Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society
Well, the
big day – the GCWS Bus Trip to Middletown finally arrived! It was a beautiful day, moderately warm, and
sunny – perfect for the adventure. Some
members began arriving at 8:30 for the 9:30 departure – anxious to enjoy the
day. And that, we did! Even got a bit of a tour through some of Middletown ’s neighborhoods – at no extra cost. J
![]() |
Members getting on the bus to Middletown. |
At the Middletown Art Center we were warmly welcomed by the Asst.
Director - Kim Major, as well as the charming lady
from Middletown (Pat Hayes), who was the original inspiration for our
trip. A purely happenstance meeting
between Pat and myself, about eight months before, eventually evolved into a
wonderful art-filled experience for our GCWS members.
For the
first part of our Tour, we perused a great show of watercolor paintings by Alan
Hutton, prize-winning Ohio artist. Many
of the paintings were of nature, farmland, barns, and other country
scenes. We were amazed at his washes,
shadows, and interesting takes on very ordinary items and other farm
implements. His paintings showed us what
is meant by “leaving the white of the paper show through”.
We then were
shown very gracious hospitality as we wandered around the Center, into the
various classrooms and workrooms. We saw
artists at work painting watercolors and acrylics, throwing pottery, and making
jewelry.
![]() |
Artists working on ceramics. |
![]() |
Artists working on pottery. |
![]() |
Carol McAfee talks to a jewelry artist. |
We
re-boarded the bus to take us to lunch at Murphy’s Landing Restaurant, so named
because the building was originally Murphy’s
5 and 10/c store. The current owners, Jay and Linda Moorman
have done a magnificent job of restoring and re-doing and joining a couple of
historical buildings here. The
restaurant is really very beautiful with most of the décor coming from old
schools and churches; and used in extremely creative ways. The food was very good, and we even had a
surprise dessert.
After lunch,
it was time for our Tour of the Beau Verre Riodan Stained Glass Studios, also owned by the
Moorman’s. Jay and Linda graciously
welcomed us. They gave us a great deal
of interesting information about the history of the surrounding downtown area,
and the buildings, and how they started their glassworks, and the restaurant,
etc. They explained the difference
between art glass and stained glass, and where they get the inspiration for
their stained glass windows; fascinating!
It is the oldest continuing glassworks studio in the U.S. ; not taking shortcuts, but using the
old methods which produce a better product.
Because of
the extensive collection of historical records that they own, they are able to
find a great deal of information about original windows of churches in the
area, and around the country, that need to be refurbished and restored.
Old stairway preserved from 5 and 10 Cent store which now leads to the artists' workshops. |
Next on our
agenda -
going downstairs to see all the “bins” of colored glass, the workshops,
and some of the tools that are used in this art. We were able to watch some of the artists and
technicians who were actually working on projects. We saw what “layering” is, and how the artists
accomplish changing the color or “mood” of a piece.
![]() |
Members talking to stained glass window technician. |
Our members
were fascinated with the Stained Glass Studio Tour, and wished that we had
another hour to watch and listen to the wonderful craftsmen who do such
incredible artistic work. We had a great
day!
Our members
thanked Joe Ramos from Provident Travel, and Marty, our bus driver, for getting
us safely to and from our Cultural Day Trip to Middletown .
“A good time was had by all”.
Submitted (and photos) by
Joyce Grothaus, Secretary.