See ‘The Nearest Faraway Place’ at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio

In Yvette Smith’s “Rocky Coast,” blue waters envelop a shoreline of deep-green trees built from thick brush strokes. The landscape is one of over 50 works featured in “The Nearest Faraway Place: Ohio’s Painters, Makers & Their Mentors,” on view at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster from Jan. 25 through April 26. 

The show highlights 20th- and 21st-century Ohio artists whose work has been shaped by their travels, in addition to their deep-rooted connections to the place they grew up. Historically, our state’s railroads and waterways, particularly in larger cities, provided artists the opportunity to travel and learn under influential mentors, bringing home new techniques and perspectives.

“All these artists, when they came back, they brought something” says Dave Terry, co-curator of the exhibit. “They brought more life, different atmospheres.”

The Columbus-based, husband-and-wife team of Constance “Connie” and Dave Terry curated “The Nearest Faraway Place.” Having been in the art-restoration business for over 40 years, Dave turned to private collectors across the state to help shape the exhibition. Many of the paintings have not been on public view before. 

Smith, who grew up in Bexley, used bold colors and techniques to create “Rocky Coast” in a style that evokes George Bellows. Other artists featured in the exhibit include Herman Wessels of Cincinnati, whose time in Europe inspired the piece “Bergen, Norway Harbor,” and painter Abel Warshawsky of Cleveland, who used his travels to France to create an impressionist depiction of a quaint Paris streetscape. 

“If you lived here and grew up here, you’re going to realize that it has more of a historical importance,” Dave Terry says of Ohio’s role in the arts world. “Not only on the growth of our nation, but on the growth of our culture and arts.” 

145 E. Main St., Lancaster 43130, 740/681-1423, decartsohio.org

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