PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Summer has gone fast and we are moving into autumn. Time goes so quickly for all of us. We have a great workshop and demo by Sharon Stolzenberger. I hope to see many of you at our October meeting.
As I mentioned at last month’s meeting, we need people to fill positions on the FAA committees. Specifically, right now we need to fill the membership and greeting committees. I would like to see three people move into that committee so that there is a backup as well as continuity. The principal role is to greet members at the monthly meeting. The secondary role is to collect the membership forms and put them into a log so that the membership booklet can be produced each year. If you anticipate attending most of the meetings you are perfect for this role. Please let me or Debbie Cosenza know and we can help you get started.
I am so proud of the talent and creativity of all of our members and want to thank all of you for your past and future participation in making this organization what it is today and can become in the future.
Lastly, I would like to know if there is interest in doing Art education for the community at large. It could be multiple sessions or individual demonstrations where we could try to expand our reach into the community and hopefully, expand membership. Part of the reason is to attempt to bring new and younger members into our club. Please let your wishes and interest known.
Until next month, enjoy, share, and participate.
Regards,
Your president Dave Schneberger
OCTOBER’S GUEST ARTIST – SHARON STOLZENBERGER
The Fairborn Art Association is pleased to welcome Sharon Stolzenberger as the guest artist for our October demo and workshop.
Sharon graduated from the School of the Dayton Art Institute and began her career in art with Gibson Greeting Card Co. where she was an illustrator, then an art director. She spent several years in commercial art before going out on her own to sell her paintings at the outdoor art fairs nationally and through other juried exhibitions. Teaching has become a new direction in her career. She teaches mixed media workshops for organizations, and is currently teaching watercolor classes through Sinclair Community College and Rosewood Arts Center in Dayton, OH.
ARTIST STATEMENT: In my work I try to convey the appreciation I have for wildlife and nature along with my passion for watermedia. I love the spontaneity of the loose, wet-in-wet applications of watercolor, but find the experimental, mixed media techniques equally demanding and exciting. Crows and prairies have been themes in my work for some time. They have led to growth in my work by encouraging experimentation with materials and helping me find new ways of interpreting familiar themes. My work is based on onsite drawings, photo references I’ve taken and hands on experiences. I’ve traveled to Peru, Africa, India and Nepal. I was a Volunteer Educator at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Center for Forty years.
SELECTED AWARDS: Jim Brower and Ohio Watercolor Society Lifetime Achievement Award, 2022; Honorable Mention, Acrylic Works, 8 Magazine, Artists’ Magazine; Ohio Watercolor Society Annual Exhibitions, Silver Award, Awards of Distinction; Middletown Art Center’s Regional Art Exhibitions, Best of Show, First Place; Elected Memberships: Ohio Watercolor Society, board of Trustees.
OCTOBER WORKSHOP WITH SHARON STOLZENBERGER
A watermedia and mixed media workshop, “Creative Play” with guest instructor Sharon Stolzenberger, will be held October 5 and 6, 2026, 9:30 am–4:30 pm at the Fairborn Art Gallery, 221 N. Central Avenue, Fairborn, Ohio, 45324.
The focus of this workshop will be a creative play approach to painting, playing with color, shapes, texture and surface enrichment. We’ll begin by making marks without a preconceived idea of what the finished pieces will be, and progress through the combination of various techniques and materials. These will include building layers and visual textures with paint, gesso, crayons, oil pastels, collage, stencils, stamps and image transfers. The workshop will be devoted to demos, experimenting with the materials and techniques, creating as many starts for potential paintings as time allows, as well as discussions concerning design, composition and content.
A few spots are still available for this workshop. The registration form is available in the gallery and on our website Homepage under Forms.
MEMBER EXHIBITS IN THE FAA GALLERY
In October, we will enjoy an exhibit by member Joyce McCartney. November will feature art by Hyacinth Paul. December is available if anyone would like to showcase a personal art show, either solo or a group show. Contact Carol Collett for details.
FAA GALLERY
FEATURED ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Artist Statement 2026
Joyce McCartney
Painting always brings me peace and a feeling of appreciating the beauty of life on our living planet. It gives me freedom from the conflict and drama of much of society these days. I have been painting for years, and I set myself an improvement goal each year. My goal this year was to capture the mood or emotional environment of a scene and experiment with tiny additions of watercolor pencil and pastels. So, I purposely go places early or late in the day to capture the slanting light, the rising mist as a rain or the settling fog of a hot day turns dusty pink and photograph or paint them on site. Then I carefully study the scene from my photos, looking for the subtle changes of warm or cool colors, a little darker here or a little lighter there. Then I sketch the scene to make decisions about composition and proportions. Lastly, I do a careful drawing because the gentle curve of a leaf or the twisting bark of an ancient tree is important and leads the viewer into the story of the time and place.
Then, as every watercolorist knows, the application of water and color becomes an intricate interaction that is never under complete control but always lead us into new opportunities of expression. As Homer Hacker used to say: “Watercolor is an impetuous medium, so stay alert.” I feel that watercolor is the only medium that talks back to me, surprising and disappointing, pleasing and challenging me to my core. And, as we all know, the thrill is in the chase of light, form, value and color and even if we don’t win each time, we really enjoy the presence of the place, the freedom from conflict and fearful thoughts and the delightful surprises we never imagined we would see.
And so, it is my pleasure to be able to exhibit a year’s worth of painting my world for you to enjoy. I value your comments and love your friendship and good humor. Thank you, Joyce McCartney
MEMBER NEWS
Yuki Hall received the “Best in Show” award for her painting, “Church of St. Philip Neri – Barcelona” at this year’s Piqua Arts Council Annual Fine Art Exhibition. Yuki also received the “Blick Art Materials Award” for her painting, “Ponte Sant Angelo” at this year’s Ohio Watercolor Society 49th Annual Juried Exhibition.
Additional awards received by our members at the Piqua Fine Art Exhibition are listed below:
Jan Lendino – Third Place in Miscellaneous for “Psst… Mom’s Home… Treats!!!”
Phillip Erbaugh – First Place in Oil and Acrylic for “After Hours”
Francis J. Trick – Honorable Mention in Oil and Acrylic for “The Tree to The Elements of Life”
Yuki Hall – Honorable Mention in Water Media for “In The Shadow of the Cathedral”
Connie Gifford, Shirlee Bauer, Carol Edsall, and Dave Schneberger all got honorable mentions at the Joyce Young Center at the 5th Annual Centerville Washington Township Rec Center Adult Art Exhibition. Over 100 pieces will be on display through October 18 at the McEwen Road facility, RecPlex West.
Diana Hoke’s husband Kent passed away on Friday, September 25, after battling liver disease for several months. No other information available at this time. Please keep Diana and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
LANDSCAPES2027 JURIED ART HIKE
An Art Hike for the Landscapes2027 Juried Art Exhibition will be held on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 11:00 am. The most accessible starting point for artists is the Leadingham Prairie entrance parking lot at 3656 Spangler Rd, Medway, Ohio. The featured landscape will be the Mad River as it passes through the B-W Greenway.
The B-W Greenway Community Land Trust & the Fairborn Art Association’s Landscapes Art Exhibition was established in 2009 to heighten public awareness of local greenspaces, the need to preserve them, and to foster an interest in creating art inspired from nature. More information about the 2027 exhibition will be forthcoming.
MIDDLETOWN ARTS CENTER ANNUAL AREA ART EXHIBITION
The Middletown Arts Center Annual Area Art Exhibition will be held November 6–December 10, 2026. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and living within a 50-mile radius of Middletown, Ohio. Submit work on October 26–October 29 during posted times. For more information, visit their website at: https://www.middletownartscenter.com/
FREE BATHROOM VANITY
Recently we had to replace the vanity in the bathroom so that we were in compliance with the American Disabilities Act. That has been completed by Roger Browning. Special thanks to Roger for his efforts.
As a result of that we have a 48-inch vanity and sink that needs to find a new home. If you have interest, please let us know and we can make arrangements to make that happen. I would like to see it out of the gallery in the next couple of weeks. If no one needs it, we will have to transport it to that Habitat Resource store.
Dave Schneberger
SUBMITTING ARTICLES FOR NEWSLETTER
Please submit your information for the November 2026 newsletter directly to the Corresponding Secretary, April Coppess, via phone call or email by the October 20, 2026, deadline. Please consult your membership directory for contact information.