A former
Oil City resident whose loving and full embrace of nature prompted her
to choose a career in art has been invited to exhibit her works at a
major art center in Columbus, Ohio.
The
Columbus Cultural Arts Center is showcasing “Spirit Songs,” a collection
of mixed media paintings by artist Marge Mitcham.
The
37-piece abstract exhibit, to run now through April 27 in the main hall
gallery, is being promoted by the center as one that “will lift your
spirits with the rich and vibrant colors” presented by the artist.
“I grew up
in the forest and I love nature and animals and I hold in highest regard
Native American beliefs that all people and animals and the earth are
connected. It has been the philosophy of my life and I hope my paintings
reflect that,” said the 59-year-old Mitcham.
Born in Oil
City, the artist attended the local schools until moving as a high
school student with her family to Warren. She earned a bachelor of fine
arts degree from Thiel College of Greenville and became certified in art
education and special education at Ohio State University.
She has
lived in Columbus since 1971 and taught art classes to children with
developmental disabilities for 30 years until her retirement. Mitcham,
an advocate for teaching art to disabled children and adults in order
for them to “express their thoughts and emotions,” serves as an art
consultant for ARC Industries West in Columbus.
A frequent
exhibitor at Columbus art shows, forums, schools and the Ohio State
Fair, Mitcham also has donated work to the Aids Task Force “Art for
Life” program. She co-founded an after-school art program for high
school students and is active in the Columbus artists’ community.
Her
vocation came quite naturally, said Mitcham, the daughter of the late
Merle and Betty Stanley Mitcham.
“My mother
and my Aunt Virginia were painters so I picked up a paintbrush as the
age of 6. I never really put it down all these years. What I paint, then
and now, comes from lifelong appreciation of the woods and everything
that lived there. I spent a lot of time along the river at Rockmere in
the summers,” she said.
Mindful of
her legacy and love of family, Mitcham dedicated the exhibit to her
parents, her sister Blanche of Warren, her brother Ben of Florida and
their families.
Mitcham’s
exhibit, large-size paintings fashioned from acrylic paints, fabric
paints and beads that she says offer “a primitive and expressive”
rendering, is divided into three spheres — the soul-keeper series
representing “the people who have touched my soul;” the gentle spirit
series showing “the spirits that guide us;” and a nature and design
series depicting “the elements of nature and abstract design.” They are
all the things, said the artist, “that can get us through life.”
Described
by a lifelong friend as “the most loving, gentle and free spirit you
could ever know,” Mitcham offered an assessment as to how her exhibit
will be received by the public.
“Nature’s
power shows me the majesty of life and I try to express that as well as
love in my art,” she said. “My hope is that my paintings will color your
soul and lift your spirits.”
The opening
reception is set for Sunday at the Arts Center.