This week, let’s take a look at a few more of the local artists in the Union City area.
Edna Dodd Hawkins is a retired businesswoman and teacher. She was first introduced to art as a young girl when she and her mother would spend time coloring together; she entered her first and only drawing contest when she was 12. In the late 1990s, she began to design and create her own greeting cards, using inks, chalks, and watercolors.
A few years ago while vacationing in Maine, she was inspired by a young artist and began her first painting lessons with artist Maria Boord. She also takes art classes during the winter months at the Venice Art Center, in Florida. Currently, she paints two days a week at the Carol Strock-Wasson studio in Union City, Indiana, and each week with a group of Union City Plein Air painters. Originally from Union City, Hawkins now resides in Winchester, Indiana, with her husband, Scott.
Trela Donati is from Muncie and she is currently a student of Carol Strock-Wasson. Trela grew up in Indianapolis and went to college at Ball State University where she obtained a degree in elementary education. She met her husband Robert at Ball State University, graduated, married and settled in Muncie. She has three children and two grandsons.
Donati loved her one art class in high school and another in college but did not pick up painting again until about six years ago when she started taking classes at Cornerstone for the Arts in Muncie. After following some Indiana artist on Facebook she met Carol Strock-Wasson at The Strock-Wasson Gallery grand opening and soon started taking lessons. Donati now paints in oil, acrylic and her current favorite is painting with pastels. She loves the new friends she has made in Union City and makes the trip to Union City about once a week to paint or work at the Art Hub.
A love of painting with watercolors has brought Sheryl Thurston of near Lynn, Indiana, to Union City Art Hub. Thurston is a Randolph County native, graduate of Union City Community High School and Ball State University as well as University of Phoenix. She is a registered nurse and retired as a nurse educator. She lives near Lynn with her husband Dennis and is a mother of four and grandmother to 15. Thurston is a parishioner of St. Mary Catholic Church, Union City, Indiana. She is a self-taught watercolorist for approximately 10 years and calls herself an evolving artist. Thurston has won awards at the Art Association of Randolph County and the Darke County Fair.
Look for these artists work at the Art Hub, 215 N. Columbia St., Union City, Indiana. The official ribbon cutting of the Art Hub will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday.
The Union City Indiana Fire & EMS is continuing their pledge of commitment to fire safety education with their annual Fire Prevention Program with the assistance of their volunteer association, the Union City Life and Rescue Association. There are priceless opportunities for our youth and other community members to interact with local firefighters on a personal level.
A range of topics they use in education include general fire safety, burn prevention, dialing 911, smoke detectors, senior safety and many others to distribute throughout the community. These materials can make a difference. They are seeking support for their program in the form of donations to help cover the cost of printed materials. The average cost is $3 per child and you may donate as you can by making a check payable to the Union City Fire Dept. or Union City Life and Rescue Association and mail to the Union City Fire Department, Attention Steve Shoemaker, fire chief, 201 S. Howard St., Union City, Indiana 47390. All donations are federally tax-deductible and will stay within our community to educate our children and community members.
Reminder that the Union City Arts Festival is upcoming Sept. 11-12.
What have you done for your community? Join the movement in Union City, Indiana-Ohio!
Linda DeHaven is the new author of the weekly column Union City News for The Daily Advocate. She may be reached at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.
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