The June exhibit at Justus Fine Art Gallery, 827-A Central Ave., will feature a selection of work by artists including Michael Ashley, Robyn Horn, gallery owner Dolores Justus, Linda Williams Palmer, Sammy Peters, Steven Schneider, Sandra Sell, Gene Sparling, Michael Warrick, and Elizabeth Weber.
The gallery will host a reception for the exhibition from 5-9 p.m. Friday as part of the monthly Gallery Walk in downtown Hot Springs and the exhibit will be on display through June 30.
"Along with an impressive history of exhibitions, Palmer's series of intricate, colored pencil drawings of Arkansas Champion Trees has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibits in venues throughout the state and beyond," a gallery news release said.
Her series of Arkansas Champion Trees was the focus of an award-winning documentary, "Champion Trees," by AETN and a book, "The Champion Trees of Arkansas: An Artist's Journey," by the University of Arkansas Press.
Palmer's work is also included in a wide range of public and private collections. Most recently, a series of her tree drawings were showcased in an exhibit with Gene Sparling at Mid-America Science Museum.
"Trees play a major role in the work of both artists -- as subject matter for Palmer, and for Sparling -- the material from which he creates his wood-turned vessels," the release said.
"I have always been drawn to nature and the landscape -- emotionally, spiritually, and artistically. Trees weave their way through much of my art. Some so personal, they could be portraits. I work on variously-textured papers with Prismacolor Pencils. This soft, transparent medium captures the subtle colors and value changes that give nature its diversity. If I could choose one word to describe my work, I would choose -- joy -- the pure joy I feel when standing before a beautiful place on this earth and the joy I feel when working in my studio, reliving that experience and attempting to convey that to the viewer," Palmer said in the release.
The selection of paintings by Schneider reflects his interest in color and abstracted form, inspired by elements of the natural world. His work has been included in public and private collections, along with exhibitions including the Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art.
"My work is greatly influenced by the natural world and draws inspiration from the color harmonies, values and shape relationships that exist in nature. The subjects chosen resonate a personal experience to me and are of a familiar spirit. They serve to satisfy my need for image making as well as document a place in time," Schneider said in the release.
A new shipment of ceramic pieces by Ashley will be also be featured. Ashley earned a BA in painting and ceramics from the College of the Ozarks, did a one-year residency at Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan, and completed an MFA at the University of Mississippi. Along with creating his own work, Ashley currently teaches ceramics and painting at College of the Ozarks in Missouri.
"My work invites touch, like a stone plucked from a riverbed. I love pots that are smooth in the hand but have a rugged, natural beauty. I observe a constant erosion and evaporation that takes place at the river's edge. I strive for layers of visual depth combining sheen, matte and ashy, crackled surfaces to recall this geological wearing. I begin my day with tea; boil the water, strain, pour and savor. That rhythm carries throughout my day whether chopping onions or wedging clay. Make something, use it, let that thing inform life, make more," Ashley said in the release.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment. Call 501-321-2335 or visit http://www.justusfineart.com for more information.
"Strength," by Linda Williams Palmer. - Submitted photo