When Pat Brewer retired in 1992 as a librarian at Middletown Public Library, she had a plan to merge two loves, Middletown history and art.
Brewer then took classes at the Middletown Arts Center and turned her talent to creating streetscapes and seascapes photographed on family vacations into watercolor works.
“She was always artistic,” said Dianne Misins, Brewer’s daughter. “She could draw anything.”
Misins and sister Bev Stolzenberger remembered their mother encouraging them to draw rather than use coloring books as children.
“She was a little ahead of her time,” Misins said with a smile.
Brewer’s works, many taken from photos of trips to Florida and Lake Michigan, are now exhibited at the Middletown Arts Center through July 15.
Brewer, a native of Middletown, looked to her brother, the late Butler County Common Pleas Judge George Elliott, for critiques of her work. Elliott is well-known for his paintings of building and street scenes of Hamilton as well as courtroom caricatures.
Middletown buildings were a focus for Brewer. She created scenes of her hometown from the 1920s, 30s and 40s.
“They always wanted to be historically accurate,” said Stolzenberger of her mother and uncle. “They would consult each other. She would remember some things and he would remember others.”
Elliott and Brewer’s works have been featured in the past at the Middletown Arts Center in a combined exhibit.
“(The arts center) has had her local work before. This time they want to show some of her other work,” Misins said.
That meant the sisters took many watercolors off their walls at home for the exhibit. They give a peek of family trips through the years.
“These are our favorites. That is why they are not for sale,” Stolzenberger said.
The women said they are happy to let others see the paintings, but will be glad to get them home.
“I miss having them on the wall,” Misins said.
Both women have inherited the family’s artistic flair. Stolzenberger is a photographer and Misins teaches art to children, but neither at this point are as dedicated to their craft as their mother was.
“She would start something and work until it was finished,” Misins said.
Brewer died at the age of 87 in April, but she will long be remembered through her artwork.