September 2026 Newsletter

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Well, here we are, summer is ending, the new year is beginning for the Fairborn Art Association. Much has happened over the last few months. The B-W Greenway show was held with nearly 70 pieces entered. Down from previous years but still a successful show.

The July 4 parade for the 250th anniversary of Independence Day for the United States of America was held with a float with a fantastic array of corn stalks, promoting the Sweet Corn Festival. Who can forget the special hat worn by Roger Browning. So much work by our Sweet Corn Festival committee members Jerry Red, Jane Trame, Paula Whittington, Susan Fosnot, Sheryl Scott, Roger Browning, Warren Brown, and so many others. Special thanks to all the volunteers who helped during the actual event. I would like to take this opportunity to explain why we spend so much time and effort on this event. We sponsor this event annually along with the Fairborn Lions Club. Proceeds from this event help to keep our member fees so low. In other words, it pays the rent on our gallery space. I can’t say enough about the effort, every month of the year, that the committee members expend for all of our benefit. Thank them and if you can please volunteer support for the committee and the actual event if you are able to.

August 15 and 16 Sweet Corn Festival. I hope that all of you had time to attend and participate. This event was the culmination of a yearlong effort as mentioned above.

In the coming months we have many wonderful programs and demos planned and look forward to your participation. In addition to attendance, we need members to fill positions as committee and board members. It is my hope that each of the committees have multiple members to help share the load and ensure that no one gets burnt out. A list of the current committee chairs will be included with this letter. If you have ideas or thoughts about the future and what form that you want this club to take, please share them.

As time passes other projects will be introduced and shared.

This club is phenomenal, the talent, the creativity, the willingness to share your knowledge and experience is exceptional. I thank you all for what you have done and what you will do in the future for the betterment of all of us. Thank you for the vote of confidence and I will strive to do my best to promote and support this organization in the coming year.

Sincerely yours,

Dave Schneberger

SEPTEMBER’S GUEST ARTIST – MARYBETH KARAUS

The Fairborn Art Association is pleased to welcome MaryBeth Karaus, Oil Painters of America (OPA) member, as our guest demo artist at the September 1 meeting.  

In her floral still lifes, MaryBeth is fascinated by capturing the fleeting beauty that painting from life offers. In all her work, composition remains at the core of her aesthetic. 

MaryBeth Karaus is a graduate of the DAAP program of the University of Cincinnati. After concentrating for some time in the medium of watercolor, she began studying oil painting, beginning with a workshop with respected artist Dan Gerhartz in 2004. In 2006, she won the Top Award of Excellence from the juried exhibition of the Woman’s Art Club of Cincinnati. In 2012 she took an intensive study of classical drawing and painting with artist David Mueller. A member of the Oil Painters of America since 2008, Karaus was awarded Signature member status in 2015. She received the 2018 Dorothy Driehaus Mellin Fellowship for Midwestern Artists and the Members’ Choice Honorable Mention Award in the Associate & Signature Division at the 27th National Juried Exhibition of the OPA for the painting “Orange Romance.” Most recently, in 2024, Judge Sherrie McGraw awarded MaryBeth the Gold Medal in the Associate and Signature division for her painting “Center of Attention” at the OPA’s 33rd National Convention. Karaus also has been a Finalist in the Art Renewal Center’s International ARC Salon Competitions in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022. And just recently at the OPA National Convention in 2025, Karaus received the designation of Master Signature Member. Karaus is an active member of the Cincinnati Art Club, founded in 1890. In the 2021 Cincinnati Art Club’s Viewpoint Show, she was awarded First Place by judge John Michael Carter.

She currently displays her work at Eisele Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio and Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, Texas.

ART SUPPLIES SALE

Our Art Supplies Sale will be held on September 1 from 5:30–6:30 pm (simultaneously with our board meeting). Prior registration is not required. If you have art supplies that you wish to sell, you may bring them to the FAA Gallery for set up between 5:00 and 5:30 pm. The doors will be open and a table will be provided. If weather permits, some tables may be set up outside. Set up and all sales transactions are your responsibility so make sure you bring enough money to make change. Final cleanup of all items is also yours to do; nothing is to be left in the gallery or outside.

THIS MONTH IN THE FAA GALLERY

FAA president Dave Schneberger will exhibit his artwork in the FAA Gallery, 221 N. Central Avenue, Fairborn, Ohio, during the month of September 2026.

Dave Schneberger is a lifelong resident of the Dayton, Ohio area. He attended technical school and studied Graphic Arts and Printing. While principally self taught, he has studied with a number of very creative people over the years and appreciates their willingness to share their knowledge. His artwork varies from representational or impressionistic to abstract in watercolor, ink, or acrylic. He sometimes works with collage, wire art. He enjoys the outdoors, nature and wildlife and these are frequently themes in his work.

The over powering goal is to create, often experimenting with a variety of techniques and tools. The Gallery will be open to the public on the following days and times:

LANDSCAPES2026 AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations to the artists who won awards at the B-W Greenway Community Land Trust and the Fairborn Art Association’s Landscapes2026 Juried Art Exhibition held in July 2026 (Bold denotes FAA members):

First Place: “Hiding in Plain Sight” by Susan Scott

Second Place: “Early Morning Reflection” by Connie Gifford

Third Place: “Spring Sentinels” by Rose Schultz

Judge’s Merit Award: “The Morning of Green Land” by Sherry Li Cai

Judge’s Merit Award: “Beauty Conserved” by Connie Gifford

Judge’s Merit Award: “Foggy Morning Creek” by Celise McKee

Judge’s Merit Award: “Grace in Motion” by David Riel

Judge’s Merit Award: “Path to Wander” by Connie Weber

People’s Choice: “Bee Tree” by Carol Culbertson

MEMBER NEWS

Pat Higgins had two different photos selected in juried art competitions. One photo was selected for the annual Photography and Digital Art Exhibition at the Middletown Arts Center and another photo was selected for a “Poolside” juried show at the JAG Gallery, Key West, Florida.

Billie Dickson, Tessa Kalman, and Rose Schultz each received Signature status with the Ohio Watercolor Society.

Connie Gifford’s painting “Wheels and Spokes” was chosen to receive an Ohio Watercolor Society Award of Merit by the juror for Watercolor Ohio 2026, Ratindra Das.

The following FAA members won awards at the Miamisburg Art Gallery Juried Art Show held in August 2026:

Second Place in Drawing: “In the Woods II” by Tom Kinarney

First Place in Water Media: “Sunset and Steel” by Tessa Kalman

Second Place in Water Media: “Winter Solstice” by David Schneberger

Honorable Mention in Water Media: “Amaryllis and Glass Profusion” by Lori Hollenbeck

First Place in Mixed Media: “Spring Sentinels” by Rose Schultz

Honorable Mention in Mixed Media: “Gardners Forever” by Nancy Dankof

Third Place in Three Dimensional Works: “Goldstone Sun” by Darci Salinas

Frank Trick will exhibit at the London Arts Center, London Visual Arts Guild, 121 East 1st Street, London, Ohio 43140. The show runs during their regular operating hours through the month of September. An Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, September 5, from 2:00–5:00 pm. Frank will teach a jewelry class at the same location on Saturday, September 12 from 1:00–3:00 pm. Frank will also have a show at the Yellow Springs Art Council, 111 Cory Street, Yellow Springs, Ohio from October 5 through October 31 during regular operating hours with an Opening Reception on Friday, October 9 from 5:00–8:00 pm.

OCTOBER 2026 WORKSHOP WITH SHARON STOLZENBERGER

Sharon Stolzenberger will be the guest instructor for a mixed media workshop to be held October 5 and 6, 2026, 9:30 am–4:30 pm at the Fairborn Art Gallery.

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.

More details will be forthcoming.

34TH ANNUAL PIQUA FINE ART EXHIBITION

The Piqua Arts Council will hold its 34th Annual Piqua Fine Art Exhibition in September 2026. The Awards Reception will be held on September 3. The show will be open to the public September 4–25 at the Apple Tree Gallery, 405 N. Main St., Piqua, OH 45356. For more information, visit their website: https://piquaartscouncil.org/annual-art-show

WATERCOLOR OHIO 2026

The Ohio Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition, Watercolor Ohio 2026, will be held at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts, Findlay, Ohio from September 26 through October 23, 2026.

SUBMITTING ARTICLES FOR NEWSLETTER

Please submit your information for the October 2026 newsletter directly to the Corresponding Secretary, April Coppess, via phone call or email by the September 20, 2026, deadline. Please consult your membership directory for contact information.

2026-2027 FAA COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS

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