The monthly Hot Springs Gallery Walk, 5-9 p.m. Friday, will showcase works of art created by local and visiting artists.
Featured artists are often present to discuss their pieces and guests have the opportunity to see a wide range of fine art.
The free first Friday event and opening receptions are open to the public at the following galleries:
ā¢ Artists' Workshop Gallery, 610-A Central Ave. -- The featured artists for October are Dianne Morgan and Daryl Wedwick.
Earlier in her career, Morgan owned and operated an art shop in Louisiana where she also taught beginner classes and displayed her own work. Over the years, she has attended workshops from nationally and internationally known instructors. Though she works in acrylics, oils and watercolors, she now concentrates on abstracts in watercolor and acrylic.
"The soft, luminous images created by the blending and movement of color just speaks to me of the nature that surrounds us," she said.
The award-winning artist is a retired professor of theater, having designed scenery and lighting for approximately 200 stage productions.
Since moving to Hot Springs Village 10 years ago, Wedwick continued his artistic studies with several local and nationally known artists. Additionally, he has taken advantage of the local artistic climate to develop his own artistic style, a lighthearted blending of doodling with the watercolor medium. Consequently, many of his paintings stretch the viewer's imagination, most whimsical in nature.
"Visual puns may happen. Their doodle heritage is usually apparent. They are simply fun things to see. Viewers are encouraged to make their own personal interpretations of the subject matter," he said.
Featured miniature artists for October are Michael Preble and Caryl Joy Young.
Artists' Workshop Gallery is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
ā¢ Brickhouse Grill, 801 Central Ave. -- Jan Sullivan Booker, who goes by the artist name of JSully, will present her "Cowboys and Outlaws" series at Brickhouse Grill for this month's Gallery Walk. Celebrity portraits in this series will include Willie Nelson, Robert Duvall as Gus from "Lonesome Dove," John Wayne, Waylon Jennings, Clint Eastwood, Glen Campbell and Johnny Cash.
Paintings will be displayed on the patio and balcony areas and throughout the restaurant.
ā¢ Gallery Central, 800 Central Ave. -- The gallery will be open for Gallery Walk from 5-9 p.m. and will feature live painting by artists Sandy Fleming Newberg, Janis Polychron and Diana Lynn Garrison, and new work by Sheila Cotton, Joseph Raymond, Jan Flake Gartrell, Jennifer Wilson, James Hayes Art Glass Company and Lee Gibson.
ā¢ Justus Fine Art Gallery, 827-A Central Ave. -- The October exhibit at the gallery draws the focus of the viewer closer with a selection of paintings and drawings by Jeri Hillis, Dolores Justus, Sammy Peters, and Gary Simmons that depict an attention to detail. Sculptures and woodwork by Robyn Horn, Jill Kyong, Sandra Sell, and Gene Sparling will also be on display. The show will open with a reception from 5-9 p.m. on Friday in conjunction with the monthly Gallery Walk in downtown Hot Springs. The exhibit will be on display through Oct. 31.
Hillis earned a B.A. in Visual Arts from Hampshire College in Massachusetts and pursued graduate-level work in printmaking at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Her mixed media works emphasize story and the landscape of memories. Her work has been included in numerous exhibitions including the 53rd annual Delta Exhibition Trinity Gallery for Contemporary Artists in Little Rock. Hillis currently teaches after school and adult classes in drawing, painting and ceramics at Emergent Arts.
Justus earned a B.A. in fine art from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1988 and has exhibited her work in solo and group shows throughout the nation and abroad for more than 30 years.
Peters' richly textured mixed media abstract paintings have been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout the nation including recent solo and two-person shows across the country. He was awarded the VSC Press Printmaking Fellowship in 2003, the Vermont Studio Center Fellowship in 2001, the MacDowell Fellowship in 2000, and an M-AAA/NEA Fellowship in 1992, along with other awards and honors. Peters' work has also been part of a host of public and private collections, including the Arkansas Arts Center, Arkansas Technical College, Entergy Corp., Hendrix College, the estate of Winthrop Rockefeller, Baptist Rehabilitation.
Simmons is a nationally recognized pen-and-ink artist known for his technical refinement and eclectic subject matter. He began pen-and-ink drawing as a science illustrator at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, while a student working in the zoology department. After acquiring a B.A. and M.A. in English and American Literature, he went on to acquire a doctorate in Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University in Bloomington. He came to Arkansas for a position with the University of Arkansas, where he stayed until he began a career as a freelance artist in 1976.
Owned by artist Justus, Justus Fine Art Gallery offers a wide range of original art, including sculpture, paintings, ceramics and photography by recognized artists. Opening receptions are held in conjunction with the Hot Springs Gallery Walk. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, or by appointment. Call 501-321-2335 or visit online at http://www.justusfineart.comfor more information.
ā¢ Landmark Building, 201 Market St. -- Two exhibits, "Como Square Then & Now" and "The Art of Historic Hot Springs," are featured at the Landmark Building through Nov. 30.
"Como Square" is an exhibit of photographs from the early 1900s to the present of Hot Springs' historic community square, the intersections of Central Avenue, Ouachita Avenue, Market Street and Olive Street. The exhibit also showcases artwork of the historic structures and places visited by tourists staying at the Hotel Como or other hotels around Como Square. The photographs and history notes were researched from Garland County Historical Society's library.
"The Art of Historic Hot Springs" showcases artwork of the historic buildings and other structures found in the national park and city. The artwork was curated from local artists, Hot Springs National Park's Artist in Residence permanent collection, and the estate of Catherine Thornton.
October Gallery Walk features a musical performance with Helen Johnson at 5 p.m. and a historical and business presentation at 6 p.m.
ā¢ The Sentinel-Record, 300 Spring St. -- The Sentinel-Record will be open for Hot Springs Gallery Walk on Friday and will feature art from both employees of the newspaper and local artists. Most of the art on display will be for sale.
ā¢ Whittington Gallery, 307 Whittington Ave. -- The gallery will feature metal artist Tim Cranford as a special guest for the October Gallery Walk.
Cranford is based out of Fayette County in Tennessee and has been creating unique sculptures for over 40 years. He is inspired by nature as shown by his hummingbirds and other southwestern designs. Each handcrafted creation takes hours of grinding, shaping and welding to reveal the beauty of raw steel.
Cranford has donated one of his hummingbird sculptures to be given away during Gallery Walk. The evening will also feature food, drinks, music by the Tone Chasers and work by 46 local artists.
Entertainment on 10/04/2018