Columbus - January 3, 2012- In honor of the Columbus Bicentennial, City Center Gallery hosts its first all-Ohio juried exhibition, OHIOCENTRIC. The gallery celebrates its city by featuring 51 artists whose works collectively create a momentary snapshot of Ohio's unique artistic reflection. The exhibition will display 63 works of art by Ohio artists based in areas in and outside of Ohio including Columbus, Whipple, Milford, Athens, Pennsylvania, Chicago and New York. City Center Gallery, part of the Ohio State University's Urban Arts Space is located 50 W. Town St. OHIOCENTRIC exhibit opening reception will be Saturday, February 18th from 6-8pm and will be on display through Saturday March 24th.
The artist Dennis Velco, a Fine Art Finger Painter, is among the selected 51 artists with his artwork titled "Flower Power" scheduled to be on display (pictured right). Velco states, "I am so honored and trilled to be a part of the City Center Gallery's OHIOCENTIC Columbus Bicentennial celebration exhibition. I was introduced to Columbus in my early twenties. After having served in the US Army I attended Ohio State University and remained in Columbus for several years there after. However, my past technology professional career required that I relocate. After having lived in many areas including New York City, Washington, DC and Los Angeles, we adopted our son and knew we wanted to raise him in a place we felt that we could really call home. So, after considering many locations throughout the US, we choose to return to Columbus in Dec 2010 and make it just that. Since returning I've been building my network of local contacts and getting as active in the arts community as an active life with a 3 year old will allow. Being selected to participate in the OHIOCENTRIC exhibition is an honor I don't take lightly. I'm proud to be a part of the show as much as I'm proud to call Columbus home."
Velco is quickly gaining momentum in the Comlumbus arts community being active in both the Dublin Area Art League and Worthington Area Art League as well as some community art projects in development of his own. Velco is the resident artist at Meyer & Dial Reality in the Short North and he recently began displaying his art and managing the art display for additional artists at the Broad Street Bagels and Deli in Downtown Columbus.
Many are drawn into Velco's paintings by the rich texture due to his painting process of applying the paint directly with his fingers. The paint’s own texture, viscosity, volume, loading pattern and application method at the time of each stroke influences the outcome as it rolls, slides or jettisons off his fingers onto the canvas to be fixed in place. Watch Velco's technique via his online videos include a video of him working on the chosen "Flower Power". All the artist painting videos may be seen at http://www.dennisvelco.com/artist-live-painting-videos.
For more information about the artist and his art work visit his Fine Art Finger Painting online Art Gallery. His website may be found at web site at http://www.DennisVelco.com. Contact him for a studio appointment via phone: (614) 285-6040 or e-mail: Dennis@DennisVelco.com.
About the Guest Juror Mary Gray
Mary Gray has served as Riffe Gallery Director since autumn 1998, and is responsible for managing exhibition selection and coordination and all administrative activities of the Riffe Gallery. Some of her duties include overseeing the gallery education program, the marketing area, gallery assistants and preparators, working with curators and artists, designing installations and handling shipping and insurance arrangements for all exhibitions. Ms. Gray serves on the Ohio Arts Council' International Committee and has extensive experience coordinating international exhibitions. She has juried several exhibitions for various museums, galleries and organizations across the state.
About City Center Gallery
City Center Gallery is an opportunity for promising emerging artists to display their art and launch their careers. Artists who display in City Center Gallery have the opportunity to exhibit work in a professional setting and gain real-world knowledge in the operations of galleries. By assisting local independent artists, the OSU Urban Arts Space hopes to create a new artistic destination for both artists and residents of Columbus, Ohio. For more information about City Center Gallery please visit in person or the website at http://uas.osu.edu.
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