Four area artists included in SWOP exhibit
LITTLE ROCK — Four artists from the Three Rivers Edition coverage area have works in the 2020 Small Works on Paper touring exhibition, which is sponsored by the Arkansas Arts Council.
B. Jeannie Fry of Cabot, Karlyn S. Holloway of Austin, Lynn Reinbolt of Searcy and Charlotte Bailey Rierson of Fairfield Bay are among the 35 artists with works in the show, which opens with a free reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 Ninth St. in Little Rock. Free tickets are available at arkansasarts. org; search under “news and events/ what’s new.”
This year’s entries were juried by Jamie Adams, associate professor of art at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Adams reviewed approximately 300 submitted artworks to select the 39 pieces that are part of this year’s show. He also selected works to receive purchase awards, which are cash prizes equivalent to the value of the artworks. Purchase-award pieces become part of the Small Works on Paper permanent collection.
B. JEANNIE FRY
This is the second time Fry has been juried into the SWOP exhibition.
Her painting Bolt! was created using a “wet-on-wet technique, and while the painting was still drying, the lightning bolt was etched into the surface, and the large blossom was created by sprinkling salt onto the wet surface,” she said.
“With wet on wet, I let the watercolor do its thing and don’t try to take control of the medium,” Fry said.
“I actually aspired to be a meteorologist when I was very young,” she said. “Growing up in Kansas, I spent a great deal of time watching clouds and how they changed in color and shape. Wet on wet allows me to paint like I saw, and still see, clouds forming and the weather changing, sometimes in an instant. Bolt! is taken from these inspirations.”
Fry received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Wichita State University in Kansas and a Master of Arts degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing. She is included in the Artist’s Book of Arkansas Artists called A Gathering of Artists, published by the Hot Springs Fine Arts Center. She is a Diamond Signature member of the Mid-Southern Watercolorists and a past president and current board member of MSW.
KARLYN S. HOLLOWAY Holloway talked about the nature of her work and being in the SWOP exhibit.
“I’m very excited about being selected for the 2020 Small Works on Paper juried traveling exhibition,” she said.
“This is my first time to be selected in this important Arkansas show. With my painting Golden Memories, I was thinking about the memories of our families,” Holloway said.
“My grandmother always had roses in the yard. Roses usually are considered for special times. The smell, the colors remind us of love. Just as gold is considered precious, so are our memories,” she said.
“My inspiration comes from the stories all around us,” Holloway said. “The people we take the time to listen to and the books we read, our travels — they all teach valuable lessons about life. Each line or stroke shows a passage of time and a lesson learned. The message I seek to convey is that the world around us has a story to tell if we view it with our imagination and heart.
“I’m currently working on a series of quilt paintings to highlight quilt-making as art, but I have realized that really, it is more about the women who make them. Women passed their knowledge of quilting and needlework to their daughters. It was an important way to tell their story and the heritage of their family. These quilts have become heirlooms. For many women, quilting is their main outlet for creative expression. With this series, I am adding portraits of cotton. It is an important element in making quilts, and the beauty of it is often overlooked.
Holloway graduated from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro with an Associate of Arts degree in art, then furthered her education at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. She is trained in multiple art mediums, including pencil, watercolor and oil. She is a Signature member of the Arkansas League of Artists and the MidSouthern Watercolorists.
LYNN REINBOLT
Reinbolt’s work has been selected for three previous SWOP exhibits.
“The piece in this show is titled Up or Down,” said Reinbolt, who was born in Chicago. “When the viewer looks at the image, they are drawn into a decision as to what they are looking at. Almost three-dimensional, the image creates an emotional reaction on behalf of the viewer. Are they seeing what they think they are seeing?
“It is always an honor to have a piece selected for this show. The judges always select good work from many different mediums and styles. That is what makes this show special.”
Reinbolt’s medium is photography. He said that when he was a child, his mother gave him an autographed book of photography by Ansel Adams.
“I immediately fell in love with landscape photography,” Reinbolt said. “I have been hooked ever since.”
CHARLOTTE BAILEY RIERSON
This is the sixth time for Rierson to be included in the SWOP exhibition and the second time for her to receive a purchase award. She received the award this year with a watercolor titled Reflections of Winter Series 1, Winter’s Kiss.
Discussing her winning piece of art, Rierson said, “It is the beginning of winter’s first snow with all its mystery. The red birds in the foreground are enjoying flirting with each other. I painted them red because when the viewer sees a red bird, it is supposed to bring good luck. I am the lucky one to have my painting selected to be in this prestigious exhibit.
“Receiving a purchase award was especially exciting. I have been on my ‘Art Spirit Journey’ for many years. My journey began at an early age, working with a local art teacher, and then I started my own dance-arts school. At the same time I was teaching dance, I continued with my art.”
Rierson received a bachelor’s degree from UCA with an emphasis in art. She is a Diamond Signature Member of the Mid-Southern Watercolorists and a Signature Member of the Arkansas League of Artists.
“It is also a real pleasure to be the coordinator of the North Central Arkansas Art Gallery in the Fairfield Bay Conference Center,” she said. “I founded that gallery 25 years ago.”
The 2020 SWOP touring exhibit will remain on display at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center through Jan. 25.
Following is the remainder of the touring schedule:
• Feb. 1-28, Harding University, Elizabeth Mason Gallery, 915 E. Market Ave., Searcy.
• March 6-27, Henderson State University Hot Springs Academic Initiatives, Landmark Building, 201 Market St., Hot Springs.
• April 1-28, University of Arkansas Rich Mountain, Ouachita Center, 1100 College Drive, Mena.
• May 1 to June 15, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, Smith Pendergraft Campus Center Gallery, 5210 Grand Ave., Fort Smith.
• June 19 to July 29, Arkansas Northeastern College,
Adams/Vines Gallery, 2501 S. Division St., Blytheville, with the Arts Council of Mississippi County as host sponsor.
• Aug. 1 to Sept. 11, Arkansas River Valley Arts Center, 1001 E. B St., Russellville.
• Sept. 24 to Oct. 24, Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, International Paper Gallery, 701 S. Main St., Pine Bluff.
• Nov. 3-23, South Arkansas Arts Center, Merkle and Price Galleries, 110 E. Fifth St., El Dorado.
For more information on the 2020 Small Works on Paper touring exhibition, contact Cheri Leffew, special events-projects manager, at (501) 324-9767 or cheri.leffew@arkansas.gov.
Information is also available at arkansasarts.org.