Feasting on Art: An Intern's View on The Devour Reception

By Faith McClain

Ken Nichols, A Picture of My Brain Making Healthy Choices, Acrylic on canvas

Hello! My name is Faith, I am the newest intern at Columbia Art League. I am a senior at the University of Missouri studying art and art history. I had the pleasure of starting my internship the same week of the Devour reception. In fact, it was my first day in the gallery!

On January 19th, after my first full day of intern life at CAL, I stayed to attend the reception of Devour, and I am so glad I did. There was an incredible turnout, despite the frigid temperatures, and everyone seemed so excited to be back for the first show of the year. The energy and atmosphere were so warm and welcoming, with the local artists near to talk about their work, volunteers to answer any logistical questions and the patrons who stimulated great conversations about the exhibit and local art in general.

Willa Campbell, Heavy Syrup, Mixed media

I attended the reception of the deliciously themed exhibit with two of my friends. We started our evening by grabbing a few snacks to kick off our perusing. It was such a surreal experience walking around the gallery where I work, answering all my friends’ questions, and sharing that side of my life with them. I started by explaining the inspiration behind Devour, an exhibit that showcases work influenced by “dishes that are so delectable, so delicious that something ravenous awakens”, and how it coincides with another event, Let Them Eat Art where local chefs create appetizing dishes for guests to enjoy that are inspired by a specific piece of art from the show.

Sofia Heredia, Strawberries in Chocolate, Colored pencils

One of my friends found themselves drawn to Willa Campbell’s Heavy Syrup, a beautiful mixed media piece that centers a peach. My friend talked about the delicacy and femininity she felt in the piece through the pink shades and soft textures, but what truly caught her eye was the glittery drippings of the syrup on the peach. My other friend was more captivated by Strawberries in Chocolate, a photo-realistic, colored pencil drawing by Sofia Heredia. My friend was enamored with the details of the drawing, calling attention to the leaves of the strawberries and the beautiful, marbled chocolate the strawberry appears to be dipped in.

Curtis Hendricks, Lobster Roll Jazz, Photographical digital art

My friends and I had a wonderful time absorbing the art displayed. We took so many photos to remember such a wonderful evening. We were also introduced to several art-minded patrons and artists who loved sharing their art interests and passions with us. Devour was the perfect exhibit to kick off my time at Columbia Art League and I can’t wait for the next!

Devour as Seen by the Intern

Hello! This is Bella the Intern (again) writing about CAL’s food-inspired show, Devour. While this show reminds me of last year’s food-themed exhibit, Nibble, there are definitely differences. The pieces in last year’s show conjured ideas of small bites, snacks, little treats. This year, however, many of the pieces inspire thoughts of entire meals, delicious food that we would try to eat in one bite—if only we could!

Two pieces really caught my eye throughout the show. The first was Pho with Grace by Emma Komoroski. Disclaimer: I am incredibly biased because I absolutely adore pho. But something about the graphic linework and highlights in Komoroski’s piece, along with the bright pink border, really makes this depiction spectacular. 

Pho with Grace by Emma Komoroski

The pho itself isn’t exactly lifelike, but that is entirely intentional: the brushstrokes mix together to mimic the different textures and ingredients that make each bowl of pho different from the next. The artist also included little graphic stars surrounding the head of her friend and her bowl of pho. This adds to the cartoon-like leanings of the painting, making the viewer feel as though they are having a casual lunch with a friend over comforting bowls of noodles.

Another piece that I enjoy is Bone Apple Teeth by Brandy Tieman. I think there is an implication in the word Devour that invokes fear, like the Sarlacc Pit Monster eating up our favorite Star Wars characters. Tieman’s piece here invokes that more disturbing interpretation of the word, which I think is delightfully unique. 

Bone Apple Teeth by Brandy Tieman

The apple comes to life, wrinkly and rotting, with its own teeth and eyes. A hand holds the apple, as though the Evil Queen from Snow White herself were handing it over to the viewer, promising a curse (or worse!) Where Komoroski’s depiction of pho makes the viewer want to jump into the painting and enjoy the meal, Tieman’s piece makes the viewer wonder whether the apple is the devoured or the devourer.

Overall, the show itself is full of exciting pieces that show different interpretations of how food can delight us, bring us together, and sometimes scare us. More than anything, walking through the gallery makes me excited for Let Them Eat Art because some pieces make me want to go home and cook a huge dinner for myself. As my first show since returning to CAL as an intern, it definitely does not disappoint!

Some of my other favorites from the show:

Emily Rodenbaugh, Birthday Cake

Michelle Marcum, Danger Noodle

Willa Campbell, Heavy Syrup

Mzeona Iagorashvili, Pomegranate

Deni Cary Phillips

Visions of Eagle Bluffs

On display in the South Gallery at the Columbia Art League

January 30 - February 24, 2024

Artist Statement

I feel privileged each time I venture into the land called Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area. The collected photographic works entitled "Visions of Eagle Bluffs" was a project that has taken about five years to reach this stage. I am drawn to its painterly countenance and made certain the photos reflected that romanticism. The wetland, famous for becoming one due to the Great Flood of 1993, changes not only with the seasons but with the amount of water it contains at any given point. Sometimes rich with reflections, at others merely mud, it is an ever-changing landscape. But always, there are migratory birds and the American Bald Eagles, who gave their name to the area. Each print is offered here on solid body archival canvas created with pigment inks to last a lifetime. To print this natural area on canvas feels very natural and authentic to the place -- a place where nature reigns supreme. 

Artist Bio

Deni Cary Phillips has had a camera in her hands since childhood. Unable to develop prints in the darkroom, she was thrilled when digital photography gave her creative control of processing. Deni shoots outdoors and the natural environment almost exclusively. Travel photography, landscapes ancient architecture, and intimate landscapes are her favorite subjects. Self-taught for many years, she is also a graduate of The Arcanum, a now-defunct online school where she studied under several well-known photographers, as well as a student of Don Giannatti's commercial photography classes. 

Her work is on permanent display in several local residences and commercial buildings in Columbia Missouri. She is happy to work with clients to create the right-sized photographs from her collection.

Contact Deni through Columbia Art League for more engagement with the "Visions of Eagle Bluffs" collection.

Meet the Mentors - 2024 Mentorship Program

CAL's mentorship program is designed to increase accessibility to meaningful engagement with the arts for underserved populations, specifically High School artists, in the Columbia area community. Selected student artists are paired with a working professional artist mentor in their desired media category, and with their guidance and support, each student is expected to develop a small portfolio of work that reflects their exploration of a concept or theme. We are so excited to see what they can create together!

Reese Betts

Reese Betts is a new media artist and filmmaker who utilizes historical and archival documents, vintage cameras, and untraditional techniques in her work. Her art explores the themes of feminism, activism, and grief, often incorporating interactivity and self-reflection. She has exhibited her work across the state of Missouri. Additionally, her work has been shown two years in a row alongside her peers as a student artist at the Digital Graffiti projection mapping festival in Alys Beach, Florida. She is currently a student at the University of Missouri, pursuing degrees in Film Studies and Digital Storytelling. After graduating, she hopes to further her studies at artist residencies and graduate school and would like to become an art professor one day.

Rayanna Crites

My artwork is an insight to my perspective of the magical energy I believe the universe and natural world radiates. Much of my subject matter is drawn from life on Earth- plants, animals, and people – as well as aspects of nature such as the elements, the changing of seasons, space, and astrology. I like to play around with my artistic process and use a variety of two-dimensional mixed media within my art. I enjoy experimenting with how products layer on top of each other to create different visual effects and texture. Some of my favorite mediums to use are ink, gouache, chalk pastel, colored pencil, and chalk pastel. The artwork I’ve included here is all done in layers of ink wash and colored pencil, with details done in fine liner pen and metallic ink accents.

Bethanie Irons

Dr. Bethanie Irons (she/her) is an artist, curator, and educator living in Columbia, Missouri. She is the program chair and assistant professor of communication design at Stephens College. Irons earned her PhD in art education and MFA in art from the University of Missouri. She also earned a BFA in art from the University of South Dakota.

Shannon Soldner

A figurative painter, Shannon imagines the stories people tell themselves, the personal mythologies created to make sense of the world. Her work seeks to give a glimpse into the fictitious inner worlds of her subjects. Through her narrative paintings, she asks the viewer not only to explore these myths and fables but also to question their own. Shannon, a native of Colorado, was born in 1976. She received her BFA with honors at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2015 with an emphasis in Studio Art. She lives and works in Columbia, Missouri.

Joe Dino

Kylie Williams

Linda Hays

Linda Hays is a painter and photographer based in Columbia, MO.

Jamie Scheppers

Rainbow Waves

On display in the hallway of Central Bank of Boone County in downtown Columbia

January 6 - February 17, 2024

Artist Statement

 "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." - Jon Kabat-Zinn

If recent years have taught us anything, it’s that life never stops sending wave after wave of challenges our way. We have a choice to make: We can develop the resilience needed to learn to manage those waves, or we can complain about them and let them sweep us out to sea where the challenges only multiply.

I’ve chosen to pair the wave motif with a rainbow of colors because to me they represent the joy that is our reward for persevering through dark and stormy times. Again, we have a choice: We can wait to see if we’re lucky enough to spot a rainbow in the sky after a storm, or we can create our own with prisms, carefully placed sprays of water, or intentional curation of our surroundings. 

This show invites the viewer to focus on the good times and recognize the growth that comes with facing our challenges head-on. If we can do those things—face our challenges and follow our joy—we may just find the metaphorical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 

Artist Bio

Jamie Scheppers finds joy in exploring color and texture across multiple mediums. Her paintings are primarily encaustic, though she enjoys exploring other mediums and techniques in hopes of finding new ways to express a sense of carefree and incite curiosity. Though her work may span mediums, she hopes that the playfulness of her bright colors will unite her pieces and help others find ways to be more childlike in their daily lives. 

To say Jamie is self-taught would be a stretch. Though she does not have any formal art training, she has taken a few workshops and online courses and is continually learning from other artists. Her first experience with encaustic was at a one-day workshop taught in 2016 by Elise Rugalo at Orr Street Studios in Columbia, MO. She also has closely followed Alicia Tormey and has honed her skills by following along with her online courses. 

More recently, since encaustic can be a time-consuming and expensive medium to work in, she began making watercolor doodles to scratch the art itch. For Christmas 2020, she decided to turn some of those doodles into necklaces. And thus began her dive into selling watercolor jewelry. 
Now, Jamie splits her time between those two primary mediums, but don’t be surprised if her creative explorations lead her work to evolve into new areas!

Devour

On display in the Betty and Art Robins Group Gallery

January 16 - February 23, 2023

Reception: January 19th, 6 - 8 pm (free and open to the public)

Congratulations to the ribbon winners!

1st Place: Ken Nichols, A Picture of My Brain Making Healthy Choices

2nd Place: Brandy Tieman, Bone Apple Teeth

3rd Place: Emily Rodenbaugh, Birthday Cake

Honorable Mentions

Willa Campbell, Heavy Syrup

Matt Ballou, Pickle Bae

Tom Stauder, Ratatouille Charcuterie

Barry Gainor, The Honeybee

One of our favorite shows of the year is all about food, and this year’s theme (Devour) is inspired by dishes that are so delectable, and so delicious that something ravenous awakens. Think of the best meal you ever had and the unrelenting need to recreate that moment. Now imagine you’ve discovered that sensation again. How can you translate that insatiable desire and implosion of fluorescent flavor into your artwork? Devour coincides with our event, Let Them Eat Art! Local chefs get inspired to create a mouth-watering dish for guests to enjoy based on a specific artwork in this year’s show. 

Devour is a juried show open to all artists 16+ years old, all media welcome.

Linda Helmick

A Legacy of Love

On display in our South Gallery

January 6 - January 27, 2023

Artist Statement

When I was a child, art was my saving grace; as an adult, it is the reason I became and continue to grow as an artist/researcher/teacher. Accordingly, I make work that is autobiographical, exploratory, and based deeply in process while I explore materials and concepts. I see my work as a visual connection between what I am, what my beliefs and curiosities are, where I am going, and how the path I am on intersects with the world around me. I feel deeply connected to place, people, and the complex relationships between them. 

Walking through this experience and creating these paintings was an act of love.  In my visual exploration of Friedl Dicker Brandeis who taught art to children while interred in the Nazi camp of Terezin outside of Prague during World War II, I found love. Brandeis had a love for art and a love for teaching, and she had a love for children that enabled her to defy the confines of the camp.  When I walked where she walked, stood where she stood and taught, and viewed the artwork the children made under those circumstances, it was obvious to me that love was in the room with them. Love was at the heart of their creations. Friedl, through her experience as an artist and art teacher, saw firsthand that meaningful creative artmaking could see them through. Could lift these young people, if only for moments at a time, out of the horrific circumstances they found themselves in. These paintings are the result of my creative exploration of the extraordinary love she gave to this work. If teaching art with love and passion could do that then, it certainly can do that now.

I create art to enhance my human understanding and to find greater ways to contribute to the world as an artist/researcher/teacher through the life I live and the marks I make in creative partnerships with others. My end goal is to create honest work. At times I hope it is also considered beautiful. 

Artist Bio

Linda Helmick (she, her, hers) earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, Art Education at Indiana University and currently works as an Assistant Professor of Art Education at the University of Missouri in Columbia. She is an artist/researcher/teacher who grounds her work in the belief that creative expression is a basic human right that should be accessible to all. She promotes creativity as a powerful force for change, healing, and transformation. Her areas of expertise include critical creative work with underserved populations and building art education/art therapy wellness and self-care curricula to better serve those who have experienced trauma.

Mary Sandbothe

Heritage Unfolded: Gouache Interpretations of Missouri Quilts

On display in the South Gallery at the Columbia Art League

Nov. 28 - Dec. 30

Artist Bio + Statement

Mary Sandbothe is the current Education and Outreach Director at CAL. She has her MFA in Fibers from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She loves to make paper, embroider, collect cardboard tubes, and stay at home with her partner & beloved pets.

In ”Heritage Unfolded”, I have reimagined the treasured quilts of Missouri through the intricate & delicate medium of gouache. These gouache paintings are meticulously rendered on handmade paper, serving as a visual homage to the skilled artisans who crafted the original quilts. My work celebrates the time-honored tradition of quilt-making & the enduring spirit of those who lovingly created them. Each piece in this collection is a testament to the painstaking care and attention that went into the production of these historic quilts. They are not perfect by design, but rather, they intentionally retain an imperfect quality, showcasing the human touch and the inherent beauty found in the handmade. I hope this exhibition not only honors the past but also inspires a deeper appreciation for the craft in today’s modern world.

Kathy Unrath

The Space that Holds Us

On display in the hallway of Central Bank of Boone County

Nov. 8, 2023- Jan. 5, 2024

Artist Statement

I am an A/R/Tographer - an Artist/Researcher/Teacher. As a researcher, I investigated the spaces in which my students formed their artist-teacher identities through stories of their lived experiences. In this new body of artwork, I am considering the spaces that hold me as an artist who is responding to the world around me. Here I am delving into spaces of memory, comfort, legacy, and the meanings and feelings provoked by the idea of home. I excavate layers of materials to reveal and uncover what makes these spaces awaken our senses, hold us, and let us linger in wonderment.

I am a fibers artist and I utilize mixed media techniques/materials/ found objects to produce my work. I do not use Photoshop. In some work, I use personal photographs that are printed on vellum and layered between strata of cold wax and pigments as a means to see through to different dimensions and create new atmospheric conditions. I endeavor to recreate the spaces that hold me by developing evocative objects that hold forms for the memory or moment in time.

Artist Bio

My artistic focus has been to tell stories visually through works created with fibrous materials. I am intrigued by the idea of being able to see through something and hope that the viewer will want to investigate further, in the same way that an archaeologist sifts through the sand and soil for artifacts. My work is about memories, relationships, and our human connection to history and our environment. I am interested in visually investigating the ephemeral qualities of life and humanity, earthly echoes of spirituality through layers of strata. The viewer is invited to look into the work for delicate details. In this way, my scholarly research is interwoven like the warp and weft in the reflective fabric of my professional life. One strand strengthens and supports the other to create the single cloth of an artist, researcher, and teacher - an A/R/Tographer.

Give the Gift of Art 2023

Members’ Winter Show

On display in the Betty and Art Robins Group Gallery

Nov. 14, 2023 - Jan. 4, 2024

Reception: Friday, November 17th, 6 - 8 PM

CAL is proud to be a local non-profit that’s been a part of the mid-Missouri art scene since 1959. Our Members’ Shows are exciting opportunities for CAL Members to display their art, and for our community to get to know our vibrant artist members. This unthemed, Members-only show is always a delight! For this exhibit, we invite our artists to showcase the work they are most proud of, giving you the opportunity to snatch it up as a holiday gift. Members’ shows are not juried, awards will be given out at the reception.

Congratulations to the ribbon winners and a major thank you to our Judge, Kenzie Wells for taking consideration and care when selecting the recipients.

First Place: Ira Papick, Circular Triangle Turntable

Second Place: Cheryl Hardy, Uncertainty

Third Place: Nick Potter, Regarding Prayer

Honorable Mentions

Eonju Jeon, Jack of Hearts

Tyler Pierson, Gaea’s Lament

Kate Verna, End of the World

Joe Dino, Dad Bod

Artists Who Make Artists

On exhibit in the South Gallery at the Columbia Art League

November 9 – November 25

Artists have long made their living doing a myriad of things – teaching, commissions, arts administration, volunteering, gallery exhibits, craft shows, and more. The stereotype of the starving artist typing their opus in a badly lit garret is not an accurate picture of most art makers.

Artists work hard in their communities and on their artwork, but priorities can shift and personal work can often fall by the wayside. To keep your own art practice productive can be a daunting task when keeping all your other plates spinning in the air. We celebrate these particular artists for making the time to bring in their work and tip our hat to all artists who have shared their love of their craft with learners old and young.

There are no starving artists here, just busy people making a life outside a system that often ignores the contributions of art in our society.

Participating artists:

Shannon Soldner, Rayanna Crites, Hope Martin, Sif Fister, Andrew Ludwig, Kelsey Hammond, Jessie Starbuck, Tavia Sanza, Chance Taylor, Allye Grace Grisham, Lydia Clark, Lisa Franko, Kathy Unrath, Ann Mehr, Maggie Adams, Betsy Knabe Roe, Nessi Alexander-Barnes, Ryan Kerensky and Jeri Donoho.

Patrons' Party 2023

On display in the Betty and Art Robins Group Gallery

October 24 - November 10

Preview Party: Monday, October 30, 6 - 8 PM

The 4th Annual Patrons’ Party is part “art auction,” part raffle, all fun, and with a twist. Here’s how it works: our talented community of artists will donate original artworks worth $150 or more. There will be one ticket available for each work of art. On the evening of the Patrons’ Preview Party, ticket holders will have the chance to scout their favorites and make their Top 10 Most Wanted lists. On the night of the event, Patrons will enjoy music and refreshments in the Missouri Theatre lobby.

Here’s how it works:

Artists donated artworks valued at $150+.

Artwork on display at CAL from October 24 - November 10

Preview Art Party: Monday, October 30th, 6-8 PM - live music, food + wine, desserts

Select your artwork via Zoom: November 4th or 5th during your time slot.

The twist: you will be assigned a randomly generated number and you will select your artwork in order of the number you receive.

This fun event celebrates the creativity and generosity of our talented local artists and the enthusiastic patrons who support the arts in Columbia. This is an exciting and important FUNdraiser for CAL!

Tickets are $150 and they include the Preview Art Party + an original one-of-a-kind Artwork!

Kerry Hirth

Between Starshine and Clay

On display in the South Gallery

October 3 - October 28, 2023

Artist Statement

Between Starshine and Clay celebrates the remarkable qualities of bats and their unique place in our daily lives and imagination.  Visual artist Kerry Hirth uses both music and color to create vibrant drawings that promote a deepening understanding of the value of bats.  Weaving the myth and magic of bats into the patterns produced by the instruments we use to track, hear, and see bats, her drawings explore the unfolding mystery of their place in nature, as new and astonishing facts about bats continually surface. They also probe how our connection with bats reveals qualities of our own nature, challenging our dominion over their lives.

Artist Bio

Kerry Hirth is a local artist and member of CAL. Her series of drawings on bats was exhibited at Mammoth Cave National Park to deepen awareness of bat extinction. She shows her work nationally and internationally, and she collaborates with musicians, including live demonstrations, music composition, and programs about the relationship between music, color, and our life experiences. Her work has been shaped by her unique academic background in music performance and philosophy. She creates private, public, and corporate commissioned artworks, including a permanent installation in the atrium of the Bond Life Sciences Center at MU. Learn more about her work and activities on her artist website www.kerryhirth.com.

Ok, Computer

On display in the Betty and Art Robins Group Gallery

September 5 - October 19

Exhibition dates: September 5 - October 19, 2023

Reception: September 8, 6 - 8 pm (free and open to the public)

In a new exciting take on our Interpretations Show, artists selected randomly generated titles for their artwork from an AI (Artificial Intelligence) Artwork Title Generator. Artists will then interpret and transform that title into their own unique artwork. Personalities and the inner workings of artists' minds will be on full display on our gallery walls.

OK, Computer is a juried show open to all artists 16+ years old, all media welcome.

Thank you to juror Matthew Ballou for the careful consideration when curating this show. Scroll to see his juror’s statement.

Congratulations to all ribbon winners!

1st place

Michelle Marcum, Hallucinogenic scene with glowing metamorphosis

Juror’s statement on this piece: Michelle Marcum incorporates natively digital techniques into very physical craft and presentation in this work. Every aspect of the piece is considered and integrated. The strong sense of design, brilliant coherence of color, and beautiful variation of materials come together to demonstrate the quintessential difference between something AI-generated and something human-made: the algorithm couldn’t make this work. Only a human being with experience, knowledge, and intelligence could coordinate it all. That, and the piece feels like a celebration!

2nd place

Lindsay Borges, Pristine Spoils

Juror’s statement on this piece: Lindsay Borges’s sculpture is a simulacrum of McDonald’s nuggets. It forms a humorous tableau focusing on the question of what is real and what is represented. We laugh but also know the golden nuggets in the art might be just about as real as the ones we snag at the drive-thru.

3rd place

Pam Gainor, Singular Maelstrom

Juror’s statement on this piece: Pam Gainor’s work combines painting and collage, and shows her willingness to break out of previous tendencies to explore fresh iconographic and symbolic pathways.

Honorable Mentions

Veronica Runge, The Transcendental Movement

Cynthia McCord, Warped Deceit

Juror Statement

Humans have an insatiable desire for things to appear. We want entertainment, resources, and tools to just be. We want fast food and fast fashion. We don’t want to see “how the sausage is made”. But shepherding ideas, translating experiences, and striving for evocative artifacts require more than style. They must be more than a surface appearance of history, investigation, and investment of time; they must actually involve those things.

People want easily digestible aesthetics. Inexperienced students in the arts often strive to achieve the appearance of style. They want the context of style without paying an investment of hard work. But form is never neutral, and how one arrives at a form is every bit as important as what the form appears to be at first glance. Without a robust background of intentional effort, an artwork can never embody the substance of meaning, only mimic the suggestion of it. 

The issue with AI-generated imagery and words is that they depict only the appearance of the process and the intimation of aesthetic choices. On its own, an AI work lacks the depth those formal qualities indicate. For those qualities to exist there must be genuine human intervention, a true human inflection.

That’s the problem with AI. Not that it exists; it can be a good tool. Instead, the problem is in believing that AI can be an end in itself. AI-generated images and words use billions upon billions of hours of human effort as raw material, then divorce those activities, investigations, and experiments, from their original intent. They produce the appearance of meaning, but without the true power that comes from an aesthetic structure functioning as proof of human life and engagement. AI allows people to instantly achieve something that looks like an artifact of human experience without having to deal with the messy reality that true experience entails. Algorithmically collating styles and subjects already invented by humans is not enough. Subjective human sensation is essential for the kind of communication that art offers. 

Human inventiveness and physical engagement taking precedence over auto-generated words is what I am seeing in this show. I see the subjectivity and touch of the artists coming through. Though inspired by AI-generated titles, these works move beyond the affectation of style and display real investigation. The AI phrases take on specific meanings BECAUSE they have been filtered through a unique human mind. That human aspect is reasserted by the physical reality of the works.

Lina Forrester

On display in Central Bank of Boone County Hallway

August 25 - October 13, 2023

Artist Statement

Hi, my name is Lina, and I like to scribble.

I’m a big advocate for the whole “l’art pour l’art” mentality, or “art for art’s sake.” Creating art simply for the process of creating it, to enjoy the feel of the pen or brush or Apple pencil, brings forth a different kind of honesty I’m not able to express with words. Intuitive art has given me the opportunity to learn more about myself and where I fit in with the rest of the world. For me, each piece comes down to one question: what am I feeling right now? I ask this question to determine what medium to use, what colors, and even what music to listen to while I work. This can lead to a variety of different pieces, each of them a window into who I am as a human being.

Artist Bio

Lina was born in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain, and didn't have permanent roots until her family moved to Missouri when she was three. The karst topography and rich history found in our state appears often as a theme or subject in her work. Aside from art, she enjoys tinkering with old cameras, reading graphic novels, and playing video games. Her home is an often-cluttered hobbit hole, spilling over with art supplies and books, where she lives with her 10-year-old daughter, high-school sweetheart, three cats, and an ornery puppy named Luna.

Dave Walker + Hannah Smith

Interpretations: Dad + Daughter

On display in the South Gallery at the Columbia Art League

August 29 - September 23, 2023

Artist Statement

How might a father and daughter, artists from different generations, living in different communities, and using different mediums co-create a cohesive exhibit that highlights familial commonalities while also honoring distinct and unique artistic styles and choices? Art appreciators are invited to ponder this question as they walk through this exhibit.

Dave Walker and Hannah Smith, father, and daughter artists, have for over a decade been plotting how they might collaborate on an exhibit that would feature their art pieces together in one gallery space. The CAL Interpretations Show, a previous annual exhibit that paired artists and writers and displayed their interpreted works side by side, inspired Dave, a former participant, to consider how a similar show might also work between artists. He shared images with Hannah through email, inviting her to see if there were any pieces that looked similar to hers. They were surprised to find a few that paired nicely but then started to consider how they might push out of their comfort zones to intentionally seek inspiration from each other’s work. They started remotely sharing photos of finished and in-process works that might pair with the other’s work, gathering inspiration and encouragement from each other. They did not seek to replicate the other’s art, but more to capture the essence of each piece whether through size, color, composition, and/or subject.

The first iteration of this show was exhibited at the AC SEMO Gallery in Cape Girardeau, MO in March 2020. The show opened with a lively reception and artist talk and quietly closed within the next few days due to Covid restrictions. The original show featured 40 works, many of which have sold. This show features 18 pieces of art, nine pieces in acrylic and nine in fiber, the original piece hanging on the left and the interpretation piece hanging on the right. Individual pieces are for sale and do not have to be purchased as a set.

Artist Bio

Dave Walker

Dave began his fiber art journey constructing quilt tops and has always felt drawn to the colors, textures, and possibilities of fabric. He felt constricted by patterns designed by others and came up with the idea to use leftover quilting scraps to make landscapes. Over time, the process of cutting up, layering, and piecing fabric scraps evolved into works of art he calls “Fabricscapes”.  

Dave uses a “bond and sew” technique of raw edge machine appliqué, textile painting, and threadwork. Each art piece is completed using free-motion sewing that compliments the design and holds the collage together on a muslin backing.  All pieces are framed and matted for easy hanging and depict a story of travel, a record of time, or an impression from nature, sometimes real, but often pictured in his memory. 

Dave’s “Fabricscapes” have been featured in galleries throughout Missouri and can be found in patrons’ homes from Florida to Alaska. 

Dave is a retired Long Term Care Consultant and Nursing Home Administrator. He has a BSE in Art Education from Northeast Missouri State University (now known as Truman State University). He and his wife Julie have three grown children and reside in Columbia, MO. His work is available for purchase at Art off the Trail in Rocheport, MO; Serendipity Salon and Gallery in Columbia MO and Garriot Porter Art Studio in Fulton, MO.

Hannah Smith 

Currently based in St Louis, MO, Hannah received a BFA in Painting from Webster University in 2011, and an Art Education Certification from the University of Missouri St. Louis in 2014. Her paintings have been in galleries, art fairs, and private collections ever since. 

Hannah enjoys adding vibrant colors and a bit of whimsy to everyday spaces. Nature provides an unending source of inspiration. She starts painting intuitively and abstractly, then works to resolve the image by layering paint and drawing. She appreciates the beauty of flowers and never grows tired of pulling them from abstractions.

Wanting to share her love for creativity with others, in October 2016 Hannah released a coloring book for all ages titled Enchanted Ocean which is available on Amazon, Etsy, and select retailers. 

Joanne Berneche Memorial Exhibit

The Bingham Gallery at the University of Missouri is hosting the Joanne Berneche Memorial Exhibit of over 80 artworks. All sales of Joanne’s work will be handled through the Columbia Art League, where Joanne regularly exhibited her work until her death.

Exhibit Dates: August 28 - September 21

Reception: September 7th, 4:30-6:30

Joanne Zucco Berneche was a force of nature. She usually blew into a room clad in a vintage dress, fabulous costume jewelry, and her strong opinions. She was a Maximalist to beat all Maximalists, in her work, home, and personality. Catherine Armbrust, Kelsey Hammond, and Hannah Reeves—curators of this exhibition—all developed individual relationships with her over the years through their roles as gallery directors in Columbia, MO. When news of Joanne’s death (Feb 2023) reached them, they immediately sprang into action to acquire her work from the estate in order to host an exhibition to lovingly honor her memory. They know she would have given them plenty of feedback on the exhibit–she had a very clear vision of her own mode of presentation and show(wo)manship. But they also know she was aware of their appreciation for her and her work and hope that she would be pleased with the results. 

Joanne was born in 1938 and began creating at a young age. Her work was influenced by ancient sculptures, Renaissance masterpieces, and Modernist European artists. After marrying fellow artist Jerry Berneche in 1958, their work evolved side by side and created a beautiful visual conversation together. The pair were also intense collectors of everything imaginable–Mexican pottery, ornate crosses, glass objects d’art, books, DVDs, holiday decorations, costume jewelry, and more. Joanne loved a good estate sale! Though Joanne’s art materials tended to be limited in scope (acrylic, gouache, tempera, collage), her imaginative use of these media constructed fantastical spaces and eye-bending patterns. Her appropriated collaged images infused the work with comments on beauty, aging, temporality, and permanence.

This exhibition is divided into groupings to make aesthetic, material, and conceptual meaning with a sampling of her immense body of work. Featured first in the gallery are Joanne’s earliest works (beginning at age 14), along with a tribute book of portraits from Joanne’s home made by Kelsey Hammond. The title wall features a few of Joanne’s most recent works that were completed in the year before her death. As the viewer moves through the gallery, they are greeted by a multitude of collages, abstract landscape paintings, “quilt studies”, and more. There are threads of color and pattern similarities that repeat in Joanne’s work throughout the years; within the gallery, viewers can go on a scavenger hunt to find those simple shapes and icons that were important to Joanne’s creative processes. 

Jennifer Wiggs

Paper Frontier

8/1/23 - 8/26/23

Artist Statement

My latest digital work is created from shapes of paper that I photograph on a small stage, and then upload into the computer, where I can draw on them. Working between 2D and 3D has allowed both new ideas and old themes to be re-imagined. This work tends to be either figurative abstraction or purely abstract, exploring shape, line, and color, with an emphasis on spatial cues. The backdrops are my watercolor paintings, which have been a revelation; to see how the drawn or painted elements in them change in a 3D space. It’s a new context for the paintings. The figurative pieces allow me to access storytelling and themes from my youth. The abstract paper shapes suggest figures, allowing intuitive imagination. The language of abstraction is broad and for me, poetic. My artworks are metaphors for myself, for my inner thoughts, and for connections both conscious and unconscious. The process involves discovery of layers of meaning and invention.

Bare

On Display in the Betty and Art Robins Group Gallery at the Columbia Art League

July 25 - August 30

Reception: July 28, 6-8 pm

The tradition of the human figure in art continues to inspire and challenge artists today. Whether abstracted or realistic, we experience the figure in art both visually and physically. This figural show focuses on the unadorned human body, adding to the rich tradition of the nude figure in the history of art.

Congratulations to our ribbon winners!

1st place- Martha Daniels, Time in the Meadow

2nd place- Ken Nichols, Morning

3rd place - Heather Foote, Mother Earth

Honorable Mentions

Adrian Paladi, First Tattoo in Babylon

Robert Friedman, Personal Space

Nancy Katzman, The End

Derek Fox, Ashley

Gladys Swan, In the Moonlight

Juror: Jo Stealey

Juror’s Statement

Since the Renaissance, the Bare human figure has been a popular subject for visual work. Perhaps because the body is so familiar to us. After all, it is ubiquitous to being human. The figure can be portrayed anatomically but it can also be a vehicle to express any emotion. All of them are very familiar: Rigid, stern, formal or contorted; peaceful or angst-filled; bawdy or vulnerable. These approaches and more can be seen in this exhibition. There were more than 110 entries for the show which complicated the selection process since only about 60 works fit into the gallery. As a result, many wonderful works did not make it into the show.

Final selections for the show were based on several criteria: An inventive or unanticipated point of view; emotive qualities that further the ideas in the work; overall quality of design and execution; and appropriate use of materials and craftsmanship for the ideas in the work. 

Thanks to the Art League for hosting another wonderful exhibition. Thanks to all the artists for submitting your work and providing an opportunity to jury this show. I loved becoming familiar with artists I did not know and being surprised by the work of artists that have shown for years. Congratulations to all who submitted work and to those of you in the show. Creativity and making are our lifeline – how we make sense of our lives and our world. Keep making art!

Truck Schachtman

Fairy Garden

On display in Central Bank of Boone County

July 14 - August 25

Artist Statement

Fairy Garden is an exploration of childhood memories spent at my aunt’s house. As photographers, both my mother and aunt provided ample documentation of this time in my life. Looking back, I can barely remember these moments. Gaps forming and splintering across the memories I do have. This sense of soft nostalgia and remembrance are captured within these six canvases. Promising that while the memories we have may fade, they can never truly vanish. 

Artist Bio

Truck Schachtman has been making art forever. No seriously, like as long as they can remember. They are a painting major at Boston University and a Columbia Missouri native. Schachtman primarily works in oil, but also dabbles in gouache, charcoal, and graphite.