Biography
| 1924 | Born in Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1945 | B.A. (Chemistry), Duke University |
| 1968-78, 1995 |
Cleveland Institute of Art |
Teaching Experience
| 1989-1998, 1986 |
Instructor, Continuing Education, Cleveland Institute of Art |
Current Gallery Affiliation
The Bonfoey Gallery
1710 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 621-0178
Artist's Statement
Spontaneously enrolling in a class at the Cleveland Institute of Art at age 44 launched my forty-plus year career path as a professional painter devoted to watercolor. Watercolor can convey impressions as diverse as a fleeting cloud or the intense heat generated when tapping a furnace of molten steel. I often paint very large by watercolor standards. I create tension when I adapt this fluid medium to my structured compositions.
The dynamism and energy of Cleveland's industrial valley, “The Flats,” captivated me early on; its unique subjects inhabit my paintings. I found similar abstract images in amusement parks. A Cleveland Calendar commission took me to the West Side Market and given my culinary interests it was a natural for me to appropriate the repetitive themes in produce markets. Greenhouses and conservatories followed in which the softness of plant material creates a dialogue with arbitrary architecture. Architecture as a subject has been a common thread.
A long association with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History increased my sensitivity to ecological considerations. I chronicled an adaptation/survival theme for years, painting the wild flowers that cohabit with heavy industry. A solo exhibition in 2005 interpreted another econiche: the tidal zone of the southern Delaware shore, the special spot in the world that each year refuels my creative energies.
After years of painting I have come to realize that I subliminally draw my subjects from the commonplace. I find beauty in the every day. A sewer grate, milkweed, eggs, a bunch of beets, ocean flotsam, brick paving, goldenrod, a fireplug—all speak to me. I want to pull people into my paintings, make them feel my passion, help them to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.
February, 2010
Solo Exhibitions
| 2010 | Intown Club, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2010 | Howson Gallery, Judson at University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2009 | Wild Urban, Old Stone Church, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2008 | Charles F. Seelbach Gallery, Gathering Place West, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2005 | The Bonfoey Company, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2001 | The Bonfoey Company, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1997 | Bennett Galleries, Knoxville, Tennessee |
| 1994 | The Bonfoey Company, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1993 | The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio |
| 1989 | The Bonfoey Company, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1987 | Gallery Madison 90, New York, New York |
| 1985 | Cleveland Play House Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio Great Lakes Theater Festival, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1983 | The Intown Club, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1981 | The Bonfoey Company, Cleveland, Ohio |
Selected Invitational Exhibitions
| 2009 | 120 Years: National Association of Women Artists Jane Voorhess Zimmerli Gallery - 1st Venue, Rutgers University, New Jersey UBS Gallery - 2nd Venue, New York City Cleveland Artist Foundation, Scenes of Cleveland: Artists Portraiting Their City, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2003 | State of the Art Biennial Watercolor Invitational Illuminating the Ordinary: Light and Enlightenment in Contemporary Watercolor Siena Heights University, Adrian, Michigan & Parkland College, Champaign, Illinois |
| 1998 | Gallery B.A.I., Barcelona, Spain |
| 1996 | Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Kaleidoscope: Visions of Natural History II, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1992 | Florence O’Donnell Wasmer Gallery, City-Nature: The Spell of Matter, Ursuline College, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1991 | Hubbard Museum, The 2nd Annual Hubbard Art Award for Excellence, Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico |
| 1989 | Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Collects: American Painting, Sculpture, and Photography, Columbus, Ohio |
| 1988 | Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Kaleidoscope: Visions of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1980 | Museum of the Beck Center for the Cultural Arts, Summer Quintet, Lakewood, Ohio |
| 1978 | Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Invitational Painting Exhibition: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington Loretto, Pennsylvania |
| 1976 | Butler Institute of American Art, Ohio Women Artists Past and Present, Youngstown, Ohio |
Selected Juried Exhibitions
| 2010 | National Art Center, Joint Exhibition, Watercolor USA / Japan Watercolor Federation, Tokyo, Japan |
| 2008 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, 112th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 2007 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, 111th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 2006 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, 110th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 2005 | Cleveland Museum of Art,
NEO Show, Cleveland Ohio Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, 109th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC Cleveland Artists Foundation, Art All Around the Town Prints from Print Club of Cleveland, Print-a-Month-Club and The University Print Club Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2004 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
108th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC J. Wayne Stark University Center Galleries, Artists Who Happen to be Women National Association of Women Artists, Texas A&M University |
| 2003 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
107th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC Butler Institute of American Art, 67th Annual Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio |
| 2002 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, 106th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 2001 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, 105th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 2000 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, 104th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 1999 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, 103rd Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 1998 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, 102nd Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 1997 | Butler Institute of American Art, 61st Annual Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio |
| 1996 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
100th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC National Association of Women Artists, Municipality of Athens-Cultural Center and Hellenic-American Union Art Exhibition, Athens, Greece |
| 1995 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
99th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC National Arts Club, Audubon Artists Annual Exhibition, NYC |
| 1994 | Springfield Art Museum, Watercolor U.S.A. 1994, Springfield, Missouri |
| 1993 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
97th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC Cleveland Museum of Art, 74th Annual May Show, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1992 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
96th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC Springfield Art Museum, Watercolor U.S.A. 1992, Springfield, Missouri |
| 1991 | The Butler Institute of American Art, 55th Annual National Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio |
| 1990 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
94th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC The Butler Institute of American Art, 54th Annual National Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio National Arts Club, 48th Audubon Artists Annual Exhibition, NYC Salmagundi Club, American Watercolor Society 123rd Annual International Exhibition, NYC The Canton Art Institute, All Ohio 1990, 12th Statewide Juried Biennial Competition, Canton, Ohio |
| 1989 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
93rd Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC The Butler Institute of American Art, 53rd Annual Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio American Watercolor Society, 122nd Annual International Exhibition, NYC |
| 1988 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
92nd Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC National Arts Club, 46th Audubon Artists Annual Exhibition, NYC Cleveland Museum of Art, 69th May Show, Cleveland, Ohio Knickerbocker Artists, 38th Annual National Open Exhibition, NYC |
| 1987 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
91st Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC Cleveland Museum of Art, 68th Annual May Show, Cleveland, Ohio Salmagundi Club, American Watercolor Society 120th Annual International Exhibition, NYC Knickerbocker Artists, 37th Annual Open Exhibition, NYC |
| 1986 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
90th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC El Paso Museum of Art, 24th National Sun Carnival Art Exhibition, |
| 1985 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
89th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC Springfield Art Museum, Watercolor U.S.A. 1985, Springfield, Missouri The Cleveland Museum of Art, 66th Annual May Show, Cleveland, Ohio Tweed Museum of Art, Midwest Watercolor Society 9th Annual Open Juried Show, Duluth, Minnesota |
| 1984 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
88th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC Springfield Art Museum, Watercolor U.S.A. 1984, Springfield, Missouri Cleveland Museum of Art, 65th Annual May Show, Cleveland, Ohio El Paso Museum of Art, 23rd National Sun Carnival Art Exhibition Brea Civic Cultural Center Gallery, National Watercolor Society 64th Annual Exhibition, Brea, California Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, AQUEOUS OPEN '84, 39th Annual Exhibition |
| 1983 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
87th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC Butler Institute of American Art, 47th Annual National Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio National Arts Club, 41st Audubon Artists Annual Exhibition, NYC The Cleveland Museum of Art, 64th Annual May Show, Cleveland, Ohio Salmagundi Club, American Watercolor Society 116th Annual International Exhibition, NYC Davenport Art Gallery, 7th Annual Transparent Exhibition — Midwest Watercolor Society, Davenport, Iowa Palm Springs Desert Museum, National Watercolor Society 63rd Annual Exhibition, Palm Springs, California Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, AQUEOUS OPEN '83, 38th Annual Exhibition |
| 1982 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club,
86th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC Springfield Art Museum, Watercolor U.S.A. 1982, Springfield, Missouri The Cleveland Museum of Art, 63rd Annual May Show, Cleveland, Ohio El Paso Museum of Art, 22nd National Sun Carnival Art Exhibition, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, AQUEOUS OPEN '82, 37th Annual Exhibition National Arts Club, 69th Annual Exhibition, Allied Artists of America, Inc., NYC |
| 1981 | National Arts Club, 39th Audubon Artists Annual Exhibition, NYC |
| 1980 | El Paso Museum of Art, 21st National Sun Carnival Art Exhibition, |
| 1978 | The Butler Institute of American Art,
42nd Annual National Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio National Arts Club, 36th Audubon Artists Annual Exhibition, NYC |
| 1977 | The Butler Institute of American Art, 41st Annual National Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio |
| 1976 | El Paso Museum of Art,
19th National Sun Carnival Art Exhibition Marietta College, Mainstreams '76 The 9th Annual Marietta College International Competitive Exhibition for Painting & Sculpture, Marietta, Ohio |
| 1975 | The Butler Institute of American Art,
39th Annual National Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio The Cleveland Museum of Art, 56th Annual May Show, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1974 | The Butler Institute of American Art, 38th Annual National Midyear Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio |
Selected Awards & Honors
| 2008 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, Catherine T. Ballantyne Memorial Award, 112th Annual Open Exhibition, NYC |
| 2005 | Cleveland Artists Foundation, Honored Guest, On the Watercolor Front |
| 2002 | American Diabetes Association, Signature Artist, Celebrity Art Auction Gala, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1999 | Golden Age Centers of Greater Cleveland, Inc., Golden Achievement Award for Lifelong Achievement in the Field of the Arts, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1998 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, Honored Member, 102nd Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 1997 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, National Arts Club Award, 101st Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 1991 | The Butler Institute of American Art, Honorable Mention, 55th Annual National Midyear Show, Youngstown, Ohio |
| 1990 | Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, Anna Hyatt Huntington Bronze Medal, 94th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, NYC |
| 1988 | The Cleveland Museum of Art, Special Mention for Painting, 69th Annual May Show, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1988 | Lakewood High School, Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame, Lakewood, Ohio |
| 1987 | American Watercolor Society, Bronze Medal of Honor 120th Annual International Exhibition, NYC |
| 1985 | The Association of Interpretive Naturalists, The 1985 National Special Award in recognition of special service to the profession, Berkshire Mountains |
| 1980 | El Paso Museum of Art, Museum Purchase Award, 21st National Sun Carnival Art Exhibition |
Selected Membership Shows
| 2008 | Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, Inside the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2007 | Artist Archives of the Western Reserve, City Folk, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2004 | National Association of Women Artists, 115th Annual Exhibition, NYC |
| 2003 | Springfield Museum of Art Watercolor Now! Watercolor U.S.A. Honor Society 9th Biennial Exhibition Springfield, Missouri National Association of Women Artists, 114th Annual Exhibition, NYC |
| 2002 | National Association of Women Artists, 113th Annual Exhibition, NYC |
| 2001 | National Association of Women Artists, 112th Annual Exhibition, NYC |
| 2000 | Huntsville Museum of Art, Watermedia 2000 Exhibition, Watercolor U.S.A. Honor Society 7th Biennial Exhibition Huntsville, Alabama National Association of Women Artists, 111th Annual Exhibition, NYC |
| 1997 | Springfield Art Museum, Watercolor U.S.A Honor Society 6th Biennial Exhibition, Springfield, Missouri The Morani Gallery, 108th Annual Exhibition, National Association of Women Artists Allegheny College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| 1996 | National Association of Women Artists, 107th Annual Exhibition, NYC |
| 1995 | Knoxville Art Museum, Watercolor U.S.A. Honor Society 5th Biennial Exhibition, Knoxville, Tennessee |
| 1991 | Springfield Art Museum and United Missouri Bank, Watercolor U.S.A. Honor Society 3rd Biennial Exhibition, Springfield, Missouri |
| 1989 | Transco Energy Company, Watercolor U.S.A. Honor Society 2nd Biennial Exhibition, Houston, Texas |
| 1987 | Springfield Museum of Art, Watercolor U.S.A. Honor Society 1st Biennial Exhibition, Springfield, Missouri |
Selected Public and Corporate Collections
- Alcan Aluminum Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio
- American Numismatic Society, New York, New York
- Ameritech, Cleveland, Ohio
- Arter & Hadden, Cleveland, Ohio
- Avon Lake Public Library, Avon Lake, Ohio
- Baker & Hostetler, Cleveland, Ohio
- BPAmoco, Cleveland, Ohio
- Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio
- Calfee, Halter & Griswold, Cleveland, Ohio
- Carton Service, Inc., Shelby, Ohio
- Cleveland Art Association, Cleveland, Ohio
- Cleveland Browns Football Club, Cleveland, Ohio
- Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
- Cleveland Indians, Cleveland, Ohio
- The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio
- The Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio
- Dalad Group, Cleveland, Ohio
- El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas
- Ella Carothers Dunnegan Gallery of Art, Bolivar, Missouri
- Ernst & Young, Cleveland, Ohio
- Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio
- Fifth Third Bank, Cleveland, Ohio
- First Chicago/NBD Corporation, Chicago, Illinois
- First Nationwide Bank, Sacramento, California
- Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio
- Hahn, Loeser and Parks LLP, Cleveland, Ohio
- Huntington National Bank, Columbus, Ohio
- The Richard E. Jacobs Group, Cleveland, Ohio
- KeyBank, Cleveland, Ohio
- LTV Steel Company, Cleveland, Ohio
- Lakewood Hospital, Lakewood, Ohio
- McDonald, Hopkins & Hardy, Cleveland, Ohio
- NACCO Industries, Cleveland, Ohio
- National City Bank, Cleveland, Ohio
- The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
- Nurenberg, Plevin, Heller & McCarthy, Cleveland, Ohio
- Ostendorf-Morris Company, Cleveland, Ohio
- Roulston & Company, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
- RPM, Inc., Medina, Ohio
- Rocky River Public Library, Rocky River, Ohio
- Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn, Columbus, Ohio
- State Savings, Columbus, Ohio
- Thompson, Hine & Flory, Cleveland, Ohio
- Travel Centers of America, Cleveland, Ohio
- TRW, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
- Turner & Jovanovich, Los Angeles, California
- University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio
- West Pac Bank of Australia, Columbus, Ohio
- The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Selected Commissions
- American Diabetes Association, Cleveland, Ohio
- Carton Service, Inc., Shelby, Ohio
- Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
- The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio
- Dalad Group, Cleveland, Ohio
- Forest City Foundries Company, Cleveland, Ohio
- Greenleaf Capital Management, Cleveland, Ohio
- Home Federal Savings and Loan, Lakewood, Ohio
- Huntington National Bank, Columbus, Ohio
- International Printing Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio
- KeyBank, Cleveland, Ohio
- Lakewood Hospital, Lakewood, Ohio
- Ostendorf-Morris Company, Cleveland, Ohio
- The Richard Jacobs Group, Cleveland, Ohio
- Republic Steel, Cleveland, Ohio
- Rocky River Public Library, Rocky River, Ohio
- Roulston & Company, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
- RPM, Inc., Medina, Ohio
Selected Publications
- Who's Who in American Art; 2009-2010, 07-08. 05-06, 03-04, 01-02, 1999-2000, 97-98, 95-96
- Who's Who in American Women; 2008-2009, 06-07, 04-05, 02-03, 1997-98
- Book of Hearts by Mary Lou Ferbert; 2008
- Splash 10: Passionate Brushstrokes by Rachel Wolf; 2007
- Uncommon Beauty by Pablo Wolfe Watercolor, Summer Issue; 2006
- Creative Essence: Cleveland’s Sense of Place by Nina Gibans; 2004
- Painting Light and Shade by Patricia Seligman; 2004
- A Flowering of Talent The Artists Magazine; May 2002
- Glencoe Literature Readers Choose Glencoe/McGraw-Hill; 2000, 2002
- Heroic Urban Wildflowers by Elizabeth McClelland; Watercolor, Winter Issue; 2002
- Splash 7: Qualities of Light by Rachel Wolf; 2002
- Celebrating your Creative Self by Mary Todd Beam; North Light Books; 2001
- The Artist’s Sketchbook by Lucy Watson; 2001
- Watercolor Expressions by Betty Lou Schlemm; 1999
- Splash 5: Best of Watercolor, The Glory of Color by Rachel Wolf; 1998
- Best of Watercolor: Painting Texture by Betty Lou Schlemm; 1997
- The Best of Watercolor 2 by Betty Lou and Tom Nicholas Schlemm; 1997
- Fresh Flowers: The Best of Flower Painting by Kathy Kipp; 1996
- Flowers in Watercolor by Betty Lou and Tom Nicholas Schlemm; 1996
- Places in Watercolor Betty Lou and Tom Nicholas Schlemm; 1996
- A Trustee’s Account: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History by Arthur L. Dougan; The Cleveland Museum of Natural History; 1995
- Splash 4: The Splendor of Light. North Light Books by Rachel Wolf; 1996
- The Best of Watercolor 1 by Betty Lou and Tom Nicholas Schlemm; 1995
- David S. Ingalls, Jr. Award for Excellence Mary Lou Ferbert; Kirtlandia No. 48; The Cleveland Museum of Natural History; 1994
- The Art of Mary Lou Ferbert by Elizabeth McClelland; Ohio Artists Now; 1993
- Splash 2: Watercolor Breakthroughs by Rachel Wolf; 1993
- Splash: America’s Best Contemporary Watercolors by Greg Albert and Rachel Wolf; North Light Books; 1991
- The Jacobs Collection by Jeffrey Deitch; 1990
- On Exhibition: A Survey of Paintings Shown Recently in Galleries and Museums Watercolor88; 1988
- Nature in the City by Mary Lou Ferbert; Science Education Council of Ohio, Vol.4, No. 1; 1986
- The Huntington Collection Huntington Banks; 1986
- Burned in the Hot-stove League by Bob McKay; Ohio Magazine Vol. 8, No. 2; 1985
- Today’s Youngsters-Tomorrow’s Decision Makers by Mary Lou Ferbert; Nature Study, Vol. 36, Nos. 3 and 4; The American Nature Study Society; 1983
- Cleveland Calendar International Printing Corporation; 1982
- Nature in the City by Mary Lou Ferbert; Science and Children, Vol. 19, No. 3; 1981
- Artistic Contrast by Cynthia Dettlebach; Dialogue, Ohio’s Art Journal; July/August 1979
- Nature in the City by Mary Lou Ferbert; The Cleveland Museum of Natural History; 1979
- An Empty Lot Is Not Empty by Mary Lou Ferbert; The Explorer, Vol. 17, No. 2; The Cleveland Museum of Natural History; 1975