Local artists Charlotte Rierson of Fairfield Bay and Joyce Hartmann, Choctaw, each had two paintings juried into the Mid Southern Watercolorists Annual Fall Exhibition to be held Oct. 1-29 at the Southern Arkansas Art Center, El Dorado. A reception will be held Oct. 8 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., where Best of Show Carol Flori, Texarkana, will be presented a $250 check.
Juror Stephen Cefalo was born in Nuremburg, Germany, and is presently an Instructor at the Arkansas Arts Center Museum School in Little Rock. He also conducts independent workshops in drawing and painting at the Cefalo Studio.
Cefalo selected 40 watercolor paintings by 26 artists from Cotter, El Dorado, Clinton, Fairfield Bay, Little Rock, Beebe, Cabot, Texarkana, Hot Springs Village, Sherwood, Jacksonville, Mt. Vernon, Mabelvale, and Atlanta, Texas.
After judging the paintings, Cefalo commented that Rierson’s landscapes had “beautiful color and a magical quality” about them. About Hartmann’s work, both underwater themes, he said he “kept going back” adding that “the manatees were smiling”, and he liked the colors and contrast in the starfish painting.
Rierson and Hartmann are members of the North Central Arkansas Artist League based in Fairfield Bay. Locally, Rierson’s watercolors can be seen at Fairfield Bay Art Gallery and Studio in the Bay Shopping Center. Hartmann presently has exhibits at Indian Rock Village in Fairfield Bay and the Clinton Senior Center.
Mid-Southern Watercolorists is a non-profit organization with approximately 275 members in 17 states. MSW was formed to elevate the stature of watercolor and educate the public to the significance of watercolor as an important creative, permanent painting medium. MSW is dedicated to the highest aesthetic standards and furthers the interest of painters in watercolor by its programs and competitive exhibits, and encourages its study by art students and others engaged in watercolor painting.
