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AUBURN — Colorful artwork is decorating downtown Auburn for the third summer in a row.
This year’s exhibit, “Sitting Pretty,” invited local artists to unleash their creativity on unadorned oak benches.
A total of 20 artists responded by creating benches that will be on display through Sept. 11, when they will be sold in a fundraising auction.
A 21st bench, designed and painted by 12 participating artists, will be the prize in a charity raffle.
This year’s artists include:
Patrick Phillips
After seeing last year’s “Out of the Box” exhibit, Patrick Phillips needed little encouragement to volunteer to paint a bench for this year’s display. For his bench, he chose to paint a Native American motif. This theme has always been an interest of Phillips’, as he has done Indian paintings in the past. Though Phillips has cherished painting since he was very young, he doesn’t get to use his art talents as often as he would like.
“I’m looking to use this opportunity to get the ball rolling with my art … and maybe find other people interested in Native American artwork,” he said.
Phillips enjoys that artists in the Auburn area can use the show to express themselves and give a message. As someone who has grown up in Auburn, Phillips is proud to say that “though art slumped off for a while, it’s now on its way back up.”
Amanda Peet
Amanda Peet has known since elementary school that she wants to be an artist, and growing up in Auburn, it’s not surprising that she is into automotive art.
She has chosen to paint her bench with the “feel” of a Cord on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. The back of the bench is the dashboard, and the rest of the piece shows other parts of the car. Peet’s goal with the bench is not to create art that is necessarily flashy, but instead, she hopes the audience can appreciate the fine detail put into the piece.
As an artist, Peet is naturally inspired by helping to beautify the community. She says, “The best part about participating is seeing people out around town looking at the exhibit.”
John Platt IV
John Platt IV’s display shows that there is more to art than painting. Platt and his wife, who work in ceramics, have decorated their bench with handmade ceramic tiles.
“The goal is to give the viewers something different by incorporating what we work with,” John Platt said.
The piece, titled “Leaves of Indiana” is made up of 29 tiles, and it took around 100 hours to create them all and put them in place.
The couple have been involved in art shows around the area and decided to participate in this show after Platt’s father painted a box for last year’s exhibit. Not only do the Platts look forward to the opportunity to show their creation to the public, they said they also enjoy this chance to be involved a community art project.
Michelle Marks
An artist of about 10 years, Michelle Marks decorated her bench with a Tinker Bell theme, filling it with multiple fairies. Marks said she enjoys creating this style of artwork, and has done similar pieces in the past. Her inspiration comes from her 9-year-old daughter, who is a big fan of Tinker Bell. Marks is aiming at a younger audience and hopes her bench is a favorite for young girls visiting the exhibit.
This is Marks’ second year participating in the event. “The best part about participating is meeting all of the other artists and seeing their painting styles,” she said.
Peggy Caron-Tassler
An artist who prefers to paint while viewing a real-life imagine, Peggy Caron-Tassler could not seem to find a tiger that would pose for her while she painted her bench. She had to resort to several pictures of tigers from books and the Internet to create her own design. Caron-Tassler chose to paint a big, exotic tiger because she knows that it’s a popular animal and would be something people will be interested in buying.
Caron-Tassler is the owner of Sozo Art Studio at 113 S. Main St. in Kendallville, where she specializes in creating murals and doing decorative faux finishes in homes and businesses. She topped off her bench with a custom faux finish on the back.
A first-time participant in the art exhibit, Caron-Tassler hopes to gain ideas in order to promote art in Kendallville.
Brian Rutan
While trying to decide what kind of design to do on his bench, Brian Rutan was dreaming of warmer coastal areas, like the Bahamas, where he has gone scuba diving. This explains why he chose to paint bright, upbeat coral and sea stars. Rutan has experience creating pieces with nature and water, but usually paints with watercolor instead of the acrylic that he used on the bench.
Rutan participated in the event in order to create artwork that will put smiles on the faces of the viewers and to see what creative approach local talent takes on the project.
“It’s all about community,” he said, “It’s a wonderful thing when you can get people in the community to express their creativity and beautify downtown.”
The complete list of benches with their creators:
• “The Classic,” by Lakewood Park Christian School art students;
• “Pretty as a Peacock,” by the DeKalb High School Art League;
• “A Child’s Eyes to See,” by Nina Bennett;
• “Netminder,” by Rita Foster;
• “Down by the Sea Shore,” by John Logan Platt III;
• “Coral Blue,” by Brian Rutan;
• “Indiana Wildlife Sittin’ Pretty,” by Diana Fair;
• “Leaves of Indiana,” by John L. Platt IV;
• “Vintage Billboards,” by Rick Stemmler;
• “Fish out of Water,” by Marie Getts;
• “Garden Favorites,” by Laura Gooley;
• “The Comforts of Grandma,” by Pat Delagrange;
• “Anticipation,” by Nancy Cupka;
• “Think Pink,” by Shellie Bellinger;
• “Courage Under Fire,” by Eric Strong;
• “Summer in the Jungle,” by Peggy Caron-Tassler;
• “Pixie Hollow,” by Michaele Marks;
• “Sitting Bull,” by Patrick Phillips;
• “Dash of Car,” by Amanda Peet; and
• “Beneath the Surface,” by Kayla Myers and Andrew Lane.
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