Downtown Artist Series @ the Northville DDA & Tuscan Café

The Northville Art House partners with community organizations and businesses to promote the appreciation of the arts, arts education, and local artists. The Downtown Artist Series has a rotating presentation of work by established and emerging artists inside the Tuscan Café, 141 E Main St. and at the City Hall Downtown Development Authority offices, 215 E Main St. Featured work is available for purchase online and by phone.

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TUSCAN CAFÉ

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August 28 – October 15: Debbie Lim, Farmington Hills, MI

Debbie Lim is a self-taught artist and photographer born in Detroit, Michigan. Her artistic journey is driven by a passion for painting wildlife and capturing the beauty of the natural world through photography.

“Inspired by my Chinese heritage and Feng Shui principles, I create original artworks and photographs that promote harmony and balance. Each piece has a specific purpose and meaning, which I explain in the description accompanying each print.

My photography focuses on Michigan’s diverse wildlife, from Pelicans to Bald Eagles. I’m fascinated by the unpredictability of capturing natural moments, and I’m honored to share my work with you.” Website

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August 21 – October 29: Lori Zurvalec, Grosse Pointe, MI

Lori  Zurvalec has studied at the Kanuga Water Media Workshops in North Carolina and participated in classes or workshops at Signal Return, the Center for Creative Studies, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, and Eastern Michigan University. She has exhibited artwork in over 325 juried exhibitions and has won over 124 awards to date. Her paintings can be found in the collections of Henry Ford Medical Center – Royal Oak, the American Board of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan-Dearborn Stamelos/Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, St. Joseph Mercy of Macomb Hospital, the Grosse Pointe Public Library, as well as in numerous private collections.

Lori is an International Society of Experimental Artists Nautilus Fellowship/Signature Member and a Michigan Water Color Society Great Lakes Fellow/Signature Member. She has served the Michigan Water Color Society as President, Exhibition Chair, and Graphics Chair, and the Detroit Society of Women Painters & Sculptors as President and Recording Secretary.

“My art work reflects my view of a sometimes incomprehensible, challenging world. The subject matter of my work almost always refers to the natural world, foliage or trees that I have sketched.  If I am not painting directly from life, I have my sketchbooks spread out before me and I refer to the drawings as I work. My compositions are deliberate, generally worked out in my sketchbooks, revolving around a specific concept or idea.

In Ways of Studying Nature, the painter Paul Klee spoke of the dialogue with nature that is an essential element or condition for the artist. For me, that  dialogue is vital: it informs all my creative endeavors. Consequently, even my most abstract pieces have a strong relation to nature. All the art I create is influenced by the strong spiritual connection I feel to the natural world, to the positives and negatives found in nature. I tend to use many organic shapes in my compositions. I also want my work to make a connection, tell a story, but also to evoke in viewers a response related to their own story.

At the beginning of a new painting, my brushstrokes and mark making are directly influenced by music, most often Bach, but recently, Mozart and Beethoven as well. My work is very mark-driven; individual strokes that attest to the presence of the artist’s hand are important to me. My work is gestural, with a quality of neo-expressionism.

I work in whatever media effectively communicates the particular story of that piece of art: watercolor, acrylic, printmaking, assemblage, collage and oil.” – Lori Zuravec @LoriZurvalec

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Northville DDA

May 8 – September 10: Pat Cheal – Brighton, MI

Northville High School graduate and lifelong commercial artist, Pat Cheal discovered oil painting, and a love for painting outdoors in 2019.

“What a breath of fresh air, and I feel like art is new for me all over again. I love to paint with bold strokes & color, striking contrast and compositions. My landscapes feature the beauty of the Midwest and the drama that is the Southwest. I’m not looking to create an exact replica of a scene – I try to interpret what I see into my own vision. I hope my enthusiasm comes through when you view my art.

I’m honored to have my work in permanent collections at Henry Ford Health facilities throughout Michigan. I welcome new commissions, both private and corporate.”  – Pat Cheal (Website ) 

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2025  Tuscan Schedule: (Subject to change)

FRONT – WINDOWS

• October 16 – January 7: Linda Klenczar

LEFT – RIGHT – MAIN & ALCOVE

• October 30 – January 21: Chuck & Vicki Schroeder

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Thank you to our 2025 Venue Sponsors!