The Bowling Green Arts Council in partnership with the Wood County Committee on Aging debuted its 2017
show 50+ Shades of Grey on Feb. 10 at the Bowling Green Senior Center.
The exhibit features 2-D art from artists age 50 and over from within a 100-mile radius of Wood County.
According to Jacqui Nathan, president of the BGAC, nearly 30 artists submitted their artwork for the
show. The vast majority are county residents, who were all limited to a maximum of two entries.
“This is great,” Nathan said of the show.
“This is a good community collaboration,” said Denise Niese, executive director of WCCOA. “It provides a
venue to recognize the talents of mature artists.”
During the opening night gala, attendees were encouraged to vote for their favorite. Six different pieces
of art tied for the most votes, illustrating the diversity of the pieces on display. A tie-breaking vote
resulted in another tie, so both Warren Misfeldt and Doris Mathias shared the honor of the People’s
Choice award. The other four artists were recognized with honorable mentions.
Misfeldt, who recently showcased his art in an exhibit at the Four Corners downtown, was recognized for
his “Memory of Home,” an oil on canvas piece depicting a rural farm house and barn. Mathias’s
“Fractured” watercolor depicts a colorful mix of berries, flowers and foliage.
Among the artists in attendance was Carole Kauber, a former art teacher at Otsego. Her “Turquoise Trail”
was one of the honorable mention recipients. That was one of her two Southwest-themed acrylic pieces
submitted. The Buffalo, New York, native now resides in Bowling Green.
The acrylic art is taken from among her pictures taken on her travels out west.
“I use the pictures as a source of reference when I paint,” Kauber said.
The largest and visually striking piece in the show called “Mark 16: 17-18” by Randy Bennett, also was
recognized with an honorable mention. The mixed media art is a black-and-white depiction of an old-time
tent revival featuring snakes related to the biblical verse of the title. The text is written out at the
bottom of the art.
The others who were recognized with honorable mentions were “Winter’s Edge,” a metallic watercolor by
Marilyn Horner featuring a winter image, and “The Pond” by Edward Marks. The oil on canvas work depicts
a rural pond set near woods with an older man seated beside the pond.
“This is my first time in this show; I’m really excited,” said Nancy Oberhaus of Bowling Green who was
making her first foray into displaying her artwork publicly.
“I have dabbled in art since I was in high school,” Oberhaus said.
For the last two years, she has been taking the watercolor art classes at the senior center on Fridays.
“I paint with more confidence as I have learned new techniques,” she said.
She had a hard time deciding which two paintings to enter, so she lined up a lot of her favorites in her
living room, settling on a bright red cardinal set in a snow-covered winter setting and a covered
bridge.
“They spoke to me,” she said of her decision.
Photographer Mary Hansen said she had thousands of photos from which to choose, so she asked her friends
to help her choose what to enter. The two most popular were her “Blue Swallowtail” and “Sunset in Iowa.”
Though this was her first entry in this show, she has earned top five awards in the photography
department at the Wood County Fair.
Bonnie Wilcox, also of Bowling Green, entered pictures of a waterfall and a jaguar. She has also taken
the same watercolor classes as Oberhaus.
“I’ve enjoyed art all of my life and I wanted to get into this Wood County show,” Wilcox said.
Cartoonist Robert McAfee of Bowling Green entered a whimsical “Get the Cat,” which features a squirrel
perched in a tree envisioning himself attacking the cat below.
“I just see funny things, McAfee said, noting most of his work has never been seen by anyone. “I do them
to keep busy; I never shared them with anyone.”
He, like most, appreciated the diversity in the show.
The art will remain on display through March 23. Some of the art has been sold, with other pieces still
available. Other artists have had their work marked as not for sale.
