theatre.
OWS doesn’t just turn out aesthetically pleasing work; the organization also gives back, inspiring young artists to continue creating. The OWS has awarded over $260,700 in scholarship money.

Jeri Ellis Platt, Four Sisters
In addition to the exhibit, instructional painting events will be held various Wednesdays from Nov. 2 through Jan. 4, taught by Suzanne Accetta. Accetta teaches drawing and painting for theater at Otterbein College, and has been a professional visual artist for over 25 years. Drop-in artist demonstrations will also be held by various artists from Nov. 3 through Jan. 4, and will explore all corners of watercolor painting.
The Riffe Gallery was established in 1989 by the Ohio Arts Council, and is located at 77 S. High St. Admission to the gallery is free. More information about scholarships, awards and ways to participate can be found at http://ohiowatercolorsociety.com/Calendar/index.html.
Ray Bruster is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.