02/18/14 Heartland Artists Gallery is proud to show artist’s work of Laurie Balla and Rosie Mireles from February 10th through March 8th.  The Gallery is located at 103 West LaPorte Street in downtown Plymouth and the regular gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10-4.

  Laurie Balla, watercolor and acrylic artists from Mishawaka is the Featured Artist of the Month.   Laurie shares that she has always had a natural inclination to create, even as a child, art was her favorite thing to do. She began her art career over twenty years ago. She worked in oils for several years and then began noticing the beauty and freedom of using watercolor. She tried out the new medium and fell in love with it. She then studied with notable artists as G. Bruce Johnson (who studied with the famous Irv Shapiro), Joe Fettingis and Harry Ahn.

Laurie paints full time in her home studio with nature being her favorite subject matter.   Private individuals have been commissioning and quietly collecting her work for over eighteen years.  She has donated paintings to the WNIT Fundraising Auction, Granger Rotary and SBRMA, held a one woman show at Fernwood Botanical Gardens in Niles, MI and the Life Enrichment Center in Plymouth, IN. She won second place in the Chesterton Women’s Club Show at the Chesterton Art Gallery and 3rd place at the Heartland Artists Gallery Juried Show. She was recently awarded the honor of becoming a member of the Indiana Artisans, who are recognized by the state as being the best in Indiana!

  Rosie Mireles is our Member Artist of the Month at the Gallery. Rosie’s favorite mediums include; oil, acrylic, pesto and pastels. She has happily retired and has returned to painting after a thirty year absence.

She traveled extensively as a stewardess for the airlines and the images and places she has seen are permanently etched in her mind and those are the influences of her work. She continues to participate in more art experiences and is developing her own unique style. She has studied with Diane Overmyer, Catherine McCormick and others.

When you visit the Gallery, you will enjoy the crisp watercolor paintings, the dimensional oil paintings and the acrylic vibrant paintings from these incredibly talented artists. Each painting has a story to share and is open to your own translation.

Visit the Gallery Gift Shop with beautiful pottery, colorful and unique jewelry and art supplies also sold at the Gallery.

Upcoming events: March 10th-March 28th – Youth Art Show at the Gallery. Art selected from a collection of art projects created in the Art Classes K-5th grade at Plymouth Community School Corporation.

Reception will be March 14th from 4:00-7:00 pm at the Gallery.

Photo: ‘Ancilla, Mother House’, (oil) by Rosie Mireles

Photo: ‘Lily of the Day’ (watercolor) by Laurie Balla