LITTLE ROCK — Two artists from the River Valley & Ozark Edition readership area have works on display in the 49th annual Mid-Southern Watercolorists Juried Exhibition in Little Rock.
Charlotte Rierson of Fairfield Bay and Cynthia Schanink of Mount Nebo are among 33 artists with pieces in the show, which will be on display through July 7 in the Trinity Gallery at the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock. The exhibit is open to the public, and there is no admission charge.
Juror M.E. “Mike” Bailey of Santa Cruz, California, selected the works from among 159 entries submitted by 84 MSW members from 10 states.
Rierson titled her work Frozen in Time Series II.
“Throughout my life, I have been on what I call my ‘Art Spirit Journey,’” said Rierson, who holds Diamond Signature membership in MSW, meaning her work has been accepted in five annual juried MSW competitions. “This journey of personal creativity has led me from the dance arts to expressing my deepest thoughts and emotions through painting.
“This painting series was inspired by winters at my grandmother’s [house] looking out at the pond and the memories of snow falling and blanketing the world around me.”
Rierson is director of the MSW regional advisers and a past MSW president. She is also a past president of the North Central Arkansas Artist League and coordinator of the North Central Arkansas Art Gallery that just celebrated its 25th year of providing arts to the community.
She was recently a winner in the Arkansas League of Artists Members Show and was juried into its annual juried show. She is a Signature member of the Arkansas League of Artists.
For more information on Rierson, visit her website, artspiritunlimited.com.
Schanink titled her work My Path Way.
“This painting is one of several plein-air watercolor paintings of my work last year from the Steelville (Missouri) Arts Council competition,” said Schanink, who is a member of the MSW Board of Directors, serving as the public-relations representative. “We drove to a ghost town, Keysville, one day, and I was immediately drawn to the cast shadows on the metal shed and the sunlit road with a shadowy figure walking.
“I enjoy the adventure of competitive plein-air painting and enter several challenges a year,” she said.
Schanink is a Diamond Signature member of MSW.
She was a Hot Springs National Park Artist in Residence in 2016. She has taught watercolor at various places in Arkansas and on cruise-ship voyages.
For more information on Schanink, visit her website, artsummitnebo.com.
The Historic Arkansas Museum is at 200 E. Third St. in Little Rock. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (501) 324-9351 or visit historicarkansas.org.