The Kokosing Valley Arts Alliance (KVAA) will welcome accomplished Ohio landscape painter and longtime art educator Matthew Godsil for a free Arts Alliance Workshop on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the historic Woodward Opera House in downtown Mount Vernon.
The event is free and open to the public and is generously sponsored by Bickerdyke Table & Tap in partnership with the Woodward Opera House.
KVAA’s Arts Alliance Workshops are designed to provide accessible opportunities for artists, aspiring artists and anyone interested in the creative process to learn from accomplished guest artists. Through conversation, demonstrations and questions, workshop participants gain insight into each artist’s experiences, techniques and approach to creating their work.
For more than four decades, Godsil has balanced his studio practice with teaching art in Mansfield, Ohio. His landscape paintings begin with graphite drawings and plein air watercolor studies before evolving into richly textured oil paintings. Drawing inspiration from both the historic terrain of Ohio and the western coast of Ireland, his work explores the relationship between light, air, water and earth.
Godsil describes the act of painting as a form of “prayerful attentiveness” — a way of closely observing the natural world, visually taking hold of Creation and sharing that experience with others.
Born in Columbus in 1961, Godsil studied at the School of Fine Arts at Bowling Green State University, with additional studies at The Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati and Marygrove College.
His work has earned numerous honors, including Best of Show and Artistic Excellence at the Mansfield Art Center May Show and Top Rated Booth at the Black Swamp Arts Festival. His paintings have been featured in regional solo exhibitions and juried festivals, including the Lakewood Arts Festival, Black Swamp Arts Festival and Dublin Irish Festival. He currently lives and works in North Central Ohio.
The October 3 workshop offers the public an opportunity to hear directly from Godsil about his artistic process, the landscapes that inspire his work and the experience of developing a creative practice over a lifetime.
Admission: Free and open to the public
Sponsored by: Bickerdyke Table & Tap
Presented by: Kokosing Valley Arts Alliance in partnership with the Woodward Opera House
