The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
2024 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Alison Rich
Visual Art Educator Miller South School for the Visual & Performing ArtsVisual Art DepartmentBio
Alison Miltner Rich is a resident of Cuyahoga Falls and has been working in watercolor for the past twenty years. She enjoys the process of layering and building details to create work that expresses her love of nature. She received a bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Kent State University in 2002, and a master’s degree in School Improvement Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University in 2013. She has been a visual art teacher in Chicago and Akron for two decades, and teaches art at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts. Rich recently received a City of Cuyahoga Falls River in the City Grant through the National Endowment for the Arts and created a triptych about the Cuyahoga River.
Artist Statement
The small messages a bird sends when it calls, or the way the light hits the leaves forms ideas. The ancient meanings found in flower varieties provide symbolism to hide in my work. Portraits enable me to provide a glimpse into a moment in time in someone’s life. Flowers can also have their portrait painted, and so can birds, deer, and other creatures. By replicating these beautiful things I try to honor them. Sometimes it is through whimsy, and other times it is by recreating it as perfectly as I can. Watercolor requires patience. A slow moment in the day to layer and choose and mix colors, and apply it to the surface. Each painting is very personal and a small part of me is left on the paper. Nature speaks to those who are willing to listen.