Collinwood Painted Rain Barrel Auction 2013
April 13th was a rain filled chilly day, but the mood inside of Arts Collinwood’s Community Center was filled with buzzing creative excitement.
Donated halogen spotlights from a friend of an artist bounced off of the hand painted 55 gallon large, brightly colored, shiny surfaces, in anticipation of eager silent auction bidders, who hovered near their prizes of water conservation and artistic vision.
Local chefs filled tables with delectable party fare, and artists and their families and friends were among 70 revelers from the local Collinwood community and as far East as Chagrin Falls, Westward to Oberlin; all celebrating Linda Zolten Wood’s vision for this marriage of art and sustainability.
Linda was originally inspired to create her pilot painted barrel when she received one of Northeast Shore Development Corporations' Rain Barrels from their residential water conservation program. When in use, the translucent white barrel began showing algae through its walls. As a working artist, she decided to mask the unsightly patches with her colorful painting.
The barrels are a tempting canvas: large, uninterrupted space - it was a natural fit for Linda to treat like any other mural surface; the tricky issues were protection from constant water and weather exposure.
She sanded the plastic surface and coated it with exterior primer to help preserve and protect her intricate work. Many layers of a UV clear-coating were hand-painted to extend the life of the surface as well.
She was also inspired by Becca Brittons’ St. Clair Superior Development Corporation ‘Year of the __’ painted Chinese Zodiac statue artist’s competition/auctions.
She applied for and received a Community Partnership for Arts and Culture Grant and hopes to raise awareness for rainwater collection and lake conservation while supporting local artists. A graduate of Cleveland Institute of Art; Zolten-Wood's current body of work may be seen at Zolten Wood Design on Facebook, and all ten barrel designs and upcoming Painted Barrel Workshop dates will be listed at ‘The Collinwood Painted Rain Barrel Project’ also on Facebook. (Additional support for this grant was also provided by: Arts Collinwood, The Educational Foundation of America, Ford Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Linc, and Trader Joe’s.)
The Barrels included in her auction were sprayed with 5 or more layers of UV Auto grade sealant by Michael Wyland, Head of the Automotive School of Ohio Technical College.
Each artist was paid $400 to paint their barrel, and the hardware, labor and coating raised their value to $550 each; they each sold for a range of prices.
Diverter kits and instructions were provided for each barrel-owner for their own installation.
The jury selected artists were: Rachel Strongoli, Marti Higgins, Michele Biondo, Scott Pickering, Christie Klubnik, Michael Greenwald, Milan Kecman, An’Angelia Thompson, Elaine Hullihen, and Nancy Cintron.
All who saw the barrels were impressed with the outstanding level of professional work from the artists. They were a feast for the eyes, and a help to the health of our Lake. There were a few exciting bidding wars at the auction, but all who fought hard, won the barrel of their choice, in the end. The sun broke through the event windows before the bidding was closed, and the barrels shone brightly – glinting to greet their new owners.
Linda’s husband, Acoustic Guitarist Doug Wood performed at the event with partner, Bassist Darren Frate. The two are award-winning, nationally touring musicians, and can be heard at: http://modernartsandmusic.com/artists/doug_wood.html
Linda is encouraging the artists to create barrels on commission, and is also working with local printer Joe Bruzas, owner of ImageMart Inc. to use the artists' designs to create a digital vinyl print with a uv coating to then heat wrap onto a barrel, for those who like the idea, but cannot afford a hand-painted piece. The artist would be paid a license fee for use of their work. See Joe Bruzas's work at www.myimagemart.com.
Linda is working to create a yearly event for this project, and is meeting with corporate partners to receive support to ensure its growth. If you are interested in making a contribution, contact her at zoltenwooddesign@aol.com.