Solitude found at Mount St. John exhibit

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By Diana Blowers, Contributing Writer 2:48 PM Sunday, May 2, 2010

Solitude always is a pleasant option on the Mount St. John/Bergamo campus, and it will especially be prevalent at Gallery St. John through mid-June.

“Finding Solitude,” an exhibit running from May 5 through June 13, features watercolor and oil paintings by Brother Charles P. Wanda, Society of Mary.

Wanda is one of four resident artists at Gallery St. John, on the Mount St. John/Bergamo campus at 4400 Shakertown Road in Beavercreek.

He, Joe Barrish, John Lemker and Don Smith are Marianist brothers who work out of the gallery located in Saint Joseph Hall in the middle of the 40-acre Mount Saint John campus. Each artist presents one individual art exhibit each year as well as some joint projects.

“The show will include new works expressing the peace and solitude found in nature,” Wanda said, noting that the “imaginative images of landscapes and seascapes” were inspired by his early years growing up on Lake Erie in Cleveland.

“Other works express biblical scenes and abstract concepts of the spiritual life,” said Wanda, who received a bachelor’s degree in art education from the University of Dayton in 1959 and a master’s degree in art education from Pratt Institute in 1971.

He taught art at St. Joseph High School in Cleveland for two years before entering the Marianists in 1962.

Wanda became the first chairman of the fine arts department at Archbishop Moeller High School in 1964, retiring in 2004.

He said he finds inspiration for his work, a combination of realistic and abstract, “from God’s creation in order to help others to enjoy the beauty of nature and God’s presence around them.”

The gallery, which is free and open to the public, is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and by appointment.

For an appointment or more information, call (937) 320-5405 or visit www.dayton-gallery-saintjohn.org.

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