An Autumn Leaf Show "Parade" paintings by Clarion native

The cover of this issue of the "Clarion Alumni News" and the accompanying illustrations with this article are paintings from the "Parade" series by Clarion native Carol Griffith. These paintings and many others are currently on exhibit in the Women's Studies Center, Harvey Hall, at Clarion University, through the end of the Fall semester.

"The 'Parade' series is based on the Autumn Leaf Festival Parade held in Clarion," says Griffith. "It was always a big feature of my life there. It appealed to me as a painting subject at first because it seemed to maintain a home-made innocence and integrity that I nostalgically associate with small towns. As I began to examine the idea and memories further I came to realize that I could use it to explore the reality of small town life, including its conflicts and contradictions. I also liked being able to comment on the role sponsorship has begun to play in our entertainments."

Currently an associate professor, Division of Fine Arts, at the Columbus College of Art and Design, Griffith is a daughter of Dr. Paul and Betty Griffith of Sligo. She has been in numerous solo, duo, group, and juried exhibitions in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

One of her "Parade" series received the "Best of Show Award" at the Ohio State Fair Professional Juried Exhibition, Columbus, Ohio, in 1997. In previous state fairs, she has won numerous merit awards and the Foley Gallery Award. Among her most prestigious awards is the Ohio Arts Council Award in the Huntington 280 exhibition, Huntington, W.V. Griffith's work has also been selected for inclusion in many major invitational exhibitions and collections.

In her "Parade" series, Griffith taps into her memories to show in vibrant colors all that the ALF Parade has come to mean in Clarion. "I paint my images from memory and a further result of this passage of time is to bring to the places or experiences I am remembering a more distanced and evaluative look at their meanings in the larger world. As I reflect on the subjects over the long developmental process of a painting, I sometimes try to incorporate the insights I've arrived at about their larger social significance into the paintings, beyond the emotional or psychic effect that originally generated them."

Griffith resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Peter Rasmussen, and daughter, Piper.