LCMA is excited to present The Whiskey Painters of America Exhibit. This unique group of professional watercolor artists began with Joe Ferriot, an artist in Akron, Ohio, and his relaxation ritual. After business hours, Joe would retire to the nearest "watering hole" and produce miniature masterpieces by dipping his brush into his glass of booze, which he would then give away. In 1962 at the Tangier Night Club in Akron, Ohio, approximately 14 members met and formed a charter with by-laws and governing rules, elected a president (Joe Ferriot), appointed trustees, and named it "The Whiskey Painters of America."
Join us for an opening reception on March 4, 2022 from 5pm - 7pm, and enjoy a bonus "speakeasy" event on the rooftop!
We are honored to exhibit the work of:
William Baker
Jerry Becker
Deanna Clucas
B. Derrer
Sterling Edwards
Larry Fentz, WPA, WSI
Frederick C. Graff
Paulette Grubb
Kathleen Harrington
Sally S. Heston
Darlene Jackson
Fran Mangino
Mick McAndrews
Terry Milk
Jackii Molsick
Roc Prologo
Helga Reid
Steve Sens
Thomas Sorrell
Jeff Stahler
Cathy Welner
Barbara Zohn
William Baker
William Baker is a retired engineer turned wood carver and painter. He is the former president of the Buckeye Woodcarvers Guild and the Hudson Society of Artists. He is also a lifetime member of the Whiskey Painters of America.
He was the recipient of numerous awards in woodcarving and painting in both regional and international shows. His work is in numerous collections across the United States.
Jerry Becker
Jerry Becker was born in Tacoma, Washington. He has over 25 years of experience as a versatile artist in many media. Working mostly in Watercolor, he also does works in Oil, Pastel, Acrylics, Charcoal and Collage.
His thorough explanations of his many Watercolor techniques have put him in much demand as an instructor. Having taught many years at several Community Colleges, has prepared him for the many workshops he now conducts throughout the year.
His watercolors are currently being shown in numerous Galleries in the Northwest, West Coast and Southwest areas of the United States.
Mr. Becker is a member of the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies, the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild, and the Whiskey Painters of America.
He has taught watercolor classes for Tacoma Community College, Fort Steilacoon Community College, Puyallup School District and Franklin Pierce School District.
Deanna Clucas
Deanna Clucus's experience as an artist covers most of her life, but changes to a professional career over the last 25 years. She works in several mediums in a vast array of subjects from realistic to abstract.
Earning a degree in Commercial Art from the University of Akron and taking ongoing classes and workshops keeps her work fresh. Besides several one-woman shows, she exhibits in numerous group and indoor-outdoor shows. Her award winning work can be found throughout the U.S.
Deanna also teaches Drawing for the Novice at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center and Peninsula Art Academy and private lessons.
B. Derrer
B. Derrer is an American watercolor artist whose works have been exhibited nationally, and are held in private and public collections. She is the recipient of multiple awards, and whose work was juried into the "Whiskey Painters of America," the most unique and exclusive miniature painting society in the world.
Sterling Edwards
Sterling Edwards is a contemporary watercolor artist, teacher, author, and art juror who is originally from Kansas City, Missouri. He has been a resident of North Carolina since 1973. Following a twenty-year career as a law enforcement officer and a firefighter, he made a commitment in 1993 to pursue his passion for art and began a second career as a visual artist.
Sterling has been studying art since the age of twelve, and although self-taught, has developed a unique and expressive style of painting that has gained international recognition and the respect of his peers, student, and art collectors. Most of Sterling's paintings are interpretive statements that personify his intuitive and creative sense of design and color, ranging from abstract expressionism to traditional. He is a sought-after international workshop instructor and is often selected to jury national and international art competitions.
Sterling is also the designer of a signature line of multi-media paint brushes and a watercolor palette that are marketed internationally through his website store, painting workshops, and retail art supply stores.
Sterling works from his home studio in Lewisville, North Carolina.
Larry Fentz, WPA, WSI
Larry Fentz is an Indiana artist who has pursued watercolor landscape painting for over 40 years. He considers himself a transparent watercolor artist on the contemporary side of traditional.
His main objective is to paint expressively with strong values, composition and color. He likes to let the water medium work its magic then adding just enough detail to lead the viewer's eye to a point of interest. He believes that every artist's style of painting is as unique as the artists themselves.
Larry worked as a professional airbrush artist and inker for the Garfield comic strip in Muncie, IN for over 33 years and now focuses on his painting.
Over the years Larry has exhibited and sold paintings in numerous juried shows in the surrounding area. He is also a member of the Hoosier Salon, the Kentucky Watercolor Society (KWS), a Signature Member of the Watercolor Society of Indiana (WSI), and was selected as on of 150 exclusive, worldwide Signature Members of the Whiskey Painters of America, (WPA).
Frederick C. Graff
Frederick C. Graff received his WPA membership status in 1978 and is one of the leading artist/educators in the field of watercolor today. He is a signature member of all three major watercolor societies: American Watercolor Society "Dolphin Fellow;" National Watercolor Society; and Transparent Watercolor Society of America "Distinguished Master."
Upon graduation from Miami University, Fred studied privately with the late Franklin A. Bates. He pursued additional graduate work at both Kent State University and the University of Akron. In addition to being a retired art teacher for the Berea City School District, Berea, Ohio, Fred has conducted numerous watercolor workshops, demonstrations, and critiques throughout the United States, France, and China, where he had a one-man exhibition in Qingdao, China. His work has been featured in Watercolor Techniques for Releasing the Creative Spirit; Creative Watercolor Workshop, International Artist (February/March 2002), Watercolor Artist Magazine (February 2014, June 2015) and many other publications.
Paulette Grubb
Paulette Grubb graduated from Kent State University with a B.S. Art Education degree. She taught elementary art grades K-6 and moved to Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and back to Ohio in 1990. She studied under various artists locally and nationally. She taught watercolor through continuing education classes and group watercolor classes privately.
Grubb has exhibited her watercolors in each area she has lived. She began painting murals and works mainly with interior designers. Her murals are in many private and corporate collections and also in the City of Wadsworth. She shares her time and artwork with various organizations in the community. Most recently, she received the Wadsworth Key to the City.
Grubb has been featured in Houzz and other publications in the community for her mural work.
She is a past board member of the Cuyahoga Vally Art Center and the Medina County Arts Council. Grubb enjoys contributing to her community.
Kathleen Harrington
Kathleen, a resident of Hudson, Ohio since 1981, was born and educated in New York City. She has lived in many cities in the United States and painted and exhibited her work in all of them. She has studied oil painting while living in Atlanta and egg tempera while in Buffalo. With her move to Ohio in 1981 she focused on watercolor, mixed media and collage. She is a signature member of the Whiskey Painters of America, and of the National Collage Society. She is a member and a former officer of the Hudson Society of Artists and the Woman's Art League of Akron.
Over the years she has shown her work and been awarded prizes locally, at the Women's Art League of Akron, Cuyahoga Valley Art Center, The Epiphany Show in Bath, The Solon Fine Art Show, the National Collage Annual Juried Show, Chagrin Valley Art Center, Signature of Solon Country Club, and in Akron, Willoughby, Beachwood, Cleveland and her home town of Hudson. She has had many one-woman shows. Currently her work may be seen at the MD Garage in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. You may meet her painting Plein Air in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Her miniatures have been included in the Miniature Show in Chambersburg, PA, Nags Head, NC, Mariposa, CA and Mobile, AL.
Sally S. Heston
Award-winning artist, Sally Heston, works primarily in watercolor, pastel, and acrylics. Her work reflects her interest in a variety of subject matter including still life, landscape, florals, animals, and architectural structures. She holds a B.S. degree in Art Education from the Indiana University of PA and a Masters of Education degree in Art from the University of Pittsburgh with a concentration in painting.
She has studied with many artists, including Frank Webb, Judi Betts, Don Andrews, Albert Handell, Catherine Liu, Cheng Khee Chee, Mel Stabin and Frederick Graff.
She is a retired public school art teacher with over 18 years of experience in grades 1-12. After that, she spent 12 years teaching at Virginia Marti College (now North Coast College) in Lakewood, OH, and currently teaches painting classes at the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, and for the Aquarelle Society in Rocky River, OH, among other arts organizations in northeast OH.
A signature member of the Ohio Watercolor Society, the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, and the Whiskey Painters of America, she has been part of numerous group art exhibits and has won many awards for her work.
Darlene Jackson
Darlene Jackson is a proud member of the Ohio Watercolor Society (Board Member & Membership Secretary); Whiskey Painters of America, Life Member; Hudson Society of Artists (Served as President & Workshops Chairman); Valley Art Center (Instructor, Education Chairman for Adults, Past President - Board of Trustees); Orange Art Center, Tri-C, Cuyahoga Valley Art Center and the Crooked River Gang.
Fran Mangino
The paintings of Fran Mangino are a testament to her determination to clarify and to capture a vision informed by her life experiences, by both the measurable and the abstract.
After graduating from Kent State University in Art Education Fran worked as an Art Therapist in a short term mental institution. Her early art consisted of weavings and wall hangings. Later she began working in watercolors which gradually began winning awards along with signature membership into Ohio Watercolor Society. In 2014 Fran took the leap into plein air painting exploring the mysterious terrain between what can be measured by physical senses and what can be perceived only by emotions. She found the vibrancy of transparent watercolors best expresses her impressions of portrait work and landscapes.
Terry Milk
Terry Milk began taking classes at the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center in Ohio in 1978. After many years living abroad, she returned to the Akron area, and the CVAC.
Terry's first watercolor classes were with Whiskey Painters Leroy "Tony" Cross and Hal Scroggy. She later studied drawing, printmaking, and art history at Cameron University in Oklahoma under Kathy Liontas-Warren. She was active in the creative development of art education workshops for the public school system and was an artist-in-residence for the State Arts Council of Oklahoma. She has attended workshops with Frank Webb (AWS, NWS), Frederick Wong (AWS, Allied Artists of America), Bett Borgeson (Colored Pencil Society of America), and Dan Burt (AWS, NWS). She spent several years painting with Jack Mulhollen (WPA, OWS) at the CVAC.
While in Montreal, she was one of the founders of the Morgan Arboretum's "Arbo-Expo" with Helmut Gerth (WPA, AAPL, Montreal Arts Club). She has been affiliated with the Montreal Arts Club, The American Artists Professional League in NY, the Akron Society of Artists, Lawton Fort Sill Art Council and was a board member of the CVAC. Terry is a member and currently the president of the Whiskey Painters of America.
Terry is a degreed mechanical engineer and has also worked in leadership positions for nonprofit organizations in five countries. Travel is an important facet of her artwork, and often features international locations in her paintings. While living in South America, she studied Ikebana and uses the principles of scale, contrast, and balance in her watercolor compositions.
Jackii Molsick
Jackii Molsick is a painter who enjoys exploring a variety of subject matter and media. She considers herself a watercolorist, first and foremost, but from time to time, also enjoys explorations in collage, oil and pastel. Her paintings reflect her love of nature, animals, people, travel and nostalgia.
Jackii has painted since childhood, and grew up with a mother who was an accomplished oil and watercolor painter. She has also had the pleasure of studying with many modern day watercolor masters, including Mel Stabin, Tony Couch, Janet Rogers, Frank Webb and Fred Graff.
Jackii teaches watercolor at the Mount Dora Center for the Arts, and maintains a working studio in Mount Dora.
Roc Prologo
Roc Prologo, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received certification in commercial art from the Pittsburgh Art Institute. His vocation, however, was in computer science – a career that spanned over 45 years. During that time, he continued his art, producing oil painting as gifts to friends and family. He has studied painting in all media but had no experience in watercolors until after his retirement.
Upon retiring, Roc returned to his first passion, art. Roc has traveled and painted on location throughout Pittsburgh, Ohio, the eastern seaboard (Maine to Florida), and internationally in France and Italy. Roc's artwork depicts his enjoyment of painting a variety of subjects, such as still life, landscapes, and en plein air. During his international travels, Roc enjoys capturing the day-to-day activities of the local people in the villages he travels though. Roc is fascinated by the ability to relate a complete story in a single painting.
Roc lives in Freedom, Pennsylvania with his wife Elvira. They have three children and six grandchildren.
Steve Sens
Steve Sens obtained his Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 1990, majoring in Illustration and a minor in Drawing. His main mediums are watercolor and metalpoint.
Creating art for Steve isn't so much of an escape, but a way of understanding and integrating with the world around him. He describes his artistic goal as "giving a visual presence to the hidden and overlooked, a record of the feelings and senses engaged by the world we are immersed in. Sometimes controlled, sometimes with reckless abandon, would be how I convey my approach to my subjects." How does one capture a breeze passing through the woods, the sounds of crickets in a field or the chill of a winter evening? That is what Steve likes to explore. It is a goal that will be a life long pursuit.
Steve lives in North Royalton, Ohio with his wife, Trish, and our two cats, Kali and Ba.
Thomas Sorrell
Tom is a signature member of the Ohio Watercolor Society and served as its president from 2016 through 2020. He received a PhD from Stanford University in 1977 and was a chemistry professor for 30 years at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, where he authored and published more than 60 research papers and two textbooks. Tom was names an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellow, 1985-87.
After retirement from the university in 2007, Tom moved to Ohio to pursue watercolor painting, a childhood passion instilled by watercolorist Charlotte Wilson in Havertown, PA and rekindled during the past 25 years in more than two dozen workshops with prominent watercolorists. Tom is a member of the Toledo Artists' Club and served as its president from 2009 through 2013.
Tom is also a signature member of the Whiskey Painters of America, whose purpose is to promote the fine art of watercolor painting in miniature.
Jeff Stahler
Jeff Stahler is an Ohio native. Born in Bellefontaine, Jeff is a German Village resident in Columbus, Ohio.
Jeff is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design and has been a member of their board of trustees. He is a syndicated editorial cartoonist and creator of the nationally syndicated comic panel, Moderately Confused."
He also spends any bit of spare time as a plein air artist using watercolor as his principle medium. Jeff says he has fallen in love with an old flame...watercolor. His watercolor paintings are represented by the Sharon Weiss Gallery in Columbus and is an associate member of OWS, a member of the Whiskey Painters of America, an active member of "Central Ohio Plein Air." He is the vice president of the Central Ohio Watercolor Society & board member of the Ohio Plain Air Society.
Cathy Welner
Cathy works in a sensitive painterly fashion, allowing the flow of pigment and brush to evoke a mood and transcend photographic realism. She captures the essence of the subject and creates a certain warmth between the viewer and the painted image.
Born in Syracuse, New York, Cathy now resides in Richfield, Ohio. She received a degree in education from the State University of New York at Cortland.
Since 1978 Cathy has been teaching watercolor. She was on the faculty of Continuing Education at the Cleveland Institute of Art and has taught workshops nationally and internationally, including a recent workshop on Lake Como, Italy.
Cathy's work is featured in galleries in New York, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts and Ohio. Her work hangs in hundreds of private and corporate collections.
Barbara Zohn
Barbara Zohn's interest in art began when she enrolled in classes with Jack Richard, an outstanding artist. She studied oil painting with Mr. Richard for many years, learning values and colors and how to view nature as an artist.
Barbara's interest in oriental sumi painting began when Mitsuko Sakata moved to the United States from Japan and began teaching this delicate art form. Barbara studied privately with Ms. Sakata and developed her own technique in this medium. From using watercolor for sumi, she continued into traditional watercolor and prefers to paint en plein air.
Using rice papers during sumi painting and reading Frederick Wong's book, Barbara developed her own unique style by applying watercolor to wet, crinkled rice paper to create a more impressionistic style of painting. She teaches workshops in the crinkle style.
Her recent interest in acrylic painting has brought her a new enthusiasm. Changing mediums adds new challenges and a different viewpoint. Barbara's paintings hang in private and public collections across the country and have won numerous awards.