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Holiday Open House

Two participants of the annual Off The Beaten Path Studio Tour, Caperton Candle Company and Jollywood Farm Studio are pleased to announce a Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 1, 10 am to 4pm. This is a rare holiday opportunity for the public to shop at these studios for decorations and gifts.Both are located within a quarter mile of each other off of Highway 5 south of Calico Rock or 2.4 miles north of Optimus.

At Caperton Candle Company, Linda Caperton, the orginal candle maker at the Ozark Folk Center, has a vast selection of candles. Her candles are known for their lasting scent and come in many sizes and fragrances. She will gladly take custom orders.The candle studio is about 5 miles south of Calico Rock off of Highway 5 on Caperton Road. Linda may be reached at 870-297-4255 for more information.

Jollywood Farm Studio is offering handcrafted ornaments and live wreathes as well as cedar lamps with handmade paper shades, children’s colorful stepstools, joggling benches, suet log feeders and limberjacks.Another wonderful gift offered are hickory smoke dried peppers.Debbie and DeWayne Jolly are located at the end of Berthies Hollow [formerly known as Fancy Lane] off of Highway 5 about 4 miles south of Calico Rock. They may be reached at 870-297-0297.

 

Local artisan wins national contest

Arcola event, contest raises up craft brooms

September 10, 2012 6:30 am • By DAVE FOPAY – H&R Staff Writer(0) Comments - Article courtesy of the Herald & Review

Brooms on display at national contest Brooms on display at national contest

ARCOLA — A maker of craft brooms for about eight years, it was nothing for Debbie Lutz to decide to travel from her Pennsylvania home to spend part of the weekend at a festival honoring brooms and broom making.

Lutz had one of the dozen entries in the first-ever craft broom contest in conjunction with Arcola’s annual Broom Corn Festival. She said she decided to include the festival as a stop on a trip visiting relatives in different parts of the country.

“I never knew it was going on,” Lutz said while visiting the festival’s broom tent, where the craft brooms were on display. “When I heard about it, I said, ‘We’re going.’ ”

Lutz called her contest entry a “beaver” broom because its decorations included beaver hide and tail along with actual beaver teeth marks on its wooden handle. The entry from her sister, Barb Barrett of Lockhaven, Pa., had a real turkey foot for its handle.

It’s not usual for craft broom makers to use anything they can think of to develop a broom design, Lutz said.

“My husband’s a trapper,” she said. “He comes up with ideas. I come up with ideas.”

The contest drew entries from five states, and Lutz said there’s a bit of a confederation among the makers. She said she knows Shawn Hoefer, the Mountain View, Ark., broom maker who had the contest’s winning entry, because he helps organize a craft contest that she’s attended twice.

Arcola’s Monahan Partners Co. sponsored the contest, which also had entries from Indiana, Missouri and Illinois, including one from Louis Turner of Arcola. During the festival, contest organizer Pat Monahan praised the entries for their “great craftsmanship” and said craft broom making is “kind of a lost art.”

“There are about 100 craft broom makers across the country, so I hope we get more entries” in future contests, he said.

He noted that Hoefer’s contest-winning broom had a lot of detail but “still sweeps.” The broom featured an elaborate handle design and twisted strands of colored broom corn around the base. The first-place award included a $600 prize.

Second place and $300 in the contest went to a hearth broom by Brian Newton of Boogstown, Ind., while third and $100 went to a cobweb broom by Randy Martz of Claypool, Ind. Entries by John Paul Warren of Gilbertsville, Pa., and Dalinda Smith of Reeds Springs, Mo., received honorable mention.

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Mack Howington

Mack Howington passed away on Sept. 1, 2012. Born Oct. 10, 1925, to H. H. and Leonie Brock Howington, Mack was a lifelong citizen of Lepanto, Ark. He was a devoted husband to his beloved wife of 66 years, Hervey Lee Wallace Howington, who preceded him in death, and a loving father and grandfather. Survived by one brother, H.H. Howington Jr. (Lake Providence, La.), sons Harvey (Lepanto), Edward (Little Rock), and Lee (Phoenix, Ariz.) and grandchildren, Claire Howington, Andrew Howington, and Devin Howington. A graduate of Gulf Coast Military Academy, Mack attended the University of Arkansas, studying engineering and served as president of Sigma Nu fraternity, until joining the army in 1944. He was posted in Norfolk, Va. during WWII where he was in the Army Specialized Training Program, a selective program to train professionals. He and Hervey married during that year. After WWII, the couple returned to Lepanto to raise a family. Here, Mack started a successful farming business with his younger brother Jamie. Mack was among the first to use new irrigation, tillage, and chemical farming techniques. His interest in new methods continued until his retirement in 1984. Mack had many interests and hobbies. With Hervey, he was avid bird watcher and member of the Audubon Society. He was a talented amateur autoharp musician, playing with the Rackensack Society and the Mountain View community of folk musicians. They both enjoyed many cherished friendships in these pursuits. He and Hervey were steadfast friends with many local families, and were founding members of a supper club meeting monthly for over 50 years. A member of The Arkansas Craft Guild after his retirement, he enjoyed fine woodworking and sold his heirloom quality work at the War Eagle Craft Fair, the Pink Palace Craft Fair, and the Christmas Craft Fair in Little Rock. He possessed an inquisitive mind and was an avid reader, particularly of history. Mack embodied the ideals of citizenry. He loved his hometown and throughout his life was active in the community—from playing sandlot ball as a child to his many public services. These activities included teaching Sunday school at the Lepanto United Methodist church, building bleachers at the school football field, serving on the Lepanto School Board and the Quorum Court. Mack also served as a member of the Arkansas Territorial Restoration Board, and was active with the Lepanto Museum and the Farm Bureau. A solid Republican, he campaigned for many candidates through the years. He knew the state well, and could name every county seat and had many friends throughout the state. He will be remembered for his wit, loyalty, love of his family and friends, devotion to his wife, and service to his school, town, county and state. He leaves behind a loving family, many friends, and a legacy of service. Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2, at Murphy Funeral Home in Lepanto and services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Lepanto United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Arkansas Audubon Society or The Salvation Army.

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Local and regional artists to exhibit

The Ozarks Regional Arts Council will host the exhibit “Arkansas Craft Guild and Invited Guest Artists,” which will include local ACG artisans and those from surrounding counties and their invited guest artists, who also represent the area and region.

The exhibit will be held in the ORAC Conference/Exhibit Room, located on the 2nd floor of the Vada Sheid Community DevelopmentCenter on the Arkansas State University Mountain Home Campus, beginning Wednesday, August 15 through September 7, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A reception for the artists will be held opening day, Wednesday, August 15, from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Ozark Regional Arts Council was formed over a decade ago to promote the arts and art education in the Twin Lakes Region. The month-long exhibits at the VSCDC are part of the organization’s primary goal. There is no admission fee to the exhibits. Charitable donations for viewing the exhibits assist ORAC in furthering its goals

Seventeen artists will come together in one location to exhibit the finest of their original creations; Daniel Adams, Beau Anderson, Linda Armstrong, Cynthia Cox, fiber, Duane Hada, Sage Holland, Tom Holland, Robert Patrick, Mary Patrick, Joellen “JP” Rosenquist, Anni Worster; Liz Gamelin, Deborah Lively, Deborah Mitchell, Michele Noonan, Helen Phillips, and Meggan Worster.

  • Daniel Adams, prints, is a professor in the Department of Art and Design at Harding University and teaches printmaking, graphic design, art history and visual aesthetic courses;
  • Beau Anderson, flame glass, is a student of all things creative, but pursues the elegant fluid expression of flame worked soft glass sculpture and glass bead making. He has demonstrated flame working arts in Europe and at his home in Stone County, Arkansas;
  • Linda Armstrong, sculptural clay and figurine artist, takes a lifetime of study with master artists in porcelain and stoneware clays and creates heirloom quality porcelain lace draped figurines and sculptural art. Her award winning creations are recognized for their realism of historical era fashion, delicate detail and the combination of soft and bold colors. Armstrong’s work is has been included in juried and non-juried exhibits and graces galleries and private collections.
  • Cynthia Cox, is a self-taught weaver who spends most of her weaving time creating rugs, bound weave hangings and simple clothing. She recently developed a passion for creating clothing which is colorful and texture rich, finding the possibilities endless;
  • Duane Hada, painter and passionate outdoorsman paints from the heart to capture a special time and place in his watercolor and acrylic paintings of what he considers the unique wild and beautiful place that defines who he is and what he paints;
  • Sage and Tom Holland, glass flame art, are influential pioneers to the new wave of bead making. The results of their endeavors into the ancient craft of winding molten glass onto a rod that is then released, produces beautiful perforated wearable jewelry. The couple have provided class instruction in the art across the United States, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Canada and they both teach at the Ozark Folk Center and the Arkansas Craft School in Mountain View;
  • Robert Patrick, blacksmith, and Mary Patrick, fiber and mosaic glass artist combine their talents in many unique pieces using Bob’s blacksmithing and Mary’s basket artistry to create original baskets, or his abilities in hand forged metal combined with her mosaics for beautiful art work and accessories for the home;
  • Joellen “JP” Rosenquist, silversmith, has been a serious student of the arts most of her life. She began her apprenticeship with a Navajo silversmith in New Mexico in 1975, and has been designing and making original silver jewelry since;
  • Anni Worster, clay artist, creates free-form sculptures and functional art pottery. A deep appreciation of the beauty in nature is reflected in the permanent visuals she creates in clay. Her artistic style is recognized for its influence of Renaissance, romance, realism, fantasy and bold color combinations and contrast;
  • Liz Gamelin, potter, creates both wheel-thrown and hand-built pottery and expresses her love of nature and gives her work an organic “feel” in both her functional and sculptural pieces. Inspired by nature, the artist adds embellishments to reflect that inspiration in her creations;
  • Deborah Lively, painter, photographer, illustrator and author. Her work has received numerous prestigious awards and is included in private and corporate collections throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and South America.The Donald W. Reynolds Library in Mountain Home purchased two of Lively’s pastels for its permanent collection.
  • Deborah Mitchell, ceramist, is a sculptor working predominantly in high fired stoneware. Mixed media components, such as metal, glass and found and manufactured objects, are often included in her Warrior and Shields series. Her works give emphasis on clay’s inherent properties and is considered the primary motivator for discovering the expressive form within the raw material;
  • Michele Noonan, fiber artist, creates unique, functional fiber and mixed media art, such as intricately pieced wall art, handbags and totes, many incorporated with beads, lace and other materials that add to the item’s beauty. Her work is heavily influenced by her mother, who was raised in Puerto Rico and grew up in a culture where women were taught to sew by hand;
  • Helen Phillips, professional potter and clay sculptor, has devoted her life to art, working in clay for over 50 years, and teaching ceramics at many different places including the University of Arkansas. She has worked with potters in Asia and Africa, and now resides in Arkansas where she can indulge in her love of nature, which greatly influences her art;
  • Meggan Worster, photographer, uses her natural talent to give a unique perspective and artistic expression to a wide variety of subjects, including people, animals and landscapes. She applies her skills to three-dimensional art and jewelry photography for artists’ portfolios. Her award winning photographs grace galleries and private collections, and have been included in juried and non-juried exhibits.

For more information about the upcoming and past exhibits or the Ozark Regional Arts Council, visit its website at ozarkregionalartscouncil.com. For more information about the Guild visit the website at www.arkansascraftguild.org, and FB page Arkansas Craft Guild Membership.

Submitted by Anni Worster <aworster@yahoo.com>

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NEW MARKETING OPPORTUNITY IN LITTLE ROCK

Bernice Garden Art Market
ATTN: Liz Sanders
1004 Scott St. #4
Little Rock AR 72202

The Bernice Garden on Daisy Bates and Main St (www.thebernicegarden.org/) is seeking Arkansas artists, musicians, performers, crafters, food and produce vendors, and community groups to participate in 2nd Friday Art Night from 5-8pm. Visitors to 2nd Friday Art Night and the Bernice Garden Art Market will enjoy a variety of work all from Arkansas artists in downtown Little Rock’s most beautiful urban garden. This outdoor market is open to the public and features art, crafts, jewelry, pottery and apparel as well as performances by local musicians, actors and folklorists, locally-grown produce and food vendors, and information and donation booths by community groups.

Parking also is free and on-site for both events, and restrooms – including one that is handicapped-accessible – is available for visitor

The Market will start in April. Please let me know ASAP if you would like to be involved. You may mail the Application to the above address or email the app to this email address. Please DO NOT send any money. All Booth Fees will be taken on the day of the market each month. Cash or Check is accepted.

If you are interested in being a vendor, you simply need to fill out the form attached, email it to bernicegarden@gmail.com and pay $10 fee the night of. You will need to provide your own set up. Electricity can be provided but you will need to bring your own extension cord.

The Bernice Garden will promote the art market every month and the trolley will be stopping by to take people to other locations that are participating in 2nd Friday Art Night. If you have participated in the holiday winter market, you know that people will be coming out for this and you can expect 30-40 people. You will need to handle your payments/cash yourself.

The upcoming 2nd Friday Art Nights are:

  • Friday, April 13 5-8PM
  • Friday, May 11 5-8PM
  • Friday, June 8 5-8PM
  • Friday, July 13, 5-8PM
  • Friday, August 10, 5-8PM

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Tribute art exhibit hosted by ORAC

The Ozark Regional Arts Council, an organization promoting cultural arts and art education, will host the art exhibit “A Warrior’s Heart”- A Tribute to Women, at the Vada Sheid Community Development Center, as the first in the organization’s season of fine art exhibits, according to Jean Falk, an ORAC director and spokesperson.

AWH Fight Like a Girl “Fight Like a Girl,” one of 13 vessels by Anni Worster, clay artist, included in the art exhibit “A Warrior’s Heart”- A Tribute to Women, along with portraits by Meggan Worster, photographer, and porcelain figurines by Linda Armstrong, master lace drape artist, being hosted by the Ozark Regional Arts Council in the Vada Sheid Community Development Center in Mountain Home.

The non-sale exhibit will open March 13, and run through April 14, in the ORAC Conference Room located on the second floor of the VSCDC, a cultural arts center located on the Arkansas State University Mountain Home Campus. A reception to meet the artists is scheduled for Thursday, March 15, from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Charitable donations for viewing the exhibit, as well as all the monthly exhibits, will be used to promote the cultural arts at the Sheid Center, located at 1600 South College Street, in Mountain Home.

“A Warrior’s Heart”- A Tribute to Women, was conceived by Anni Worster, clay artist, and created by the artist, Meggan Worster, photographer and Linda Armstrong, master porcelain lace drape artist. The exhibit will include original stoneware and porcelain vessels, portraits and porcelain lace-draped figurines.

Anni Worster, a member of the Palette Art League, the Arkansas Craft Guild and ORAC, said the idea came about after her mother passed away in 2007. “I wanted to create an art piece as a tribute to mother and something that I felt depicted her life and battle against breast cancer, and that first piece became a vessel, or vase, titled “A Warrior’s Heart- Fight Like A Girl.” The artist stated, “Figuratively speaking, we are each born a ‘vessel,’ and we each wear an outer protective shield or ‘armor.’”

MNW Kailee “Kailee,” a portrait by Meggan Worster, photographer, included in the art exhibit “A Warrior’s Heart”- A Tribute to Women, being hosted at the Vada Sheid Community Development Center by the Ozark Regional Arts Council.

Worster, a member of the Palette Art League and Arkansas Craft Guild, explained that she was amazed at her mother’s inner strength as she fought for survival, and it was through her mother that she realized the strength of all women. “We’ve all heard the saying, by one male to another, ‘You fight like a girl,’ and while it may be true that women are the physically weaker of the sexes, we possess an indomitable spirit and insurmountable inner strength and courage to accept life’s challenges and overcome hardships, adversity and heartbreaks, fighting like a girl, with faith, love, hope, charity, grace, determination and a warrior’s heart. This exhibit pays tribute to all women. I believe every female who visits the exhibit will “see” herself in more than one of the tribute pieces.

Meggan Worster, award winning photographer and member of the Palette Art League, lends her unique perspective and artistic expression to the exhibit in very special portraits depicting the outwardly softer and feminine side of the females of our society at different ages and how inner beauty shines outward.

LA Maria-front “Maria,” an original porcelain figurine by Linda Armstrong, master lace-drape artist, in the art exhibit “A Warrior’s Heart”- A Tribute to Women, hosted by the Ozark Regional Arts Council at the Vada Sheid Community Development Center, in Mountain Home.

Linda Armstrong, master lace drape artist and member of the Palette Art League, the Arkansas Craft Guild and ORAC, contributes another unique aspect to the tribute exhibit with her intricate porcelain lace-draped figurines. Armstrong also depicts the outward femininity of women and girls in her original heirloom-quality figurines, comparing the delicate porcelain clay to the fragility and beauty of women, but inwardly strong of heart.
The figurines are the result of the artist’s years of refining the ancient, specialized art form of porcelain lace draping, also known as Dresden Draping, and extensive studies of period fashion and fashion design

Falk stated 2011 marked the first year for the ORAC monthly exhibits and included works by solo artists Bonnie Heeman, Cindy Davis and Sidney Nesbit, as well as group exhibits by art organizations such as the Arkansas Craft Guild, the Area Art Club and the Bull Shoals Art Club. Upcoming exhibits scheduled at the center include pastel artists of Hill Country Gallery, beginning April 17th, and the en plein aire paintings by White River Artists opening in May, followed by water color artists in June.

According to Falk, the Ozark Regional Arts Council was formed 12 years ago, initially as Friends of the Cultural Arts, with its primary goal to promote cultural arts and art education for all ages in the Twin Lakes region, featuring artists within an 80-mile radius of Mountain Home. The group worked diligently over the next decade, hosting fund raising events, such as galas, plays and silent auctions, which met with overwhelming public support, to meet a $100,000 commitment to the Vada Sheid Community Development Center, forming an alliance with ASUMH, to provide a venue for the arts and artisans in the Ozark Regional Arts Council Conference Room.

Located at 1600 South College Street, Mountain Home, the VSCDC, a 65,000 square feet facility, houses the ORAC Conference Room, along with others, a library, auditorium, great hall, and an interactive trout education exhibit. The arts council, in conjunction with the Don W. Reynolds Library Summer Classes, sponsors art classes.

ORAC Officers and Board of Directors Brenda Allen, Lucinda Blair, John Redding, Deborah Lively, Eileen Preston, Carol Abel, Don Blair, Sandy Barksdale, Dana Johnson, Jeannie Roth, Dorothy Anderson, Rhoda Doerr and Jean Falk invite everyone to view “A Warrior’s Heart” and meet the artists at the Vada Sheid Community Development Center. Admission is free. Charitable donations for viewing may be made at the exhibit site or mailed to Ozark Regional Arts Council, 205 North College Street, Mountain Home, Arkansas, 72653.

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Arkansas broom maker reaches out by inviting folks over

This is the third year Shawn Hoefer, broom maker at the Ozark Folk Center, has put

Brooms on Display Brooms on Display

together a convention of broom makers. Between the last two SweepIn events, more than 50 broom makers from all across the United States and Canada have converged on the Ozark Folk Center to teach, demonstrate, show and sell brooms that go far beyond the basic tool and enter into the realm of art.

“I wanted to learn new styles and I couldn’t travel as much as I would like,” says Shawn, “so I created this event and invited them to come and see me. It’s been a huge success.”

Additional information including rates and registration for this open-to-the-public event can be found at www.sweep-in.com

 

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Arkansas Craft Guild & Gallery 50th Anniversary

Arkansas Craft Gallery Display Arkansas Craft Gallery Display

The Arkansas Craft Guild celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012, making it one of the oldest craft guilds in the mid-South. The gallery features the traditional and contemporary art and fine crafts of juried Guild members from across the state. The Guild also sponsors a Christmas Showcase the first weekend in December at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. The gallery is located at 104 E. Main St. Call 870-269-4120, email arkcrafguild@mvtel.net, or visit www.arkansascraftguild.org for more information.

View the original article on arkansas.com

 

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