You might know Dick Waller from his 34 years as principal clarinetist for the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra or the
Linton Music Series, but you might not know that he’s also a painter. Waller, 85, opened an art gallery and studio in November,
Dick Waller’s Art Place.
Two years ago, Waller showed 150 paintings at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center and realized if he wanted to continue doing shows of that size he needed a larger space. He found the building at 130 W. Court St. about a year ago, and with the help of the building’s landlord he's transformed the space into an inviting gallery that feels like a living room.
The 2,000-square-foot gallery includes a cozy seating area in the middle and studio in the rear of the space. Waller says he spends four or five nights a week there for about five hours, creating new pieces. Each of his 290 pieces look as if they're alive, which can be contributed to the fact that he listens to classical music as he paints. And if he doesn't like something, he brushes it off, leaving a unique combination of colors.
“At 20, I went to an art exhibit in New York and became enthralled,” Waller says. “I went home and created my first painting in my basement, which my daughter has hanging in her house.”
Unlike Waller’s more recent work, his daughter Margy calls the first piece “Paris Metro.” The rest of his paintings are titled “Contrasts” after a piece he loved to play by the same name. Waller then numbers each piece with Roman Numerals, much like symphony opuses. That way, when they’re set up in the gallery viewers can enjoy them how they wish.
Waller was on the leading edge of audience development for classical music locally, starting the 801 Plum Concerts, which aimed to get young professionals interested in classical music, as well as
Peanut Butter and Jams for children ages 3-6 and their parents. And now he’s on the leading edge of helping to develop a new neighborhood.
Waller wants the gallery to be a community space where people gather for coffee and hang out. He plans to host events, both large and small, as well as hold meetings for the Cincinnati Abstract Art Group.
“I want to help bring life to this area,” he says. “It’s a new frontier, and I see it being a very live place in the next few years.”
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