“L’esprit de la Fleurs and The People I Have Known”

  • Ongoing: until Saturday, October 30, 2010
  • Monday: 10:00am
  • Tuesday: 10:00am
  • Wednesday: 10:00am
  • Thursday: 10:00am
  • Friday: 10:00am
  • Saturday: 10:00am
  • Where: CANTRELL GALLERY, Little Rock
  • Cost: Not available
  • Age limit: Not available
The upcoming exhibit at Cantrell Gallery, “L’esprit de la Fleurs and The People I Have Known” will feature recent tarpaper collage & ceramics by Rhonda Hicks of El Dorado and Sarah Noebels of Paris, Arkansas. There will be an Opening Night reception on Friday, September 10, 6-8:00 in the evening. The artists will be present, admission is free and refreshments will be served. Hicks has worked in various different mediums throughout her many years as a self-taught artist. She enjoys painting on many different materials. She began painting on tarpaper several years ago. Her new work, "L'esprit de la Fleurs", is also on tarpaper. She wanted the pieces in this show to be bright, colorful, and happy. The work is done in mixed media with acrylic paints, bottle caps, glass beads, skeletonized leaves and much, more. Hicks states that: “I have had a lifelong fascination for all types of black paper. When I hit upon the idea of using tarpaper, I felt it was a real breakthrough for my work. The texture of the paper adds to the interest of each piece. I love to experiment with new processes and methods, always seeking to grow as an artist.” Although Noebels’ original training in art was as a painter, she has developed a love of clay and working in three dimensions. She states: “Ceramic has come a long way since the gray and brown stoneware of the 60's and bright colors are now easier to use. I continue to have much respect for the masters in the field. The masks in this show are people I have known, names changed to protect the guilty! I try to infuse my art with humor, because laughter is, after all, what keeps us all relatively sane in an insane world. Jokes, puns and funny things I observe on a daily basis influence my work. If my work makes you smile, I have succeeded!” Rhonda Hicks, a native Arkansan, lives in El Dorado, and is the owner of Backwoods Art and Frame Gallery. Hicks is currently on the Board of Directors of The South Arkansas Arts Center. She has work in many corporate and private collections throughout the United States. Hicks has received numerous awards, including the Purchase Award in the Small Works on Paper, at the Arkansas Arts Center. She had her first solo show at Cantrell Gallery in 1991. She recently had a show at The South Arkansas Arts Center with four other artists, which was called "Degrees of Containment". Arkansas potter Sarah Noebels is a native of Arizona but has made Arkansas her home since 1961. Noebels has been a professional artist for over 40 years. She studied painting at ATU, Berkeley, and University of Missouri, where she painted portraits and taught classes in drawing throughout her college career. Noebels currently works as a program coordinator for developmentally disabled adults. Noebels has done many group and one woman shows in Arkansas as well as invitational shows in Louisiana, Tennessee Mississippi and Texas. She has also taught workshops in Texas and New Mexico, and her work has been featured in America's Best Ceramic Artists in 2006. “L’esprit de la Fleurs and The People I Have Known” will continue through October 30. Gallery hours are M-Sat, 10-5:00 or by appointment, 501-224-1335.

This event was posted Sept. 5, 2010 and last updated Sept. 8, 2010