In dialogue with artist MB Hopkins Artist MB Hopkins in her basement studio in Dayton; photo: Bill Franz By Bill Franz I have seen the work of MB Hopkins for years, but I only met her last February. Hopkins uses her art to support causes that are important to her, and in February she was at a […]
Visiting abstract painter Mike Elsass in his Front Street studio By Bill Franz Photo: Mike Elsass’ signature rusted steel paintings hold as many as 40 layers of paint; photos: Bill Franz Mike Elsass may be Dayton’s most colorful artist, and he works in what is definitely Dayton’s most colorful studio. Elsass rents most of the […]
Paul Henry Martin builds the stories of wood By Bill Franz Photo: Paul Henry Martin identifies as both craftsman and artist; photo: Bill Franz About three years ago, I started taking photos of people at work, with a focus on two groups. One group is Dayton artists working in their studios. The other group is […]
by Bill Franz Photo: The Mosaic Institute serves artists at 43 S. Main St. in Miamisburg; photo: Bill Franz Most artists would be content to find a studio with good light and with enough space to store their material and make their art. Mosaic artist Jes McMillan thinks bigger. She rented a 16,000-square-foot building in downtown Miamisburg that once housed […]
The many workspaces of artist Julie Beyer By Bill Franz I first heard of Julie Beyer when she was the featured artist at the Ann Arbor Street Fair, one of the top art fairs in the country. When I heard that the featured artist at this fair lived a few blocks from my home, I had to […]
Leesa Haapapuro teaches, creates in Dayton By Bill Franz Leesa Haapapuro’s studio is in the busiest and most colorful art space in Dayton. The building, at 341 Jefferson St. downtown, is also home to K12 Gallery for Young People and Teen Educational & Joint Adult Studio (TEJAS) and the studios of several other artists. I asked […]
The region’s largest ‘hot shop’ By Bill Franz Photographers love to visit glass blowing studios. We like the fire and smoke, and we like the contrast between the industrial equipment and the fragile, graceful art being made. I contacted James Michael Kahle about visiting the area’s largest glass blowing studio, Glass by James Michael & […]
Amy Kollar Anderson makes vivid art full-time By Bill Franz Exactly a year after she left her job as gallery coordinator at Kettering’s Rosewood Gallery, artist Amy Kollar Anderson posted that one of her recent accomplishments was deciding what she really wanted to do with her life. One of her three written goals was to […]
A visit with Hamilton Dixon, steel sculptor By Bill Franz Photo: Hamilton Dixon’s handrails at the Dayton Art Institute Hamilton Dixon has been working with metal his entire working life. His very first job was as a welder on an offshore oilrig. He decided he liked working with metal but he didn’t like life on an oilrig, so […]
Painter Katherine Kadish in her Clifton studio By Bill Franz Photo: Kadish showing one of her earlier works Just over a year ago, I started photographing Dayton artists at work in their studios and publishing the results in a blog. I am not an art critic, but I enjoy getting a behind-the-scenes look at how […]
Love thaws the ice queen with the Dayton Opera The scale and spectacle of Turandot is something not to be […]
Dayton Philharmonic backs prodigy Jackie Evancho at Schuster Jackie Evancho will sing opera favorites as well as her new more […]
DVAC auction returns to Sinclair’s Ponitz Center Attendees can appreciate local artists while socializing with their friends and family. By […]
Tracy McElfresh sews, up-cycles, and blogs her fashion forward McElfresh is fan of vivid colors and bold patterns in her […]
Dayton Funk Forever brings the spirit of 70s soul to Oscar’s (L-R) Joseph Hamp, Patrick Coyne, Brandon Guthrie, Adam Uhlenhake, […]
