A few feet from the front door is a canal boat kept on the site of the original Miami-Erie Canal. Across the street is the Tipp Roller Mill, once used to process flour and other grains. We like the slower pace, the sound of a train whistle in the summertime. For metals artist Cheryl Fent Swartz, the gallery was an answer to a prayer. Being somewhat new in the community, I was not acquainted with any artists and was feeling very lonely for people with whom to interact creatively.
Creative interaction is prized by every member of the group.
The process, she explains, involves bouncing ideas back and forth from one to another, modifying concepts until the final vision is exactly right. In one, each is dressed like a famous painting ranging from Whistler's Mother to The Scream. For a Jackson Pollock spoof, all donned white outfits, then allowed themselves to be splashed with colorful acrylic paint. The gallery has even published its own cookbook. Cookin' Art features photos of the women clowning around, accompanied by favorite recipes often served at gallery openings.