Lowell Tolstedt (American). Blue Table with Plate of Cherries, 2011. Colored pencil on paper, 29 x 39 in. Canton Museum of Art, Ohio: Purchased in Memory of Edward A. & Rosa J. Langenbach
The lively art scene we have in Columbus is due in part to the many artists trained at the Columbus College of Art & Design.
One instructor in particular, Lowell Tolstedt, has mentored thousands of artists and instructors. Tolstedt served as dean of fine arts for 24 years, but I think it is fair to say he is one of the masters respected by the whole community. I was honored to be asked by Tolstedt to adjunct at CCAD, where I could see the large group of the best of the best work in harmony under his leadership.
Tolstedt is known for his exquisite drawings done in silverpoint, gold point and colored pencil. His works range in scale from intimate to mural. His subjects, chosen from everyday life and experience, are investigated with a sensitive and penetrating intellect. His drawings are often iconic presentations, simultaneously recalling the American tradition of still-life painting and engaging the viewer with contemporary questions about the fundamental relationship among reality, perception, abstraction and creation.
“Lowell Tolstedt’s meticulous colored pencil and metal point drawings of food and flowers celebrate the act of looking and the powerful physical sensations that we often experience through objects,” wrote Katherine A. Wat, then curator of exhibitions at the Akron Art Museum, for a 2005 exhibition at the Canton Museum of Art. “… By adjusting the pressure he places on the tips of his pencils and sharpened sticks of gold, silver and platinum, he suggests an array of textures and achieves remarkable depth of color.”
Exceptional: 25 Diverse Masterworks in Varied Media by Ohio Artists (1858-2018), featuring the work of Tolstedt and others, is on display at Keny Galleries in German Village April 27-June 15.
Michael McEwan teaches oil painting classes in his Summit Street studio. His paintings are available exclusively from Keny Galleries. Learn more at www.michaelmcewan.com.
