Anyone who has ever had even a small taste of the visual arts in Cleveland has seen the work of two artsts – Cathie Bleck and Amy Casey. Despite their ubiquitous presence at benefit auctions, gallery group shows and in collections all over town, the work of Cathie and Amy is rarely exhibited in Cleveland. Galleries outside of Cleveland represent these two beloved artists and neither has had a solo exhibition here since at least 2009 (Bleck) or 2006 (Casey).

We’re celebrating the first anniversary of the Maria Neil Art Project with an exhibition of new work that not only celebrates the gallery’s first year in business, but our love of these two artists. We’ll also be celebrating out love of another art – local craft beer – with a party on October 11 along with our friends at Gallery 160 and Edible Cleveland.

For Cathie, the works she is creating are little windows into the emotions that occur from the pleasures of leaving “home”. Not always the physical home but rather the “place” we feel most at ease. “When I think of physical travel away from my house I also think about the dual curse of what is left in the trail – someone is always excited that you are visiting and someone else is always sad that you are gone.” Bleck spends about 6 months a year traveling, gathering research for her artwork, often bringing smaller works on the road to work on. Three to four months a year she works prolifically in her Cleveland Heights studio, inspired by the visual vocabulary and experiences she has taken in from her travels, including hundreds of journals, some of which will be on view in this show.

Amy’s work centers around the grimy, crowded, intricate places that are our cities. Her fascination with cities is evident from her meticulous recreations of each building – many of which should be familiar to most Clevelanders. She captures the work and organization involved in a city’s creation and evolution, as well as the the constant shifting and adaptation that go on in the process. Her cities continue to evolve and are shaped by everyday observations, by cause and effect, composition, movement and color. Nature has found it’s way back into her work, as she continues to discover the role it plays. “I am curious about the resilience of life and our ability to keep going in the face of ever shifting circumstances.” The paintings in this exhibition celebrate that ability and her love of the urban landscape.

Cathie Bleck & Amy Casey: Rarely Home
September 5, through October 19, 2014
Opening Reception 5 – 10 pm Friday, September 5

Art & Craft: A Celebration of Art and Beer
In Partnership with Edible Cleveland and Gallery 160
6-10 pm Saturday, October 11, 2014

Maria Neil Art Project
15813 Waterloo Rd
Cleveland, OH 44110
216-481-7722
marianeilartproject.com

Every First Friday: 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Saturdays & Sundays: 12:00 to 5:00 pm
Other hours by appointment.