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    State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition 2013

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    The Ohio State Fair kicked off on Wednesday July 24th. The ceremonial opening of the gates provides our best chance to enjoy the charms of animal husbandry, fair food, aging rock stars, and fine art all in one sprawling venue.

    Wait. Fine art?

    I know, I know. This always feels like a challenge to explain, but hear me out. Every year the State Fair hosts an exhibition of work by Ohio artists. It’s in the Cox Fine Art Center and it’s a big deal. There’s prize money at stake, awards galore, and sponsoring organizations that include the Ohio Arts Council, the GCAC, Ohio Magazine, and Ohio Wines. Professional jurors are contracted to sort through hundreds of entries (both professional and amateur) and decide which pieces make the cut. Then they dole out prizes and awards. The result is an exhibition that serves as a showcase for some of the best artwork by Ohio artists that you’re likely to see under one roof.

    This jurying format is important for a couple of reasons. Having different jurors each year guards against bias. It ensures that no one philosophy, style, or agenda will be favored over the long run. The juror that leans toward paintings one year will be gone the next; replaced by a juror who might have an interest in photography, mixed-media or sculpture. Rotating jurors also wipes the slate clean, giving the artists who weren’t selected one year the chance to have a fresh set of eyes view their work the next. This year’s juror didn’t respond to your work? That’s OK, there will be a different one next year. It’s a system that’s fair for the artists and encourages participation.

    Being that State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition is a group show in the truest sense (i.e. all mediums, open to professional and amateur, no thematic guidelines or membership requirements, etc.) the mix is pretty eclectic to begin with. Add rotating jurors to that and you’ve got a system that builds in surprises
    every year. For viewers it’s a chance to encounter artists and works that we haven’t
    seen before. Oh sure, there’s some artists that consistently make the cut, but this year I went through the exhibition with an eye toward the artists I was less familiar with. I’m happy to report there are some real winners in the 2013 crop.

    Bridgette Bogle’s paintings Crosswalk and Fence were as refreshing as anything in the show. Ms. Bogle is working in the kind abstraction that might easily careen into cliche if it weren’t for the sheer earnestness of her approach. These are works that are unselfconsciously and apologetically bright. The tired affectations of ominous drips and tortured splatters are absent here, replaced by enthusiastic brushwork and a candy-colored palette. It’s a marker of success when an artist can manage to develop a high degree of visual sophistication while maintaining freshness and vitality. Bridgette Bogle does exactly that.

    Zachary Van Horn was another surprise this year. His painting Canes (located at top of the article) presents a nocturnal view of what is presumably a Canes restaurant. The first point of reference might be Ed Ruscha’s Standard Station paintings and photographs; there’s an obvious a pop-culture sensibility at work in both. Upon further consideration though I was struck by Van Horn’s visual connection to the early American modernists. I’m thinking specifically of Arthur Wesley Dow’s August Moon as well as the severe lights and darks present in Arthur Dove and Marsden Hartley’s nocturnal paintings. As is the case with these painters, Van Horn’s approach is simple, bold, and ultimately effective.

    Richard Lillash is another name I was unfamiliar with prior to my visit to the fair. While not necessarily breaking new ground, credit is due Lillash for serving up what is arguably a museum quality painting in Old Beechwold Bridge. Lillash cites the American Impressionists as a source of inspiration and he does that group proud. The bold use of cool but vibrant blues and warm whites is dazzling. If you’re going to do Impressionism, do it like this.

    Of course the Fine Arts Exhibition has more than just paintings. There is a good representation of sculpture, photography, mixed-media and film. Of the three-dimensional works on display I was most struck by Carol Snyder’s Thorn Series. Art often refers to the sublime as that which is simultaneously beautiful and terrifying (think the awesome power of nature). Normally this concept is demonstrated in landscape paintings that depict tiny, powerless figures facing an inhospitable world. Snyder shows us that the sublime can exist in much more subtle ways. Her porcelain vessels present frail beauty in the form of cups that all but beg to be cradled. That they are embedded with honey locust thorns adds a tangible element of danger. It’s an effective juxtaposition, and one that pushes disparate elements together without feeling forced.

    Similarly, Shelley Birds’ small assemblage Industrial Housing offers a pair of mixed signals. In her work a bright, modest house is cradled within the bulwark of a massive wooden form. The first impression is of one protection and security, though reflection leads to the realization that security of this magnitude can be both oppressive and stifling.

    These works are just the tip of the iceberg. There are 282 entries by a wide-range of artists, both amateur and professional. As always, the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition offers a wonderful opportunity to acquaint yourself with the great work being made by Ohio artists. I’d encourage everyone to stop by and find their own surprises.

    Visitors to the Fair can view the Fine art Exhibition between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM, July 24- August 4th. More information can be found at www.ohiostatefair.com.

    Artwork credits for photos:

    Bridgette Bogle
    Fence
    Water-soluble oil

    Carol Snyder
    Thorn Series
    Porcelain with Honey Locust thorns

    Zachary Van Horn
    Canes
    Oil on Linen

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    Jeff Regensburger
    Jeff Regensburger
    Jeff Regensburger is a painter, librarian, and drummer in the rock combo The Christopher Rendition. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts (Painting and Drawing) from The Ohio State University in 1990 and an Master’s Degree in Library Science from Kent State University in 1997. Jeff blogs sporadically (OnSummit.blogspot.com), tweets occasionally (@jeffrey_r), and paints as time allows.
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