Program meeting for June Gene Sparling

Gene Sparling was our featured program speaker for the month of June.

Gene uses downed trees he finds on his property to make beautiful works of art, using a lathe and other tools. He has opened up a small gallery in his home to help meet the demand for his pieces.

 Also Terri Taylor, artist, gallery owner, educator, spoke about creating art, creating galleries, the benefits of artists working together in settings such as our art guild.

 Thanks Gene and Terri, for sharing your beautiful art and thoughts ♥

 See Gene's work at genesparling.com; Terri on Facebook at Terri Taylor's Art

During the month of June Ouachita Artists Gallery featured the art of Dortha Scott, a Mt. Ida native known nationally for her design chosen for the Arkansas State Quarter.

 

This is the tenth anniversary of this event. But Dortha is an excellent artist, painting with oils.

 

A reception for her was held June 15th at the gallery.

Refreshments were served and live music was provided by Freddy and Phyllis.

Artist Spotlight: Allie Graves

Our artist spotlight this week is Allie Graves.

Allie Graves was born in Caddo Gap, AR. She began experimenting with watercolors at a young age. After she married,  her new husband bought her a set of oils. She has loved oils evre since. Allie works in several mediums which include pen & ink, watercolor and pastels, etc.

 

She has entered several art shows and competitions winning purchase awards, ribbons, including Best of Show.

 

All taught private art classes for 26 years. Currently she is president of Ouachita Artist Guild and member and past president of Three Rivers Art Guild. Her work  is on exhibit at the Ouachita Artists Gallery & Studio in Mount Ida, AR.

More food art photos

May Program Meeting: Jim Johnston

For our monthly program meeting we were fortunate enough to have a real food artist.

Chef Jim Johnston gave a program on FOOD ART at a meeting of Ouachita Artists on Monday, May 20. Johnston and his wife Diane demonstrated how to use fruits and vegetables into an assortment of decorations for special food occasions. He turned squash and eggplant into birds, melons into carvings and fruits into flowers using only a paring knife. After an extensive career as a chef in this country and in Europe, Johnston chose to retire in Montgomery County. He still works, however, and commutes to his job as Food Director at the Atrium Retirement Center on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs.

Featured Artist: Dr. Barbara Holt

Dr. Barbara Holt is our first featured artist. She is the past president and one of the founders of the Ouachita Artists.

Barbara Holt, Ph. D., liked to draw when she was a student in the Mount Ida schools, and dabbled in art as an adult.  After earning her Bachelors Degree at Ouachita Baptist University she returned to teach one year at Mt. Ida, then taught for seven years in junior and senior high schools in California and Washington, D. C.  She spent five years teaching abroad, starting with the Peace Corps in Chile, UNESCO in Ghana and Costa Rica, and short term research and consultancies in Sierra Leone, Jamaica, Brazil, Malaysia, and others.  Her advanced degrees were earned at Cornell University in New York.  She taught at Louisiana State University for over 20 years, then retired from the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Arkansas.  She returned home to live in Montgomery County County fifty years after her family moved to Arkadelphia, and finally has time to spend developing her talent. She still likes to draw, but her major works now are in oils.  She likes to paint the beauty of the Ouachita Mountain waters and woods.

 

 

Coffee Painting

We have a painting done in coffee by Daisy McDonald. It is being offered on silent auction.