Akron Life May 2023

CUYAHOGA FALLS

by Alexandra Sobczak, photos provided by Collide: Cuyahoga Falls, Denny Stoiber and Cuyahoga Valley Art Center

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Denny Stoiber

Cuyahoga Valley Art Center

Watercolor artist Denny Stoiber spent about an hour and a half painting live next to the Cuyahoga Falls amphitheater as passersby looked on and a crowd formed, asking questions about his process during a 2021 event.

The Silver Lake resident and former engineer and landscape architect started taking art classes when he retired 10 years ago, and he is now a mem ber of the Whiskey Painters of America and the Hudson Society of Artists. His work has been featured in Cuyahoga Valley Art Center exhibits in Cuyahoga Falls, and arts orga nization Collide: Cuyahoga Falls commissioned him to do plein-air painting live as a part of an initiative to bring myriad live artists downtown during the

summer. Collide collaborates with about 10 arts organizations in the city, as well as out-of city groups like ArtsNow and Millennial Theatre Project to represent all types of art. “If you look at the impact that arts and culture has, it creates a sense of community,” says Kathy Romito, the vice president of Collide. “People find a common voice in art.” Look for Stoiber’s work at Hudson Society of Artists’ Clothesline Show June 17 to 18

and Case-Barlow Farm Open House July 7. He discusses learning watercolor painting and his love for the medium. What inspired you to try watercolor painting? Denny Stoiber: I said, I’m approaching retirement, and I need something to keep me out of trouble. … I contacted Cuyahoga Valley Art Center. I knew nothing about what I was doing. I didn’t know which end

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akronlife.com | MAY 2023