Many influences; singular art

Hamilton, Ohio – Two exhibitions, one artist and infinite opportunities.

Tarah Trueblood of Oxford, Ohio, created half of a two-person show (along with John Sproul of Salt Lake City) in the Fitton Center for Creative Arts’ Push & Pull exhibition.

She hasn’t been painting long, but has been painting prolifically since she began.

“I didn’t really start painting until about six years ago,” she said. “A friend of mine from California encouraged me to put my art out there for people to see and I feel like I’m at a maturity place now where I have something to say with it.”

Trueblood practiced corporate law in Sacramento before taking up the brush. She also attended seminary school at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, served as a docent at the Crocker Museum, taught collegiately in Florida and now is a retired instructor of Intercultural Communication at Miami University.

She said exhibition guests can see plenty of California influence in her current work, including mark making similar to the Funk Movement from San Francisc Bay Area. She’s also influenced by color-field painters like Rothko. However, there are more concrete underpinnings – memories of fishing with her father, for example – that color her creations.

“I believe we can create our own reality,” Trueblood said. “For me, painting is praying. Sometimes when I’m in a tough mood it’s hard to paint, but sometimes it opens me back up and gets me moving again.”

Trueblood also paints a playful element of rebellion.

“Graffiti is the language of protest and I’m protesting against pretense and negativity,” she said. “I think we need to surround ourselves by things that are uplifting and that’s what I hope my art does.”

Trueblood also serves as chair of the exhibitions committee at the Oxford Community Arts Center, as well as treasurer for the Women’s Art Club of Hamilton. She has work in the WACH annual member show – Connected – in the Fitton Center’s Community Gallery which runs concurrently with Push & Pull.

“I hope my art inspires others to create their own art and a sense of joy and uplifting,” she said. “I want people to look at something and connect their own stories to what they see.”

The Push & Pull exhibition opened February 14 and is on view in Monument, Riverview, Bever West and Bever North galleries at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts through March 27. The WACH Connected exhibition is on view through March 13. Galleries are always FREE and open to the public.

Hours for both exhibitions run 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, on selected weekends in conjunction with performance events and by appointment. Guests may arrange field trips or guided gallery tours by writing Director of Exhibitions Cathy Mayhugh at cathy@fittoncenter.org.

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

Building Community Excellence through the Arts and Culture