Instructor Debbie Prue helps Judy Lamberjack of Findlay create birdhouse art using beach glass during a class at TAG.

BY SHERI TRUSTY

Debbie Prue stands at The Arts Garage with the birdhouse art she taught students to make during her recent class there. Prue’s next beach glass class will be on Sunday, Feb. 26. (Photos by Sheri Trusty)

Like many Saturdays, Feb. 11 was a busy day at The Arts Garage (TAG). The morning kicked off with a beach glass art class taught by Debbie Prue of Marblehead and ended with the opening reception of Urban Folkart, an exhibit of the extraordinary work of mixed media artist Keith Fleming.

In the midst of the events, visitors stopped by TAG to view the eclectic blend of local art as resident artists worked on projects in their stands.

In the warmer months, Prue can be seen heading across Lake Erie on her Sea Doo jet ski, but she’s not looking for a thrill ride. Prue is looking for treasure. She has a secret list of reachable-by-water-only beaches where the lake likes to spit out its glass.

“I can fill a gallon bagful in two hours,” she said.

In addition to glass, she also finds other treasures, like bits of broken pottery and an occasional marble. She sells the glass out of her home and uses some to create works of art that she sells at Unique in Port Clinton and at The Carriage House on Put-in-Bay. To purchase glass, call Prue at 419-341-7215.

“All my glass is exactly how I find it on the beach. I don’t polish anything. I don’t tumble anything,” she said.

In those bits of glass and pottery that have been shaped by lake water, Prue sees tangible objects – little birds, girls’ dresses and boat sails. At her Feb. 11 class at TAG, she taught her students how to incorporate glass and pottery into birdhouse art. Donna House of Fremont and her granddaughter, Coral House of Whitehouse, attended the class. It was the third class taught by Prue they have attended at TAG.

“We come because of Coral’s enthusiasm and because the instructor is so good. She’s so well-prepared,” Donna said.

Elizabeth Follen of Westlake, Shannon Hauska of Cleveland Heights and Cassie Hornby of North Ridgeville made the long drive to Port Clinton just to take the class.

“It was something fun to do in the winter, and we wanted to support local artists,” Follen said. “We’ll come back for another class, for sure.”

JonPaul St. Clair of Port Clinton surprised his wife, Caylin St. Clair, by signing them up for the class.

“It’s a little pre-Valentine’s outing,” JonPaul said.

Mixed media artist Keith Fleming hosted the opened a reception of his exhibit “Urban Folkart” recently at The Arts Garage. Fleming poses with his work, “My Figures in the Victorian Garden.”

Later that evening, Fleming hosted the Urban Folkart exhibit. All of the proceeds from the evening were donated to the youth programs at TAG. This year, TAG is hosting free art classes for all Ottawa County students in K-12.

Fleming’s remarkable art is uniquely his own. He incorporates salvaged and repurposed items into his art.

“People give me things, and I go to Goodwill and find pieces of art and incorporate them into my work,” Fleming said. “I don’t like to waste anything.”

Fleming integrates something even more significant into his work – scenes and characters from his nighttime dreams.

“Most of my stuff, I dream of first,” he said. “I have all these dreams, and it kind of evolves from there. I’ve had a lot of black figures in my dreams lately. They’re in groups. They’re not ominous. They’re just there, and they’re just watching.”