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“Deck the Halls” Exhibit

“Deck the Halls”

Nov. 12 – Dec. 17, 2022

Artist: Rhonda Richter

“DECK THE HALLS” EXHIBIT TO FEATURE TWELVE AREA ARTISTS

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host an exhibition of works by twelve area artists  in the Gallery at the Center, West Plains Civic Center from November 12 through December 17, 2022. The Gallery, on the mezzanine, is open to the public during regular Civic Center hours.

“Winter holidays are a wonderful time for creating and sharing. Artists will share their memories through their works, showcasing what the holiday season means to them,” organizers say.

Virtual exhibit featured here.

Featured artists include:

Marc Brannan

Marc Brannan grew up on the family farm near Willow Springs, MO., and currently lives and works in West Plains, MO.

Brannan says, “I have always enjoyed the stories of one-room schools, and I seek them out to photograph today. Of late, I have been more serious about taking pictures of old or historical buildings in our area. I have focused more on bringing the art out in my pictures. There is so much more around us then we typically take time to see. My pieces show the spirit of this time of year in the Ozarks, when Fall starts to cool down and the spirit of winter and the holidays draw closer. My pics show the transitions such as fall color, the effects of the first frost on the ground, and how the historical buildings in our area really shine during this time of year.”

Michelle Carlson

Born in the Chicago area, but living in the Ozarks most of her life, Carlson was introduced to ceramics at about age 8, taking a bisque-ware painting class, and enthralled with the vibe in that studio. She says, “Hand building in high school and I was hooked on mud!!”

Carlson says “After a 31-year Art Educator career, I am enjoying the freedom of this season of life, playing more with clay and exploring alternative firing methods, and wild clay experiments. Wild clay is a term describing found clay, rather than clay purchased from a supplier. The geology of the Ozarks is perfect for this search. I am grateful and honored to have this opportunity to share a few results of my lifelong ‘hooked on clay’ adventure.”

Dennis Crider

Wichita, Kansas native Dennis Crider moved to the Ozarks from Oklahoma in 1969 then spent 39 years as a reporter/photographer and sports editor at The West Plains Daily Quill Newspaper. Following retirement in 2008 he turned his attention to landscapes, wildlife, still life and basically things that don’t talk back. You won’t see Crider taking very many people pictures. “Photography, he says, has always been a hobby and a passion and he never gets tired of trying to get that perfect shot. Patience plus a lot of luck are essential ingredients of getting that special image.”

Photographs in this display are: “Frosty Flight” a female cardinal on a snowy day; “No Golf Today” the barn at the West Plains Country Club during a snowstorm; “Brrr” a bison with snow and ice on its face; “In the Bleak Midwinter” bare trees south of town on a winter day; and “Snowbound” a snow-covered barn which no longer stands.

Rosemarie Freeman (1928-2019)

Rosemarie Augusta Grandt Freeman, “Rosie” as she was known, came to her talent through her father and grandfather who immigrated to the United States in the mid 1920’s. Both were artists in Germany using multiple mediums. As a child, Rosie was surrounded by creative and artistic influences. In her early 20s Rosie was poised to travel to Europe to continue her artistic studies but after graduating from the Kansas City Art Institute and working for Hallmark Cards, fate played its hand. She met the love of her life, whom she married and settled with in her new home in Oregon county Missouri. Deep in the Ozarks, in the tiny town of Thayer, Missouri, she continued to see everything with an artist’s eye, and her talent flourished. As she was a bit bohemian for this part of the country, folks raised an eyebrow or two seeing her barefoot, in jeans sitting near the railroad track sketching the trains that ran through the community. Everything was a magical opportunity to paint.

In the 1900’s Rosie began creating and sending Christmas cards to her friends and acquaintances. Her mailing list grew to over 350 individuals. Many of the recipients have framed these cards and keep as remembrances. Rosie created at least 24 years of Christmas cards. Each one unique depicting events of her family, our country and the planet depending on the year. It is a pleasure for the Freeman Family to share just a sampling of her many works of love during the holiday season.

Janey Hale

Hale’s desire to create began when as a young child a women’s group brought an exhibition of old master’s paintings to her hometown of Hope, Arkansas. Teaching art for over twenty years, she is now focusing on painting full time. Janey has been in a number of juried and non-juried shows. Her work has been purchased by businesses and people in both Arkansas and Missouri.

Janey has benefitted from working with local artists and attending workshops of noted artists.

Hale says, “Creating art is a means by which I record both emotional and visual experiences. The interaction of color, light and textures in combination with mark making appeals to my own aesthetic, which I hope gives something to the viewer.”

Terry Hampton

Terry Hampton is a native and lifelong resident of rural West Plains who has been involved in creative endeavors and arts organizations for more than 40 years. She is currently president of Ozark Artery, a non-profit organization on a mission to grow local art opportunities.

She says, “My ‘Deck the Halls’ entries utilize found objects and recycled materials. This is where my creativity has been focused recently. I have many items that belonged to my parents, including the vintage wrapping paper and greeting cards used in my entries. I am constantly trying to repurpose what they left me in ways that honor how they felt about their possessions. They were thrifty, sentimental, and found value in what many people throw away.

“Additionally, because adding to landfills is not my preference, I face challenges in how to deal with all the ‘stuff.’ I know they didn’t intend to burden me with a multitude of things I can’t use in practical ways, so I don’t want to view having their things as a burden. I try to consider it an opportunity. With that mindset, I created two collage/mixed media pieces for the exhibit.

“While they are meant to bring a smile with their throwback style and retro vibe, when I look at them, they also evoke thoughts of times past that are more complicated than simple holiday memories. I love that about art, how it makes me feel a connection when I make it myself or view the works of others. Often, we don’t know what an artist intends to convey, but pausing to consider what art means to each of us on a personal level is the experience I enjoy.”

Donna Lay

Donna K. Lay moved to this area from Texas in June of 2000. She was raised in the Sandhills of Nebraska on a small family farm but left to attend college and eventually earned her Master of Science Degree in Educational Counseling in 1981. She began her career as a therapist when she enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1981 and spent most of her time in Germany. She was licensed as a Certified Clinical Mental Health Mental Health Therapist in 1989.

Lay says, “The staff members from the local VA clinic have been extremely supportive of me and my art, encouraging me to show it to other Veterans and enter in the Veteran’s Art Exhibition Contest at the John J. Pershing VA hospital in Poplar Bluff.” She was awarded first, second, and third place in the category of Mixed Media. These three artwork pieces will be forwarded to participate in the National Veteran’s Artwork Exhibition Contest and the winners will be announced in December 2022.

David Poedy

in April of 2022, David extended family arrived in Pomona, MO from California. Poedy grew up in Los Angeles County in California, and drove trucks for over twenty years, over one million miles with no moving violations, until the accident that disabled him.

In late 2018 he began experimenting with and later creating scroll saw art. Beginning with plywood, he now uses milled lumber for his artwork. Asked how long it takes to finish a piece,  he said that depending on the pattern, type of finish to be used, and the type of wood, it could take from about 6-7 hours to 2-5 days. Some patterns have as few as 8 cuts, however there is one that has over 145 cuts.

David has enjoyed doing his scroll saw art for about 4-5 years and hopes to pass his passion on to his grandson. He feels that it is an art that is going by the wayside because of the use of computer operated routers doing the work.

Rhonda Richter

Painterly expression and bold color characterize the art of Rhonda Richter. Paintings with emotional structure interpreted in direct connection with nature are the intention and joy of the artist.

In terms of artistic influence, an ongoing, profound, influence began simply: in high school, Richter was struck with a reproduction of Cezanne’s “Blue Vase” hanging in her West Plains, Missouri art class. Later, Richter credits her University of Missouri professor, Frank Stack, as inspirational for her artistic development, especially regarding color and gesture. At UMC, the Scholars Abroad program led to a period of travel and artistic exposure (throughout Europe and, eventually to Tunisia). Richter now resides in West Plains, Missouri and frequently participates in Plein Air painting events.

Richter says, “I enjoy painting from life. The complexity of organizing the effects of changing light and simultaneously achieving a personally expressive result are always challenging. I find unending joy in visually affirming the wonders of existence. I earned my BFA at University of Missouri and studied painting at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.”

Joyce Stewart

Joyce Stewart lives on a working cattle ranch and draws inspiration from the hills, creeks, pastures and animals around her. Stewart says she can barely remember a time in her life that she didn’t aspire to be an artist. She drew with whatever she had. Her high school art teacher inspired her to paint and draw from life whenever possible.

Through the years she experimented with many different mediums – acrylics, watercolor, pastels, oil pastel, and charcoal. Stewart continues to expand her skills by attending workshops with other local artists, reads art books and views original art whenever and wherever it is available. Stewart has also worked online with artists Laura Robb, Phil Starke, Spencer Meagher, and more. Stewart’s work has been featured in local and regional shows and is in private collections in Missouri, Arkansas, and New Mexico. 

“I have a driving need to create, and if I look a little distracted sometimes, it is probably because I am painting in my head, working out a solution to a painting problem, looking for the turn of a shadow on a face or just feeling the awe and the magnitude of the natural world around me,” Stewart said. “Becoming an artist is not a destination but a wonderful, fulfilling (and sometimes frustrating) journey!”

Cindy Temple

Temple says, “The pieces I chose for this exhibit reflect some fond memories of times gone by. My mom’s Christmas cactus, which she would baby all year long. A pocket or purse full of peppermints carried by Granny Mae. Baking cookies with my boys and arranging them by the fireplace so Santa would be sure to notice. Red birds bringing a burst of color to a dull winter, and angels on the top of a Christmas tree or angels singing, announcing the birth of Christ. The angels are created with mixed media which allowed me some freedom and time to work out some thoughts as I pieced them together.”

Temple continued as a self-taught artist throughout periods of her adult life, and mostly learned from books. Eventually, she took drawing classes from Audrey Bottrell and painting classes from Regina Willard. As her passion and skill grew, she found other professional artists she admired; and through classes studied with Derek Penix, Michael McClure, Kevin Beilfus, Anne Blair Brown, Chantel Barber, and Spencer Meagher. Oil is her medium of choice and she is inspired by things she loves the most: family,  friends, people, and nature. Her works have been exhibited in juried and non-juried shows in the area, winning several awards.

Mark Wallen

A Missouri native currently residing in Raymondville, Missouri, Mark Quentin Wallen is primarily self-taught. His studies include time working with Wendy Ziegler at Missouri State University-West Plains; he also credits the encouragement and support of the “Ventures in Art” group in West Plains. He describes his style as somewhere between Realism and Impressionism. His goal is to move closer to realism without losing the mood present in his current works.

The Ventures in Art group meets once a week and has artists using different mediums from watercolor to oils. The goal of the group is to challenge your comfort zone; to push you to learn from different experiences and other individuals. The work exhibited reflects the input from these meetings.

The works of the artist reflect his interest of landscapes of the mid-west. His interest is in old farms and buildings, cars, trucks, trains, and equipment. He likes snow scenes, and skies of the morning and evenings. He also likes working on nocturnes of moonlit skies.

WPCA will host a Meet the Artists event on Saturday, December 3, from 2-4 p.m., in the Gallery at the Center. All are invited to attend, meet the artists, and discuss the pieces.  The exhibit is co-sponsored by the West Plains Civic Center and West Plains Council on the Arts, with partial funding provided by Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.