Downtown Artist Series

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, located at 141 E Main St. in Downtown Northville. Featured work will be on view in tri-monthly exhibitions and available for purchase through the Northville Art House online Artisan Store.


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March 14 – May 22: Carol Campbell Welsch – Northville, MI

Originally from Ann Arbor, Carol Welsch married and moved to Northville 30 years ago.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University with a minor in art history. Later, I earned a Master of Social Work from University of Michigan and worked as a clinical social worker for 36 years. While I did not pursue art as a career, I took a few adult education drawing classes and told myself I would revisit art-making after retirement. 

In 2017, I met an artist name Ellie Harold, who offered oil painting workshops in Frankfort, MI. I decided to enroll in one of her classes and happily have been practicing with oils ever since.  Initially driven to express my feelings after the loss of my sister and mother, painting has allowed me to honor a lifelong appreciation of art and my early interest in realizing my own art-making potential.

While not fully retired, I continue to practice painting in my basement studio as well as through classes and workshops. For example, over three past winters, I traveled to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for an art retreat organized by teacher Ellie Harold for a group of 12 women artists. I have exhibited my artwork throughout Michigan, including at the 44th Annual CSA Arts and Crafts Fair in Crystal Lake, Gallery 55+ in Ann Arbor, and the Northville Art House. Recently, I have begun to experiment in painting outdoors (plein-air), painting interiors, and creating larger abstract designs.

I always have the spirit and support of my sister and mother behind me in this beautiful journey that I am creating. I dedicate this showing of my art to them. – Carol Campbell Welsch


March 28 – June 5: Maria Latour – Livonia, MI

Maria Latour has a BA in Art History and a BFA in Fiber Art from the University of Michigan as well as a Master of Fine Art degree from Arizona State University focusing on both fiber and clay. Maria has taught youth and adults  at the Northville Art House since 2015. She is the lead instructor for the Art House’s Summer Art Camps and After School Art program in the Northville Public Schools, as well as teaches a number of youth and adult classes this Spring.

Maria’s newest series of mixed media and encaustic works feature vintage cookbook pages and food imagery, making the connection between the creativity of cooking and making art.

“Recently I’ve become interested in the lives of previously unknown family members on my father’s side, especially, my grandfather I never met.  I discovered my father’s father was a chef in France who immigrated to Chicago and then moved to Detroit. My dad shared my grandfather’s interest in cooking. Growing up my father loved to create with food, he collected every issue of Gourmet Magazine and often tried out new recipes.  After his death I found an extensive cook book collection as well as several “how to” drawing and painting books with passages underlined and detailed notes in the margins.  However, every one of dad’s sketchbooks had the pages ripped out; he destroyed every attempt he made at creating art.  I realized he dreamed of being an artist but the only creativity he shared was in the kitchen, cooking for us.” – Maria Latour


March 28 – June 5:  Shadia – Farmington Hills, MI

Shadia (Derbyshire) earned her Bachelors of Fine Art with Honors at Eastern Michigan University. Shadia began her decorative painting and mural company, Ambiance Design Studio in 2003, and has been an active art instructor to students of all ages since 2004.

On May 10, Shadia will be leading a Mother’s Day Florals “Mom & Me” Workshop) for teens 12+ and adults at the Northville Art House.

Shadia also focuses on her studio art, participates in live painting events locally and creates custom murals for her clients throughout Southeastern Michigan. She works primarily in acrylics and collage, but her passion for and creativity with color is the true theme that runs through all of her work. With her latest collage work, Shadia uses a selection of found papers, tissue papers, discarded sewing patterns, origami and craft papers. Shadia often incorporates handwritten messages and notes submitted by others to create truly personal and memorable works. These papers are then painstakingly hand-painted, stained, stamped and stenciled. Shadia then tears each paper by hand to ‘paint’ over her canvas, resulting in dynamic and colorful pieces with unique pattern and texture.

“For me, one of the greatest experiences is looking at the piece I am working on and realizing I am looking at something no one in the world has ever seen before. It’s this experience that motivates me, and that I yearn to share. My deepest creative desire is to bring to fruition a previously unseen vision of beauty and introspection through my art. I create art to change our idea of what can be seen in the world.” – Shadia


Thank you to our 2024 Venue Sponsor!