Huron's natural beauty, quaint downtown, and active riverfront and unique history provide numerous subjects for area artists. Many live in the town and enjoy painting Huron's landmarks, including the lighthouse, fish houses, wildlife, downtown, docks and harbor, among others. A group of local artists formed the Thursday Painters in 1959. The group, which met throughout the 1960s and 1970s, included Rae Reed, Anne DeNoel, Annette Wilkes, Virginia Lee, Gay Ross Felton, LaVerne Steirwalt, Rosemary Jenkins, and Faith Barton.
Anne De Noel painted Memories of Main Street depicting the village in 1953. In addition to teaching art at St. Peter's school and giving private art lessons, Mrs. De Noel and her husband Peter owned Huron Marine Park. The marina was recently purchased by Huron resident Shaun Bickley.Ruhamah (Rae) Reed painted this photo of Carl and Frank Cherry of Zimmerman's Fish Company washing their nets in the 1950s. Mrs. Reed was a member of Huron's Thursday Painters group and her husband, F.E. Reed was a physician in Huron. Mrs. Reed studied art in Paris and other European cities as a young woman. The Reeds came to Huron in 1922 from Van Wert Ohio. Dr. Reed died in 1953, but Mrs. Reed stayed in Huron in the home on Main Street she and her husband had lived in since 1926. She moved to the Colonial Colony apartments in 1972 when her house was slated for demolition as part of urban renewal. She died in 1984 at the age of 91.Huron artist Owen Felton painted this popular painting of downtown Huron as it appeared in 1957. Felton spent 500-600 hours on the detailed picture, which he completed in 1975. He initially released 500 signed and numbered prints. He and his wife and fellow artist, Gay Ross Felton, owned the Art Barn on Berlin Road.Artists Robert and Elnor Hilty owned Sand-Hill Studio in Huron from the 1980s to the early 2000s. They were known for their paintings of area landmarks, such as the Showboat Restaurant pictured above and wildlife prints. Bob was named "artist of the year" by Ducks Unlimited in 1983.
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