Art Talk Monday: Exploring Abandonment at Crescent City Coffee

This week's Art Talk Monday is written by Sophia Maras, NCLAC Gallery Coordinator. On Sunday, March 3^rd, The North Central LA Arts Council will present Becky Bennett’s paintings in the exhibit, “Exploring Abandonment”, at Crescent City Coffeehouse. An opening reception will be held on this day from 2- 4 pm with fresh coffee and treats from the Crescent City kitchen! With graduation the same weekend, this exhibition will be a great opportunity for visiting families to experience some of Ruston’s local artwork!

 

Becky Bennett, a self-taught artist, is the Herbert McElveen Professor of Management at Louisiana Tech University where her husband J Alan Bennett is also a business professor. Working full time and with three children in their teens, it would seem Bennett wouldn’t have time to relax, much less produce a body of artwork! Although her profession keeps her in the business world most of the time, Bennett thoroughly enjoys the painting process and feels that it allows her freedom from her left brain way of thinking, “being ‘proper’:  properly ‘put together’, properly restrained, properly rule-abiding.”

Bennett works with acrylic and oil paint to create energetic and colorful abstractions. Often in her paintings, a viewer may recognize a horizon line or a silhouette, creating a sense of curiosity. By breaking rules and trying new methods or ideas, Bennett regularly explores unknown paths through her work. As a result, she produces paintings with vibrant colors and surging energy!

With these quarterly exhibitions, NCLAC strives to expose the community to the artistic talents in and around Ruston. Thanks to Crescent City, NCLAC is able to provide a great deal of people with the opportunity to view exceptional artwork. Crescent City is a full-scale coffee bar serving a variety of beverages, in addition to pastries, salads, and a delicious lunch menu. Crescent City is now open 24/7 providing wifi and a fresh cup of coffee any time!

 

If you are interested in purchasing a work from “Exploring Abandonment” look for NCLAC’s Gallery Coordinator Sophia Maras or Executive Director Jessica Slaughter at the reception; contact NCLAC at 318-255-1450; or stop by the Dixie Center for the Arts Monday through Thursday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

To learn more about NCLAC and our programs visit www.nclarts.org or http://nclac.wordpress.com/.

NCLAC is supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Peach Art Exhibit Winners!!

North Central Louisiana Arts Council

24^th Annual Peach Festival Art Exhibit

Welcome!  The following is a list of our 2011 winners and our sponsors who make it possible.

 Best of Show ~CatherineDavid Floral Design - $150~ Untitled, Erin Hollis

Children / Youth Best of Show ~Kathy & Chris Stone - $75~ My Friend, John Madix

Category 1 ~ Opaque 

1^st from KPCH “The Peach” ($100) Trespass, Nick Bustamante

2^nd from Waltz Pharmacy ($75) Morning Gleam, Mitch Overby

       3^rd from The Bank of Ruston ($50) Camera & Pennywhistle, Mercury, Argus & IO, Peter Jones

Honorable Mention, The Intellectuals, Melanie Douthit

Honorable Mention, Got Milk, Jeanne Teague

Category 2 ~ Transparent 

1^st from Beta Sigma Phi, Preceptor Chapter ($100) Rovenna, Italy, Dianne Douglas    

2^nd from Community Trust Bank ($75) Barnyard Chatter, Joyce Beauvais

3^rd from Elizabeth English ($50) Thibodeaux’s Dream, Marlen Waters

Honorable Mention, Mr. Cochran’s Memories, Dianne Douglas

Category 3 ~ Miscellaneous 

1^st from Elizabeth English ($100) Flight, Lana Langston

2^nd from Dawn & Edwin Pinkston ($75) Sugar, Debra Heard

3^rd from Patricia & Drew Jones ($50) While the Babies Sleep, Julie Crews

Honorable Mention, Red Tree, Nan Cole

Honorable Mention, Sky, Dean Dablow

Honorable Mention, Enchanted Forest, Sierra Pearce

Category 4 ~ Original Crafts

1^st Angela Norris Memorial Award ~ Community Trust Bank ($100) Tool Box #1, Chris Bartlett

2^nd from Follette Pottery ($75) Chenille Tote, Bonnie Mobley

3^rd from Elizabeth English ($50) Celadon Sake, Ashley Moody

Honorable Mention, Burl Poplar Bowl, Audie Maxey

Category 5 ~ Photography

1^st from Ruston Daily Leader ($100) Pallet Series – Green, Peter Jones

2^nd from Janine & Richard Lewis ($75) Spuds, David Hedgepeth

3^rd from Elizabeth English ($50) Future Fruit, Charlotte Hood

Children ~ Ages 8 and Under

1^st from Dr. Pat Stuckey ($40)  Covered-up Orange, Abbie Bryan

2^nd from Dr. Pat Stuckey ($30) The 3 Grapes, Lindsey Bryan

3^rd from Dr. Pat Stuckey ($20) Self Portrait,Nan Crews

Honorable Mention, The Big Green Tractor, Tucker Martin

Children ~ Ages 9 – 12

1^st from Dianne Douglas & Saul Zalesch ($40) Kira Self Portrait, KiraJordan

2^nd from MaryAnn & Bill Willoughby ($30) Peacock, Gwen Beasley

3^rd from MaryAnn & Bill Willoughby ($20) Medieval Shield & Sword, Dallas Edwards

Honorable Mention, African Elephant Love, Arielle Douthit

Honorable Mention, Jesus & The Children, Allyson Martin

Youth ~ Ages 13 – 18

1^st from Nancy & John Wallace ($40) At the Pond, Ashtin Bell

2^nd from Nancy & John Wallace ($30) The Old Tree, Morgan McCullin

3^rd from Nancy & John Wallace ($20) Flower Basket Still Life, Larken Hampton

Honorable Mention, Ruston in a Peach, Gaby Harpel

Honorable Mention, Cat’s Catahoula Cur, Catlin Tatum

Interior Monologues: Dreads & Desires

"Interior Monlogues Dreads & Desires" is a multi-media group exhibit by members of the The Art Group. The exhibition will be held at South Arkansas Arts Center (110 East 5th, El Dorado, Arkansas 71730). Details are included below. Artists Kate Sartor Hilburn and Laura Lewis will also be featured.

Call for Entries: Visual Artists

Emerging Artists

• Location: Hudson, New York
• Exhibtion Dates: April 2-30, 2011
• Sponsor: SlowArt Productions
• Venue: Limner Gallery
• Awards: $1,000 cash, $2200 publications
• Eligibility: Open to all artists
• Fees: $35
• Website: http://slowart.com
• Prospectus: http://www.slowart.com/prospectus/ea2011.htm

Telluride Plein Air

• Location: Telluride, Colorado
• Deadline: November 30, 2010
• Exhibit Dates: June 28- July 4, 2011
• Sponsor: Sheridan Arts Foundation
• Venue: Historic Sheridan Opera House
• Awards: $800 Quick Draw Award, $1,000 Artist Chice Awared, Southwest Art Magazine Award
• Eligibility: Open to all artist 18 years and older.    Application includes submission of three photos of artwork for juried selection of 20 artists.
• Website: http://telluridepleinair.com
• Prospectus: http://onlinejuriedshows.com

Embracing Our Differences

• Exhibition Dates: April & May 2011
• Sponsor: Ringling College Art & Design
• Venue: Island Park, Sarasota, FL
• Awards: $3000
• Eligibility:  Embracing our Differences invites artists, photographers, professionals, amateurs, teachers and students to participate in its 8th annual visual art exhibit celebrating diversity.  National and International submissions are encouraged
• Fee: Free
• Website: http://www.embracingourdifferences.org
• Prospectus: http://embracingourdifferences.org/pdfs/2011calltoartists.pdf

Spring 2011 "Featured Emerging Artists"

• Exhibit Dates: Spring 2011
• Deadline: January 10, 2011
• Sponsor: Visual Overture Magazine
• Eligibility: Seeking emerging artists, 18+ years old, not currently in undergraduate studies, and artwork created in last 3 years.
• Fees: $17.00
• Website:  http://www.visualoverture.com/artists.htm

NCLAC and 102 Present Laugh, Love, & Paint

About the Exhibition "Laugh, Love, and Paint" is an exhibition of Marlen Waters' Water Media on Paper and Canvas. NCLAC and 102 will host an opening reception on Wednesday, October 27 from 5-7 pm, and the show will remain on exhibition through January 31.

102 will provide wine tasting and light appetizers at 5 pm.

About Marlen

Former Executive Director of the Dixie Center for the Arts, Marlen Waters is also a talented professional artist who has studied privately with renowned artists including M. Douglas Walton, Anne Bergeron, Betty Lee, and Anita K. Peterson.

Marlen is also a master calligrapher and has studied the arts of calligraphy, papermaking, bookbinding, and paper preservation at Lake Forrest College in Illinois. She has owned and operated her own graphic art company (Waters and Associates) since 1979.

In addition, she has also completed over 30 credit hours in the School of Art at Louisiana Tech University, and she has taught water media workshops through various venues including Ruston Parks and Recreation and the Continuing Education programs at Louisiana Tech and Grambling State University. Her work has been selected for inclusion in multiple juried and group exhibitions throughout our region, and she is a regular participant in NCLAC's Holiday Arts Tour.

More Info

For more information about Marlen Waters and her work, visit www.marlenwaters.com.