Artist Noreen Yazvac of North Lima has always loved art and now teaches classes at the YMCA in Boardman. She is a nature lover, so flowers are a frequent topic of her paintings. Correspondent photo / Bill Koch

NORTH LIMA — As a young child, Noreen (Pannunzio) Yazvac knew she was an artist.

“I always loved art,” Yazvac said. “I would paint on rocks or slate or tree bark — anything I could get my hands on.”

Eventually, her father realized those talents should be encouraged, so he bought her an easel and art supplies. Yazvac was born in Youngstown and spent her first four years at her grandmother’s house in Smoky Hollow near Youngstown State University. The family then moved to Boardman, where she would graduate from high school in 1972. She credits art teacher Florence Hosa as a lifelong inspiration.

After high school, she decided to focus on a practical career. She started taking classes at YSU in clerical studies. Then she was hired by ߺ

Yazvac worked at Crago’s for four years. She went on to be an executive secretary at Standard Slag, followed by employment at the Ohio Education Association, and then in 1994 was hired at YSU. She started as the secretary to the sports information director and then transferred to the Center for Student Progress (now Academic Success), from where she retired in 2020.

Since she worked at the university, Yazvac decided to further her education. She was raising her daughter Jennifer, so at first she would take one class at a time, and as Jennifer got older she would increase her workload.

“I wanted to take classes I’m passionate about,” Yazvac said.

She majored in art history with a concentration in studio art.

Yazvac graduated in 2006, the same semester as Jennifer, who completed her degree in information technology. Jennifer now has a successful career and just got married last month.

Yazvac said her college education “really opened up my mind to how art depicts history.” She especially valued learning about ancient Roman, Mayan and Islamic cultures.

Although as far back as the 1970s she would occasionally do small paintings on request, Yazvac points to 2006 as the beginning of her art career, saying, “I never considered myself a real artist until after I graduated.”

As a lover of nature, flowers have always been a recurring subject. She has worked in many different media, but watercolors has been a particular favorite. She said the course taught by Christopher Leeper at YSU was instrumental, calling him “the guru of watercolors.”

Yazvac became one of the guiding forces of the Mahoning Valley Watercolor Society, which formed in 1982. Involvement decreased during COVID-19, but it still has over 40 members. The organization meets once a month at Boardman Park.

She and friend Betsy Ford are former presidents of the MVWS, and next year from April to June they will be sharing wall space in the Davis Center at Fellows Riverside Garden. Yazvac has loved Mill Creek Park since childhood and is excited about having a show in that setting.

Another medium Yazvac has added to her repertoire is alcohol inks. These pieces tend to be more abstract because of their less precise characteristics.

“The inks have a mind of their own. Sometimes you can control them, but the beauty is just to let them flow and guide them where you want them to go,” creating an interaction between artist and painting.

Yazvac has participated in many shows, including Canfield Fall Market, Canfield Fair, YSU Festival of the Arts (where she won Best of Show one year), and Fa La La at the Ward Bakery. Lately she has trimmed it down to just a few each year. In December, she will be participating at the Landing in Sharon, Pa., as well as the Last Minute Market at the B & O Station in Youngstown.

Yazvac has won awards in several juried shows, including YWCA’s Women Artists: A Celebration! and the Butler Institute of American Art’s Area Artists Annual. She has entered a couple of pieces in this year’s show at the Butler, saying, “I’m waiting to hear if I get into that one. It’s always exciting to get picked.”

But it’s not all about competition, and she likes to give back by donating her pieces to various charities.

Lately, Yazvac has spent more time as an instructor. She leads an ongoing workshop at the YMCA in Boardman. She recently presented a paint and sip at the Vineyards at Pine Lake in Columbiana and is available for private parties.

She noted there has been increased interest in painting over the past few years.

“The public has come to know that art just feels good to do. Anything that’s creative helps your mind relax, and don’t we need that in today’s world?,” Yazvac said. “Often it is a matter of getting over the hurdle that they can’t do it. Everyone says, ‘I can’t paint’ and they all turn out good. With art, you just let it go and follow your gut instinct. You let your mind and your heart be the guide.”

In her spare time, Yazvac likes reading historical fiction, walking and gardening. The flowers she grows often serve as models for her next project.

Yazvac considers her art to be more than a pastime.

“I don’t know what I would do without it. It’s like a meditation. It is truly a blessing in my life,” she said.

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