BATESVILLE — Kresge Art Gallery at Lyon College in Batesville is the venue this month for the Small Works on Paper annual touring visual arts exhibition coordinated by the Arkansas Arts Council.
Three local artists have their works showcased in this exhibit — Sheila Cantrell of Batesville, Marc Palmer of Mountain View and Lynn Reinbolt of Searcy. These artists, along with others from across the state with works in the exhibit, will be honored at an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. Thursday. The public is invited.
Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. Admission is free.
“This show comes to Batesville every year,” said Carly Dahl, director of the gallery. “It is hosted at the Kresge Gallery at Lyon College every other year and at the Batesville Area Arts Council Gallery on Main Street.
“I think it is important for Lyon students and members of the Batesville community to see the type of work being created throughout Arkansas. I try to bring shows in that are relevant to the art classes being offered, and this show covers a variety of mediums and subject matter. It is also a great opportunity for local artists to be aware of.”
The 2013 show features 37 works that were selected from more than 300 submissions by juror Anne Austin Pearce, an associate professor of art and director of the Greenlease Gallery at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo.
The show, which will travel to 10 galleries during the year, began its tour Jan. 4 at the South Arkansas Arts Center in El Dorado.
Sheila Cantrell
“This year’s exhibit will be my eighth SWOP show to participate in,” Cantrell said. “It is always an honor to be accepted into this show.
“I think that most artists would agree with me that besides our desire to create, we also have a desire to share. I appreciate the Arkansas Arts Council for having this annual show with its many venues across the state. It gives Arkansas artists a wonderful opportunity to share their vision, craft and talent with many fellow Arkansans.”
Cantrell describes herself as a “realist” artist. She works in graphite, colored pencil and oils. She has a background in mathematics and computer programming and believes she brings the precision of those disciplines to her still-life drawings and paintings.
She is a member of the International Guild of Realism and a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America.
Cantrell’s work has been featured in Drawing, an American Artist Magazine publication, and her work was selected for inclusion in a Smith Kramer museum exhibition titled The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century. Her works have received many awards over the years, including the Best of Drawing Award at the International Guild of Realism’s fourth annual exhibition held in Naples, Fla. Most recently, one of her colored-pencil drawings was a first-place-award recipient at the National Association of Women Artists 122nd annual exhibition held in New York. Another one of her colored-pencil still lifes was a finalist in The Artist’s Magazine’s 2010 juried show and was featured in the Competition Spotlight section of the June 2011 issue of that magazine.
Marc Palmer
This is the second time Palmer has been selected for the Small Works on Paper exhibit.
“I had two paintings selected (one poem, one landscape) for the 2011 Small Works on Paper Exhibit,” he said. “This year, I have one watercolor of hills in early spring in the exhibit titled The Greening.”
“I feel honored to be chosen to be a part of this year’s exhibition,” he said. “Every year, the show presents a diverse selection of media and styles judged to be the best representatives of Arkansas graphic art.
“The wonderful thing about the show is its educational emphasis — bringing art directly to the people throughout the state and introducing them to new ideas and visions. There are so many talented artists in this state, and I am pleased to share their distinguished company.”
Palmer moved to Mountain View from New York in 2007 after retiring from 31 years of service with the Veterans Administration. He holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Ohio Wesleyan University.
“My wife and I are both artists and have a lovely studio on our property overlooking limestone bluffs and rolling hills,” he said. “We have both been members of the Off The Beaten Path Studio Tour since 2009.”
His work consists mainly of watercolor paintings of local landscapes, but he also does printmaking and illustrates his own poetry.
Lynn Reinbolt
This is the first time Reinbolt submitted work for inclusion in the Small Works on Paper exhibit.
“As I began to develop an appreciation for the arts, I became aware of the Arkansas Arts Council and the SWOP exhibition,” he said. “I viewed previous exhibitions and was astonished by the quality of work displayed. I entered my work into the qualifying process to see how it stacked up against some of the finest artists in Arkansas.
“I am honored to be chosen to exhibit in this year’s SWOP. As a relative newcomer to the arts process, to be chosen to exhibit your work alongside some truly professional, well-trained and gifted artists is a humbling experience.
“I appreciate the Arkansas Arts Council for sponsoring the SWOP and all the opportunities they provide developing and established artisans in Arkansas.”
Reinbolt said he enjoys outdoor activities.
“A few years ago, my children encouraged me to take pictures of the places I visit so that I could share the stories behind the pictures with them when they visited,” he said. “As a result, I developed a love for landscape and nature photography. This activity evolved into a passion for artistic photography and a growing appreciation for all art mediums.”
To view the complete 2013 touring schedule and the list of the artists whose work was selected, visit www.arkansasarts.com/programs/swop.aspx.