V….Vaughn (her signature is as original as her artwork) toured the U.S. with her one-woman show of 365 plein air paintings recording the last days of her family’s farm in Texas, a show that ended its run at GMA. She has painted in Gadsden several times and conducted workshops for local artists. Several of her paintings are in the permanent collection of GMA and in private collections here.
Dot Courson of Pontotac, Mississippi, is making her third trip to Gadsden. At last year’s event she won the top award in the Quick Draw Competition, a special feature of the Southeastern Plein Air Invitational where artists must complete a painting in only two hours. In March, 2012, Courson had a solo exhibit at a gallery in Tupelo. As a member of Women Painters of the Southeast her work will be on exhibit at a gallery in Jacksonville, lorida, beginning April 27. Millie Gosch of Roswell, Georgia, who was also juried into the Women Painters of the Southeast, will be returning for her second painting trip to Gadsden.
Two artists will be adding an international flavor-- Dmitriy Proshkin, originally from Russia but now living near Chattanooga, and Ron Bayens, originally from Canada but now living in Auburn. Proshkin has painted in Gadsden many times and his works are in the permanent collection of the GMA and private collections here. Bayens painted in Gadsden at the 2009 event and turned a rainy day downtown into a painting that is now part of the permanent collection of the GMA.
John Guernsey, originally from southern California but now living in Marietta, Georgia, is a favorite of local art collectors. His painting of Noccalula Falls was acquired for the permanent collection of the GMA and fellow artists have voted his work ‘best in show’ for the last two years. Another painter making a splash with a painting of Noccalula Falls, Katrina Weber of Huntsville, will be returning this year. Her close-up view of water rushing over the falls shows how an artist can take scene familiar to thousands and turn it into original
art.
Craig Reynolds of Rainbow City and Gina Brown of Glencoe demonstrate that artistic talent doesn’t have to be imported. Their understanding of the locales, scenery, and history of Gadsden add a special depth to their paintings. Both have paintings in the permanent
collection of GMA but their paintings don’t always stay local: Reynolds is represented by galleries in Charleston and New Orleans and Brown by galleries in Northport, AL and Charleston.
Jill Berry from Pensacola, Florida, made an impression on her first trip to Gadsden last year with her bright, colorful garden scenes and use of the palette knife to add a lively texture to her paintings. She is returning for her second year and will be joined by artists participating for the first time including:
Amy Peterson from Hoover, AL
Karen Weir from Catherine, AL
Amanda Carder from Cummin, GA
Charles Young Walls from Atlanta, GA
Wyatt Waters from Clinton, MS.
Come see Gadsden through the eyes of the 15 professional artists who will be painting in Gadsden April 9-13.
Join the artists on location or at the opening reception on Friday, April 13, 6-8 p.m. All works completed during the event will be on exhibit and awards winners will be announced. All paintings will be available for purchase at the reception and online. The exhibition will continue through May 14.
To find daily information on the Invitational:
Look for the Blue Umbrella on location--volunteers will be available to assist visitors.
Consult the GMA Web site and follow the event on this GMA daily blog.
Stop by GMA at 515 Broad Street, Gadsden.
For online sales go to gadsdenmuseum.com. Or, call GMA (236 546-7365).
