Northville Art House
Downtown Artist Series @ Tuscan Café & City Hall
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 Northville City Hall, 215 E Main St. Featured work is available for purchase online and by phone.
Current | Emerging Artist | Artist Opportunities | Downtown Artist | Upcoming | Online Store
TUSCAN CAFÉ
August 6 – October 15 – Sonia Shetty – Novi, MI
Sonia Shetty is an oil painter whose work celebrates the quiet beauty of everyday life. Inspired by simple, familiar moments—her paintings reflect a deep appreciation for warmth, color, and the emotional resonance of ordinary spaces.
Working primarily in oils, Sonia is drawn to the medium’s richness and versatility, allowing her to build layered textures and luminous surfaces. Her style blends realism with illustrative art, capturing not only the physical details of her subjects but evoking a sense of whimsy and joy.
After stepping away from a previous career in software quality, she returned to painting with renewed focus, building her artistic practice from where she had left off. Through her work, she aims to create pieces that feel approachable and uplifting—art that brings a sense of comfort and joy into everyday environments.
Sonia continues to explore themes of simplicity, nostalgia, and mindful living through her evolving body of work.
Drawing from still life and interiors, the works in her exhibition titled Simple Pleasures, invite viewers to slow down and rediscover the richness of simple, often overlooked details. Each painting captures a sense of warmth and familiarity, blending color, texture, and light to evoke comfort, nostalgia, and joy. From floral arrangements to rustic indoor scenes, the pieces reflect an appreciation for life’s small but meaningful pleasures.
August 20 – October 28: Sara Hadley – Novi, MI
With vibrant and expressive brushwork, my paintings are a celebration of the luscious, rich quality of oil paint. With each brushstroke, I hope to share a glimpse of sensitivity, passion, joy, and a bit of romance.
My work explores three genres: portraits [0n view in September’s Inspired by Sargent exhibition at the Northville Art House], landscapes, and abstracts [on view now through October at the Tuscan Café].
In my portraits, I strive to evoke the raw emotion, unique expression, and distinctive character of my models.
My landscapes are an homage to the fleeting beauty of the natural world, while my abstracts are a playful exploration of form and color.
[In my] new series of abstract works focuses on combining expressive brushwork and high chroma color. Vibrant hues of coral, turquoise, and lime react dynamically against bold black lines that both contain and activate each shape. Rather than representing literal objects, these paintings offer a visual dialogue between form and movement, inviting viewers to engage directly with raw color and kinetic space.
NORTHVILLE CITY HALL & TUSCAN CAFÉ
(coming) October 15 – January 6: Jennifer Lanzilotti – Plymouth, MI
My journey as an artist began only eight years ago. Before that, I had never painted with acrylics. A friend invited me to a paint and wine class, and I discovered how much I enjoyed painting. Not long afterward, fallen leaves landed on my car. Because I have always loved nature, I looked at them and thought, Why not use a leaf as my canvas? That simple idea began my journey as a self-taught artist.
Every piece I create is painted on a real leaf that has naturally died and fallen from the tree. I collect them in the fall while hiking, always looking for leaves that are beautiful, intact, and not too damaged by the elements. I wash, dry, and press each one before painting it. Collecting fallen leaves is important because living leaves still contain moisture and active enzymes that cause them to break down. Once properly dried and pressed, leaves can last an incredibly long time. I even read once about a pressed leaf that was around 200 years old!
My love of hiking and nature inspires many of the landscapes I paint. My leaf art has been featured on Detroit PBS’s Detroit Performs, Season 9, Episode 1, displayed in galleries, hospitals, local businesses, and shops,
“Every leaf has already lived one story before I find it. My privilege is to give it another.”
City Hall
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