The finalists’ exhibit for the Diamond National Art Competition 2012 is at The Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs from Sept. 7-29, 2012. This exhibit features 40 artworks that judges Thad Flenniken, Jim Larkin, and Gary Simmons selected from the 109 artworks submitted.
Congratulations to the following finalist artists: Anita Bogard, Jan Briggs, Vicki Carlson, Sharon Dumas, John Faginkrantz, Carol Flori, Robert Fogel, Janet Gade-Malone, Tom Hocott, Karlyn Holloway, Mario Kiran, Pat Langewis, Nan Liu, Sayeed 
Mehmood, Nan Merchant, Brenda Morgan, TerrieNewman, Jim Oberst, Cynthia Schanink, Ashley Shellhouse, Todd Sherlock, Gene Sparling, Mary Ann Stafford, Angie Stickels, Dee Trowbridge, Colleen Wagner, Laura Wahl, and Mark Adam Webster.
The Michaelis Best of Show, 2 Merit Awards, and 2 Honorable Mentions will be announced during Gallery Walk on Sept. 7 at 6:30 pm. The Diamond Art Competition awards are given in memory of Ralph (Mike) Michaelis (1917-2003) and are sponsored by the Ralph Michaelis Trust, Cherie Smith, and Marc Michaelis.
Ralph Michaelis was long associated with visual arts in Hot Springs and was an honorary lifetime member and past Board of Director of The Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs. He began to seriously paint as a pupil of a Welsh painter after he retired as a Colonel in the US Air Force. In 1998 he was cited in Carole Katchen’s book, Great Painting Ideas. Michaelis worked to bridge the gap between contemporary and traditional art with statesmanship and a sincere smile.
“I try and create scenes which give me a sense of friendly well-being and a fleeting moment of freedom from all other things and considerations…and hope others will likewise be affected,” he said.
The art installation window at the gallery features Hot Springs Artist Diamonds – Ralph Michaelis and the Diamond National Art Competition 2012 judges Thad Flenniken, Jim Larkin, and Gary Simmons.
Thad Flenniken has taught painting, design, and drawing at NCC for 38 years and creates elaborate multimedia artworks.
“My works are lines (marks), shapes, spaces, colors, and textures spontaneously closed around my images perceived now and woven over impressions from the past,” he said. “They are not things. They simply represent the positive affirmation of being human.”
His artwork is displayed at the Blue Moon Gallery in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Jim Larkin and his wife, Barbara, own and operate Fox Pass Pottery for almost 40 years. Before retiring in 2011 he taught and developed the ceramic program at NPCC. Jim Larkin was awarded the title of Arkansas Living Treasure earlier this year. Larkin describes his style as traditional and enjoys making functional pieces the most.
“People get to know my work through using it, rather than just keeping it on the shelf,” Larkin said. “Customers often tell us how a favorite mug, sometimes bought 25 or 30 years ago, gives them a sense of relaxation and connectedness as they enjoy their ritual of coffee or tea each day.”
Jim and Barbara Larkin will give an artists presentation, Being An Artist in Hot Springs at the 3rd Fridays @ FAC event Sept. 21 at 6:30 pm. They will discuss the changes they have seen through the decades and how they work as a collaborative team.
Gary Simmons, an art professor at Henderson State University, is a nationally recognized pen-and-ink artist who has taught more than 60 workshops on the pen-and-ink medium since 1989. He is the author of The Technical Pen: Techniques for Artists, which some have described as the bible of technical pen artistry. Simmons received the Governor’s Artist Award in 2001. He also works in a variety of other mediums.
“I find that my fascination with the world around me is expressed in my art, because I want to say something about the thoughts that my curiosity has generated,” he said.
His work is displayed at XU Gallery in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
The Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:30 am – 5:00 pm and till 9:00 pm on 1st and 3rd Fridays. More information about the exhibit and other FAC programs can be found on the website – www.hsfac.org, Facebook, or by calling (501) 624-0489.
The Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and its support is provided in part by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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