Four States Regional Art Club celebrates its local talent
Portraits, photography, landscapes, mixed-media and more—all that marks the diversity to be found at the newly opened Four States Regional Art Club exhibit at Texas A&M University-Texarkana’s John F. Moss Library.
Here you might find a charming, intense oil portrait of a young girl from Kay Thomas, or you might find Georgia Hubnik’s photographic capture of a fellow artist. There are landscapes and still lifes and more.
Gay Durrant serves as club president, while Lauren Hehmeyer is co-chairman of the members-only show, which happens annually at this gallery space.
“This year we had 77 entrants,” Hehmeyer said. The
exhibit judge was professional artist Deborah Paris of Northeast Texas. Photography was added as a new category this year. Landscape was the biggest category.
“The show judge said she was pleasantly surprised at the breadth and depth of the show,” Hehmeyer said. “She really liked the variety. There are none of us that paint alike … we’re all individuals, that’s for sure, and I think it shows.”
Other categories include abstract/contemporary, portrait, floral, genre (scenes from everyday life, said Hehmeyer), animal, still life. Best in Show was judged to be Celia Hancock’s oil painting “Pause for Beauty.” It depicts a white-bearded gentleman tending a flower garden.
Among the first-place winners was Thomas with “Little Shy Girl.” Hubnik’s photo “The Artist” also earned tops in its category. For abstract/ contemporary, first place went to Terri deNatale with her acrylic depiction of a downtown spot, “1894 1/2 Alleyway.” DeNatale has had a show at A&M-Texarkana before. Agnes Tirrito’s second place effort in abstract contemporary, a mixed media work, shows a strong sense of texture. It’s titled “Dreaming Awake.”
“We also had charcoal chalk, along with acrylic, oil, watercolor, colored pencil, mixed media, photography,” Durrant said.
Other artists with work here include Katie Stone, Jack Hehmeyer, Rick Stone, Karen Sorsby, Charles Ellingburg, Linda Larey, Luana Taylor, Danny Helms, Sue Taaffe, Jeannie Edwards, Eileen Stearman, Carla Myane, Beverly Adler, Ronnie Sladovnik, Debbie James, Nancy Hall Martin, Cari S. Brown and Beth Murphy. Durrant also has art included.
The Four States Regional Art Club meets the second Thursday of the month, 6 p.m. at the Collins Memorial Building, 3000 Texas Blvd. in Texarkana, Texas. Membership dues are $35 a year. Brenda Rochelle, Nancy Womack, Helen McMillin, Sandy Spearman and Gale Gill founded the group.
Demos for early 2019 include Robert Burke Burns in January with watercolor basics, Cindy Holmes in February with acrylics, Richard Stephens in March with a watercolor workshop and Mike Brisco in April with wood cut printmaking. The club has 72 members, many of whom have served as Party With Picassos artists. They’ve also given two scholarships this year and worked with Alzheimer’s Alliance Tri-State Area on art projects. Check out the Facebook page for the group under 4 States Regional Art Club. The exhibit runs through Dec. 13.