Julie Cook

Julie is a self-taught painter. She started out faux painting, using acrylics and other items to add texture. Julie then discovered another way to express her energy and ideas by painting on canvas and other papers. Her tools include brushes, sponges, plastic, sticks and more. Julie is inspired by the beauty around her. A portion of the sale of Julie’s paintings, are sent to an organization that helps at-risk children on the Thailand/Burma border where her daughter works. By painting, Julie feels she makes a difference in the lives of children. Most of all she hopes to bring peace, joy, contentment or a smile to those that see her work. For more information please visit her website at www.wallexpressionsbyjulie.com.

Glenn Murray

Glenn James Murray is an architect with the City of Cleveland, Department of Building and Housing. He has threatened to take up painting for years. His loving wife Lynn called his bluff, and arranged for lessons at the Beck Center of Art as a birthday gift. The paintings that are currently on exhibit are the results. Glenn is inspired by the ruins and remnants of Cleveland’s industrial past, and the workaday world of her life blood, river and lake.

Bernard Johnson

Bernard Johnson is an amateur artist from Cleveland, Ohio. His love of art began at a very early age drawing cartoons which later lead to sketching comics. As his passion grew, he later developed an eye for abstract art. Much of his artwork is portrayed through vibrant colors using acrylic and watercolor paints to depict human expressions and feelings. He believes that “art is one of the best ways to express to others how you view the world around you......the beauty of the imagination is boundless.”

Pimei Huang

Before picking up the paintbrush, Pimei Huang was a high school teacher in Taiwan. She immigrated to the United States with her husband and raised two amazing children. When Pimei found herself with more free time, she started watercolor painting as a hobby. It soon became more than just a hobby, and now she uses it to express the wonders of God’s creation.

Pimei is most inspired by her personal connection with her paintings’ subjects and the beauty in nature. Pimei’s paintings have been routinely showcased on the cover of the Evangelical Formosan Church’s monthly journal. She has had three solo exhibitions, and her work has been in many group shows. She has won a number of awards including the most recent “First Place” award at the Independence Home Day Juried Art Show in 2014.

For more information please email her at pimeihuang@hotmail.com.

Anna Hsu

Anna Hsu seeks to express the philosophy of benevolence through tranquil images of trees and blossoms. She has studied brush painting since 1996. Her paintings have been juried into Shaker Heights Library Barbara Luton Competition several times and she won Honorable Mention in 2009. Anna lives in Shaker Heights. For more information please visit her at www.annasbrushpainting.blogspot.com.

Sharlene Gannon

Sharlene Gannon began her employment with the City of Cleveland in 2003. She started out in Central Payroll and has since settled in at the Division of Taxation. She loves working for the City and says she has great coworkers. One of her creative outlets is painting with gouache, an opaque watercolor. Her subjects are mostly found in nature; animals, birds, insects…whether flying or crawling, she is truly fascinated by their existence. Whether it’s handmade cards, bead embroidery, knitting, crochet, baking cakes or just working in her garden or with her beehives, she truly enjoys her free time.

Janine Jacobs-Beleski

Janine Jacobs-Beleski lives in Vermilion, Ohio and has been creating and selling her artwork for more than 20 years. She has exhibited her paintings in many galleries throughout the United States and Canada. Janine states, “When I am painting, I often lose track of time. I become completely involved with the work in progress. It dictates to me where I should go, the intensity of the colors and the overall mood of the picture.” Her art has been described by others as portraying an overwhelming dramatic story of stormy landscapes, wild and emotional florals, intense, sometimes moody portraits, all with a wash of unrestricted color. For more information please email her at jjacobsart@gmail.com.

Carrie Kelley

Carrie Kelley is an artist from Northeastern Ohio. She’s taken art courses at the University of Miami in Florida, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College. Carrie is also a certified graphic designer and a photographer. In fact, many of her works are based on her photographs. She works in a variety of mediums such as watercolors, pencil, acrylics, oil and digital art. Her favorite subjects are nature, animals, flowers and landscapes. Some of her most recent art can be seen on her blog at: carriekelleyart.tumblr.com 

Tom Tindira

Tom Tindira is an accomplished artist whose paintings reflect his love of the outdoors and his childhood neighborhood, Tremont. He has studied with nationally recognized watercolor artists and works daily in his home studio. Tom is a member of the Crooked River Gang of Artists. His works are on display at the MD Garage Art Gallery in Cuyahoga Valley National Park from April through October annually. Tom has won numerous awards at local art shows. For more information email him at tom.tind@aol.com.

Renee Sarosy

Renee Sarosy is an artist who since 1987 has had a passion for drawing faces of famous rock and roll artists. It was in an art class while attending Parma Senior High School, that she discovered an expertise in facial portraits in a project where she drew Stevie Nicks. At Cleveland State University, this talent re-emerged in a black and white ink portrait of Jim Morrison. Her abstract watercolors were also displayed at Cuyahoga Community College’s western campus showcase. Renee’s use of mediums includes ebony pencil, chalk, watercolor, acrylic and ink. She also has a collection of nature photography focusing on sunsets, clouds and flowers. In addition, she also likes to create projects out of seashells. Her work can also be seen on Wren’s Gallery on Pinterest. For more information email her atwrensarosy@gmail.com. 

Mitzi Lai

After a successful career as a home furnishing designer and Illustrator, Mitzi is painting full time, as Artist-in-Residence for the Ohio Arts Council’s Arts Learning program. She also teaches at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Mitzi, a long time teacher and workshop instructor, has a Master’s degree in Art from Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas. Her works have been exhibited nationwide through invitation and international juried competitions. Mitzi’s art works are collected by many private individuals and corporates. Mitzi’s work is currently on exhibit at the Ohio Governor’s Office, PNC Bank, Kent State University (Brecksville, Ohio), Immigration Law Office of Margaret Wong and Siam Cafe, Cleveland, Ohio. Mitzi paints whatever inspires her, from still life, floral, landscape, portrait, figures to animal in different media. For more information please visit her website at www.mitzilai.com, www.mitzilaiart.com

Nancy Notarianni

Nancy Notarianni is a watercolorist, graphic designer and watercolor painting instructor. She earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Art from the University of Kansas. Nancy is currently the art director and web administrator for City Visitor Communications. In her free time she enjoys teaching watercolor. Nancy has also been invited to many of the Cuyahoga County, Ohio branch libraries (Parma South, Bedford, Olmsted Falls, Orange and Mayfield to name a few) to present watercolor programs. She exhibits in many juried shows throughout Northeast Ohio. Nancy has studied watercolor with Charles Reid, one of the foremost watercolorists of today, Alvaro Castagnet and Ted Nuttall. Nancy is an active member of the Ohio Watercolor Society, serving as newsletter editor. Watercolor is Nancy’s favorite medium because of the transparent quality and the unpredictability of the combination of water and paint. For more information visit her website at www.nancynotarianni.com.

Dee Riley

Dee Riley is a life-long resident of Ashtabula, Ohio, one of Ohio’s largest counties located along the shores of Lake Erie. Dee started her painting career because of poverty. She could not afford a camera to record the events in her life, so she started drawing on scrap paper, discarded window blinds or anything she could find. She bought her first camera by picking tomatoes for a produce grower. Not wanting to be confined to just photography, Dee still enjoys recording life’s event through painting and drawing. For more information please email her at riley@roadrunner.com.