Local artists honored

On Thursday, March 16, the Bella Vista Arts Council celebrated three very different artists at the Country Club Visitor Center. It was the first of planned quarterly events, BJ Tassin of the council explained.

It was an opportunity, she said, to ensure the council was honoring a variety of artists and their art. In March, the artists included an expert in repousee, an author and a musician. They ranged in age from retirees to a high school student, but all three live in Bella Vista.

Dave Darpinian was a knife maker for 30 years before he discovered repousee. Repousee is defined by Merriam-Webster as “shaped or ornamented with patterns in relief made by hammering or pressing on the reverse side … .”

The display of his work included copper “cuffs,” pendants, a bible cover and framed art to hang. His work is all free hand, he said, with details added to the front after the metal is “pushed” from the back into the desired shape.

He learned by watching a YouTube video but then had the chance to spend a week learning from an established artist. Over the last six years, he has worked at repousee every day using a hammer and a set of chisels.

The author, Donna Hanson, had copies of her book, “Heroes All,” on her table along with samples of drawings. The book chronicles her late father’s experience on a LST (Landing Ship, Tank) ship during World War II. She spent years researching the ship and donates proceeds from the book to the LST Museum in Indiana.

She’s currently working on her second book based on her mother’s life story.

Bella Vista native Aidan Taylor has been playing the trumpet since fourth grade. He’s currently playing with Bentonville High School band and has earned several championship rings. He’s also a member of the school’s Jazz Band and the Arkansas Musicworks British Brass Band.

Tassin said that honoring local arts quarterly makes it easier to plan events and draw in a larger audience for each.

The Arts Council is an advisory board to the city council that was created in 2016. To nominate an artist for their Artists of the Month program, email artscouncil@bellavistaar.gov.

Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista A silver cuff is one of many creations that Dave Darpinian displayed at an Arts Council event recently. Insects and other living things are often a theme of his work.

Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista Repousse artist Dave Darpinian explains his metal work technique at a quarterly meeting to honor Bella Vista Artists of the Month at the Country Club last week.

Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista Author Donna Hanson describes finding inspiration in a battered briefcase on her father’s back porch and how it led to her first book, “Heroes All.”

Lynn Atkins/Special to The Weekly Vista Bentonville High student Aidan Taylor plays his trumpet at an Arts Council event last week.