Watercolors on view downtown

Jennifer O'Brien's <i>Playtime</i> won a bronze medal.

Eighty watercolors will be displayed beginning tomorrow in the airy lobby of the Owens-Illinois building, One SeaGate, on Toledo's downtown riverfront.

The competitive show, drawn from 345 entries, opens with a reception from 2 to 5 p.m. tomorrow, and will be free and open to the public seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until Oct. 15, said Ted Vassar, coordinator of the Ohio Watercolor Society's 27th annual exhibition.

In addition, four water-media artists will demonstrate their work on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. in the lower level of the building in the food-court area.

This Sunday, Vassar, of Palmyra, Mich. will demonstrate abstract watercolors; Sept. 26, Linda Hutchinson, of Kent, will do figurative painting; Oct. 3, Toledoan Aaron Bivins will paint traditional landscape, and on Oct. 10, Linda Nye, of Akron, will demonstrate a semi-abstract style. Artists will be available to speak to visitors.

The society permits all water-soluble paints, including acrylics, inks, tempera, gouache, and watercolor. After Toledo, the exhibit will be pared to about 40 pieces for a year-long tour of Ohio.

The $1,000 first-place award went to Christopher Leeper, of Canfield, Ohio, for his portrait, Napping Kathy, of a woman nestled under a quilt. The silver medal, with a $900 award, went to Sharon Stolzenberger, of Kettering, Ohio, for her bovine Cowllage Series. The bronze medal and $800 were granted to Jennifer O'Brien, of Springfield, Ohio, for Playtime, her painting of a happy pooch. Dianne S. Trabbic, of Temperance, received the society's award of distinction for her China Palace.

Established in 1978, the Ohio Watercolor Society has about 600 members who are artists and art lovers in Ohio and adjacent states.

The Ohio Watercolor Society's free show continues through Oct. 15 at the Owens-Illinois building, One SeaGate, on Summit Street at Jackson Street. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Information: 734-384-4159.