The variety of the artworks is ‘amazing’
In a brand-new art exhibit that’s just opened at Gallery 101 in downtown Henderson, beauty being “in the eye of the beholder” couldn’t hold truer.
That’s because with this exhibit, the artists all had the same material to work with: Six home gardens that were visited on three consecutive Saturdays in May.
But that certainly doesn’t mean their completed works turned out the same.
“It’s amazing. Three artists can sit in the same spot with the same exact viewpoint, but we end of with three completely different paintings,” said Iris Gentry, one of the artists and spokesperson for the project.
In this collaboration between the Garden Club of Henderson and Easel Does It artists of Henderson, Owensboro and Evansville that was taken on in celebration of the garden club’s centennial year, the public was also invited to tour the six gardens and watch the artists at work at the plein air painting days.
It was an opportunity to both experience the beauty of local outdoor spaces and look over the artists’ shoulders to see their creations come to life on the canvas. The tours were “a gift to the community from The Garden Club of Henderson” as they celebrate 100 years as an organization.
The “Gardens of Henderson” exhibit ended up with 19 artists participating and producing more than 60 finished works in a variety of media, though Gentry noted that a majority of them are oils.
She said Marka Kroeger, “the most prominent watercolorist in the group,” loves to “paint big” and has a few larger format works in the show.
“She can paint anywhere and does a beautiful job,” Gentry said.
She also said the organizers of the event weren’t sure what participation to expect.
“It started out with five or six of us, and it just grew and grew,” Gentry said, noting that some artists wanted to go back to the gardens beyond the scheduled garden tours. “We had a lot to work with.”
Popular subject matter included architectural details framed by flora, individuals flower species, a statue and garden bench, a garden fountain, a behind-the-scenes look at a gardener’s work bench, porch sitting areas, butterflies in the garden, picket fence details, river views, close-ups of flower pots, garden furniture and more.
Gentry added that the exhibit is hung with works from each of the six locations grouped together as best as possible so those viewing it can have an even better appreciation for the individual artist’s viewpoint at a shared setting.
The six home gardens painted by the Easel Does It artists were 626 N. Main St. (home of Jeanne Marie and Tom Gadient), 220 Seventh St. (Gadient guest house), 1305 Judson Place (home of Carolyn Dorsey), 401 S. Main St. (home of Mark and Monica Hargis), 800 S. Main St. (home of Annette and John Hudgions) and 816 S. Elm St. (home of Laura and Charles Johnson.)
An opening and meet-the-artists reception is set for 5 p.m. Thursday, July 10, at Gallery 101, 101 N. Water St. The exhibit will remain there through Sept. 26.
