PIQUA — The Piqua Public Library is displaying a new art installation to celebrate Art Month. Art Month is celebrated annually at the library during the month of May. The new art installation is in the front window of the library so it’s visible to all even though the library is still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The artwork was created by Gabbie Braun. She is a local artist and art educator from Troy. At Miami University, she earned her Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education and Painting/Printmaking. Currently, she is the seventh-grade art teacher at Troy Junior High School. As an artist, she loves drawing, painting, and printmaking. Her art exhibits an illustrative style, vivid color, detailed mark-making, and line work. She loves all things that are magical, vintage, and colorful.
For these window paintings, she took inspiration from numerous sources, mostly from the library itself. The largest and most featured elements of the paintings are the stained glass windows. Upon seeing the stained glass on the second floor of the library, she immediately knew that she had to incorporate them into this artwork. One of her style inspirations for this work is from Disney’s 1991 “Beauty and the Beast” — specifically the opening scenes, which feature complex, bold, and illustrative stained glass windows depicting the beginning of the story. The archways each feature a carving at the capstone inspired by stone carvings on the outside of the library: a bird, a lion with crest, and a monkey. The left and right wood carvings are referenced from indoor fireplaces.
Lastly, the books feature gold and silver embossments patterned after wallpaper and carving designs from the inside of the library. These paintings were completed with acrylic paint on cotton.
The staff at the library look forward to displaying this art installation for many Art Months to come.
