Arriving to enjoy an Italian themed dinner catered by the Red Onion in Joplin, and served by artCentral board members and volunteers, folks gathered to enjoy beverages and artful conversations around colorfully dressed tables scattered over the patio and beyond. Two musicians, artCentral Prepitor (art handler) David Greenwood-Mathé and artCentral board member Kerry Sturgis, played acoustic guitar and sang during the meal.
While sharing artCentral news and updates and welcoming celebrity guests, Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé, artCentral’s Executive Director-Curator, introduced TooLoose de LaTrek, artCentral’s Patron Gnome. At the close of the evening he began his journey through the artCentral community going first to the studio of artist Andrew Batcheller who received double awards recognition. In coming months, every four weeks or so, TooLoose will move between artCentral artists and members. His tiny valise will go with him for collecting wee treasures and his little journal will record his stops and adventures. Each hostess and host will document his visit with a photo or video posted to artCentral’s Facebook page.
Before announcing recipients of awards for juror-selected superlative artworks, Alice Lynn extended appreciation to the exhibition’s gracious underwriter, the McCune-Brooks Healthcare Foundation.
Gratitude was also expressed for the exhibit’s two outstanding jurors Beth Simmons, Director of McCune-Brooks Healthcare foundation, and Nancy Dunaway, art educator and practicing professional artist.
Each presentation was prefaced by commentary written by Juror Nancy Dunaway. Comments for the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Underwriter awards appeared in last week’s Art Notes. Those award recipients were: UNDERWRITER and GOLD Awards: Andrew W. Batcheller for “Raptors of a Contemptuous Fall (Black Lives Matter)”; SILVER Award: Clint Thornton for “Drums in Flight 2”; and BRONZE Award: David Greenwood-Mathé for “Share Ring”.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jim Bray for “Red Pickup”. “This piece was very interesting and I responded to the dreamy vista and to the mark making. The road leading back to the farm buildings led the eye back to the mid-ground in an intriguing way. The artist has a beautiful, delicate way of making marks that are soft, then strong and really make for a gorgeous surface. The variations in line width and weight and the handling of the dark negative spaces in the building are lovely. This piece evokes a love of the landscape and gives a feeling of home. The tiny red truck peeking out of the barn conjures memories of rides in the back on a starry night or a trip down the road to a neighbor’s on a sunny day. A lovely piece of work.”
HONORABLE MENTION: Maddie Capps for “Something Old, Something Blue”. “This photograph is just such a lovely piece recording America and it’s wonderful small towns. It captures the joy and the nostalgia of these places. The photographer has a great eye and has framed the sign with its swallow feeling as if it winged down from the blue sky before the clouds took over and landed in a wonderful place to stay the night. The red of the neon signs in the window and indicating the lobby draw us almost into the motel itself and we can imagine a road trip from the past when our parents were tired of all the noise in the back seat and needed a place to rest. It’s intimacy really struck me and created a lasting impression. I can see a series beginning here.”
HONORABLE MENTION: Margie Moss for “Waterfall at Cox Spring”. “I love this little piece. Not only does it show us a lovely spot, but it evokes with its broad strokes and colors the feel of being in that spot on a sunny day and feeling the energy of the waterfall and all the lush foliage around it. The vibrant colors add to the joy and mystery that lets the viewer fill in any details he or she may need. It is well handled and just makes me smile. The repetition of the blue through the foliage at the top and the yellow greens guide our eye around the piece and lead us to discover each section of the painting and the touches of orange makes the blues and greens sing even louder.”
During artCentral’s MEMBERSHIP EXHIBITION Weekend Gallery Hours through July 17 are Saturdays and Sundays, 12:00-5:00 p.m. and other times by appointment made at (417) 358-4404.
