EARLVILLE – Have you ever wondered how an artist colony might have gotten started? What are the ingredients that make them magical? One factor surely is the natural beauty of an area that draws artists, but then another factor has to be the ‘word of mouth’ that starts with connections between people who are passionate about what they do. The current show in the EOH West Gallery, “Monhegan, Maine” resulted when a particular place known for its beauty exerted its magic and drew artists with faraway connections from another time and place to its summer art colony. 
“Monhegan, Maine” features paintings by Jim Loveless, Ray Wengenroth and Leslie Wengenroth as well as photographs by Jim Leach from Jan. 15 through March 1. This group of friends traces its roots to a teacher-student relationship that started at Colgate University over 40 years ago. For the past five years, retired Colgate painting professor Jim Loveless of Hamilton, and his students Ray (‘69) and Leslie (‘74) Wengenroth of Beverly, Mass. – have gathered on Monhegan Island, Maine for a week to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the island. This summer Jim Leach, of Hamilton, joined the group as a photographer and documented the beauty of the island that has inspired these artists. The exhibition celebrates the connections of time and place that have been elemental in the growth of artists’ work.  Edward Deci of the Monhegan Museum notes that the Monhegan Island is “one of the most important summer art colonies in the history of American Art.”  An article by Jim Leach appears in Colgate's alumni magazine “The Scene” this January explores the dynamics of their week spent sharing a cottage and inspiration.  A link to the article will be on www.earlvilleoperahouse.com.
In the East Gallery, Colleen McCubbin Stepanic of Harrisburg, PA exhibits her collection of large acrylic on canvas paintings beginning on Jan. 20. Stepanic explores the nature of vulnerability. As an artist, she looks at our culture’s tendency to favor the self-reliant and strong because these are the necessary traits for survival. Vulnerabilities are often masked. “My current work addresses the state in which this masking is no longer possible, the state in which revelation becomes necessary. I examine the tension created when the psychological need to reveal is countered by the natural desire to conceal; my works teeter on that edge, sometimes divulging, sometimes suppressing information. I utilize elements of abstraction and representation to alternately disclose and obscure meaning.”  Text is an important part of her exploration. This is especially true for the largest piece which is 84”x80” and contains 420 letters. 
Colleen McCubbin Stepanic has a 1995 BFA from the University of Ohio in Dayton and her MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Elkins, Pa. in 2003.  She has had solo exhibitions in Philadelphia, in various Ohio galleries and in Cameroon, Africa. She has received more than a dozen grants and awards recognizing her work.
The community is invited to the opening of these new exhibits at an artist reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday.  Refreshments will be served. The exhibits run from Jan. 20 through March 1. Gallery Hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. and for all EOH performances. Call for more information about current gallery exhibits, (315) 691-3550, or visit www.earlvilleoperahouse.com. 
 
Earlville Opera House events are made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and through the generosity of Earlville Opera House members.