Anthony Mitri (Closing at September Third Friday)

A Cleveland native, Anthony Mitri has been drawing and painting most of his life. Before focusing strictly on the realistic charcoal drawings he is known for, Mitri completed a series of 22 abstract landscape paintings from 2000-2002. He was experimenting with a technique of building up many layers of very thin oil washes and combining that with charcoal. The primary subject matter for these paintings is either round hay bales or bare trees containing large spherical masses of mistletoe (gui in French) hanging suspended from their branches, like ornaments hung on a Christmas tree. Be sure not to miss Anthony Mitri’s rare abstract paintings, closing at the September Third Friday.

Vincenza Harrity (Opening  at September Third Friday)

Cleveland artist Vincenza (Vinnie) Harrity, whose Gallery+ show opens in September, believes that beauty is all around her. She strives to capture it painting exclusively in oil, en plein air and from photographs she has taken. Formally trained in fashion illustration, she has always sought to develop her skills as a painter with classes and workshops. For more than ten years, she has focused on capturing essences of objects and landscapes in an impressionist style. Among the artists that have influenced her painting are Frits Thaulow, George Inness, Peder Mørk Mønsted, as well as Joaquín Sorolla, John Singer Sargent and Claude Monet. Vincenza is also the host of Cable Nine’s Artists at Work, on which she interviews Ohio artists once a month.

Julie Cook (Opening at October Third Friday)

At October’s Third Friday we welcome Julie Cook. Cook enjoys personal challenges and experimenting with different products and techniques, using what she knows from faux painting and putting it into a smaller scale. Painting mostly with acrylics, she often adds other products and mixed media into her works to make them a bit different. Many of her paintings are created using more than a brush—and often without one. She uses cardboard scraps, pieces of wood, plastic from packaging and more. She likes to create art for others and hopes they enjoy her experimentation. A portion of each sale of her work benefits Help Save The Kids (helpsavethekids.org), an organization, where her daughter works, that helps at-risk children on the Thailand/Burma border.

Chris Benavides (Opening at November Third Friday)

Join us in welcoming Chris Benavides on November 17. At age 17, Benavides was accepted into the Cooper School of Art. Upon graduating from art school, he was recruited by American Greetings and has worked for nearly 40 years as a professional Illustrator. In recent years Chris’s call has been to express his artistic vision more personally. Through his life-long love of the human form and a desire to convey its beauty in an evocative manner, Benavides hopes to create art that moves others, either in similar ways to how he has been moved personally, or in ways unique to the viewer. He approaches his work with simple honesty, with no hidden meaning or manifestos—just a simple, honest reaction and response to what he sees.

Gallery+ is open on 78^th Street Studios’ Third Fridays from 5 to 9pm, on third Sundays from noon to 4pm, and by appointment.

ANTHONY MITRI | THROUGH SEPTEMBER 17

VINCENZA HARRITY | SEPTEMBER 15 – OCTOBER 22

JULIE COOK | OCTOBER 20 – NOVEMBER 19

CHRIS BENAVIDES – OPENS NOVEMBER 17

Gallery+

1305 West 80^th Street, Suite 109

Cleveland, Ohio 44102

440.503.3450