MacKenzie Myers and Jeramy Fitzpatrick spent a memorable New Year’s Eve ringing in 2020 together by creating a 6-feet-tall by 2-feet-wide acrylic painting that combines his love of mycology and her passion for utilizing unique colors and perspectives that fall a little outside of the norm.
Throughout the late night and early morning hours, the city residents worked side-by-side on their piece for the Logan County Art League’s Not So Bad Art By Good People contest. They were able to alternate roles of sketching, painting and coaching each other at their home from about 10 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 4 a.m. New Year’s Day.
During their artistic endeavor, the couple also had the chance to discuss their upcoming annual trip to Mohican State Park. Just a few days later, the Jan. 5 trek would prove to be another exciting milestone in their relationship of more than three years.
“We love a good adventure, so we’ve enjoyed going to Mohican State Park together every year. This year, it was extra special, as we got engaged during our time there,” Myers said.
The New Year’s handiwork of the newly engaged couple, Fungiraffe, featuring a giant and friendly giraffe and mushrooms in vibrant neon colors in a night scene is one of nine entries in the contest, with entries currently on display for public voting at Craft, Paper, Scissors, 142 W. Columbus Ave. through Jan. 31.
Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, the public can cast their votes for their favorite pieces for $1 each. There are no restrictions on the number of times a person can vote.
A People’s Choice Award and trophy will be presented to the artist who garners the most votes at the upcoming auction of the pieces, slated for 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, at the Bellefontaine VFW, 216 Orchard Ave. The public is invited to attend the auction and participate free of charge.
Prior to the auction Jan. 31, doors open at 5 p.m. at the Bellefontaine VFW for final voting and drinks. A catered dinner is served at 6 p.m. for pre-registered guests, who need to make reservations by Jan. 22. The funds raised both through the auction and the voting will be used by the Logan County Art League to encourage the growth of the visual arts in the Logan County area.
“We have not participated in this auction before and when Jeramy was approached he was flattered to have been asked and it was even suggested that I should collaborate with him,” Myers said. “We were excited to have an opportunity to work together on something like this and be a part of a public art program.”
Both Myers and Fitzpatrick spent their childhoods in Bellefontaine and attended Bellefontaine High School. They each lived outside of Logan County before settling back in the city as adults.
Fitzpatrick is one of the owner/operators of Brewfontaine, 211 S. Main St., and Myers is currently serving as the market manager of the Logan County Farmers Market, as well as the office administrator of The Logan County Art Center housed in The Holland Theatre. The arts have provided an enjoyable outlet in both of their lives.
“Throughout my childhood, I was always highly interested in art and had quite the art heavy course load during my highschool career,” Myers said. “Upon high school graduation, my college focus began as Visual Communication Design before shifting into my Early Childhood Education Degree.
“Over the past decade, even as I spent time as an educator, I have been commissioned to do many projects for family and friends, ranging from abstract paintings to photographs, to chalkboard signage that has been the most recent demand of my time.”
“I grew up highly interested in drawing cartoon images that occupied my spare time most days,” Fitzpatrick said.“Most often you will find me immersed in a variety of music, highly in tune with the lyrical genius of artists or discussing the amazement of a musician’s guitar riffs from a concert the night before.
“In addition, I have experience in woodworking, having created multi-functional coffee tables or a massive hatchet throwing structure to enhance my leisurely experiences.”
For Fungiraffe, the pair used acrylic paints on a wood board with minor use oil paint black markers.
“I have always loved hunting mushrooms on my family’s property on the edge of town, so it only felt appropriate to incorporate my love of mycology into the piece,” Fitzpatrick said. “The giraffe was a random addition, just knowing that we could have some fun with their patterned coat and wacky proportions.”
“I have always been drawn to using colors that are not accurate to the reality of the subject and creating art that is provocative, whether it be through the color choices or perspectives of the piece itself,” his fiancée said.
The Logan County Farmers Market manager related that the couple had the idea for this piece for awhile, but hadn’t had the opportunity to sit down together to create it.
“We actually intended to make this piece to have on display at our home last summer, but never found the time to make it, so we thought we would share our eccentric ideas with the public as a part of this program.”
In spending those New Year’s hours together on this project, the couple also have sparked a new tradition that they can carry into their marriage in the future.
“We honestly decided that want to create an art piece every year for New Year’s Eve because of how positive this experience was,” they said in an e-mail this week.
“Through creating this piece, we were able to learn as a couple and artist duo that our roles changed many times throughout the creation of the piece.”