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Join us for a special evening celebrating the work of artist Thad DeVassie with his current installation at Gallery 1879 – Whimsitecture. The reception will be held from 6:00pm – 8:00pm in the Stuart’s Opera House lobby. Attendance is free and open to the public. Drinks will be available for purchase at the bar and light refreshments are provided. Thad’s work will be available to purchase both in person at the event and online through our website. PLEASE NOTE: Gallery pieces are available for local pickup ONLY. Patrons can pick up work during our regular box office hours (10am-2pm, Monday-Friday). img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"stuartsoperahouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/the-end-of-twine-1.png" height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9865 msDefaultImage" title"the end of twine" /Thad DeVassie - THE END OF TWINE 6 x 8 Acrylic, ink on cotton paper img decoding"async" src"stuartsoperahouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/public-pool-after-hours-500x500.png" height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9590 msDefaultImage" title"public pool after hours" /Thad DeVassie - PUBLIC POOL, AFTER HOURS 12 x 12 Acrylic on wood panel img decoding"async" src"stuartsoperahouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/rock-a-billy-500x500.png" height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9589 msDefaultImage" title"rock a billy" /Thad DeVassie - ROCK-A-BILLY 5 x 7 Acrylic ink on cotton paper img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"stuartsoperahouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/i-am-triynrg-to-break-your-heart.png" height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9858 msDefaultImage" title"i am triynrg to break your heart" /Thad DeVassie - I’M TRYING TO BREAK YOUR HEART 6 x 10 Acrylic on reclaimed wood block img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"stuartsoperahouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/lonely-soul-II-444x444.png" height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9593 msDefaultImage" title"lonely soul II" /Thad DeVassie - LONELY SOUL II 20 x 24 Acrylic on cradled wood panel img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9591 msDefaultImage" title"play me a new song" /Jim Kaniaris - PLAY ME A NEW SONG 28 x 48 Acrylic / oil on canvas img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9592 msDefaultImage" title"a few nice hands" /Thad DeVassie - A FEW NICE HANDS 11 x 14 Acrylic oil, playing cards on panel img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9856 msDefaultImage" title"foodliner" /Thad DeVassie - FOODLINER 9 x 12 Acrylic on panel img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9854 msDefaultImage" title"at the drive in" /Thad DeVassie - AT THE DRIVE-IN 9 x 12 Acrylic on canvas panel img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9855 msDefaultImage" title"escape hatches" /Thad DeVassie - ESCAPE HATCHES 11 x 14 Acrylic on canvas img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9857 msDefaultImage" title"hell is real" /Thad DeVassie - HELL IS REAL 6 x 8 Acrylic on wood img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9868 msDefaultImage" title"the rocker" /Thad DeVassie - THE ROCKER 4 x 4 Acrylic on canvas panel, collage backing img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9853 msDefaultImage" title"a clouded promise" /Thad DeVassie - A CLOUDED PROMISE 7 x 10.25 Acrylic on reclaimed wood block img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9870 msDefaultImage" title"they see us as data" /Thad DeVassie - THEY SEE US AS DATA 12 x 12 Mixed media on cradled wood panel img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9852 msDefaultImage" title"40 motel" /Thad DeVassie - 40 MOTEL 6 x 9 Acrylic on cotton paper img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9860 msDefaultImage" title"rooftop garage" /Thad DeVassie - ROOFTOP GARAGE 8 x 8 Acrylic on wood panel img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9862 msDefaultImage" title"seascape w extra button" /Thad DeVassie - SEASCAPE WITH EXTRA BUTTON 10 x 10 Acrylic, mixed media on wood panel img loading"lazy" decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9865 msDefaultImage" title"the end of twine" /Thad DeVassie - THE END OF TWINE 6 x 8 Acrylic, ink on cotton paper img decoding"async" src"height"500" width"500" alt"" class"slider-9587 slide-9590 msDefaultImage" title"public pool after hours" /Thad DeVassie - PUBLIC POOL, AFTER HOURS 12 x 12 Acrylic on wood panel1234567891011121314151617PreviousNext About the Whimsitecture Exhibition From the work I do with businesses and brands to the prose poems, flash fiction and creative nonfiction I write, I allow my mind to genre-hop and wander, to sniff out crazy ideas, and go down rabbit holes. That same approach is evident in my painting. Whimsitecture might be the prefect name and approach to my painting life: completely made up while signaling fun and some formality. Like a visual companion to my writing life, I have a soft spot for the surreal and absurd. But there’s also structure and confinement with nostalgia and longing always lurking. The idea of striking some sort of compatibility among these themes is what energizes the work (and the painter), often with a limited palette. To bring together a mix of music-themed pieces, architectural works and some quirkiness to Gallery 1879 at Stuart’s Opera House feels artistically right, knowing how this beautiful landmark welcomes such a wide array of arts for the community to discover. The largest painting on display is from my friend Jim Kaniaris who is an artist and art teacher. After 30 years without contact, we reconnected five years ago. His constant encouragement has led me to show my work. Without Jim, this opportunity and these paintings likely don’t exist. I’m thrilled to have his vibrant full-scale guitar in the show. Artist Bio Thad DeVassie is a multi-genre writer and artist working from the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio. A self-taught artist, his work has appeared in galleries, private collections, and juried exhibitions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Utah, Oregon and California. img loading"lazy" decoding"async" class" wp-image-9576 alignright" src"alt"" width"319" height"275" srcset"300w, 1024w, 768w, 1536w, 600w, 2048w" sizes"auto, (max-width: 319px) 100vw, 319px" /His micro-chapbook, YEAR OF STATIC, consisting of eleven original paintings and short prose, was published by Ghost City Press in 2021. It evolved into the art exhibition LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR consisting of 15 paintings. He was awarded the James Tate Poetry Prize in 2020 for his collection SPLENDID IRRATIONALITIES. His prose poetry, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction have been widely published and anthologized, earning Pushcart Prize and Best Microfiction nominations, and selection into the Best Small Fictions 2025. His artwork has been featured in and as cover art for several independent and university-based literary magazines. His third collection, THIS SIDE OF UTOPIA was published in October 2023 by Cervena Barva Press. For his day job, Thad leads Ratchet Strategy Communication, a branding and messaging studio that helps leaders and organizations stand out in a sea of sameness by articulating what matters most to them. www.thaddevassie.com www.ratchetstrategy.com @thaddevassie (Instagram, Twitter/X, BlueSky, Facebook, LinkedIn) CLICK HERE TO VIEW & PURCHASE GALLERY WORK ONLINE
