The North Central Arkansas Art Galleryinvites you to visit and spend time viewing the beautiful new artwork. This is the Art Gallery’s Silver Anniversary. The Art Gallery was formed in 1993 under the coordination of the North Central Arkansas Foundation for the Arts & Education’s Volunteer Executive Director, Charlotte Rierson. It was housed in the Indian Hills Country Club, Fairfield Bay. The Art Gallery moved when the City of Fairfield Bay acquired the Fairfield Bay Conference Center. The first exhibit opening co-in sided with the Grand Opening of the Conference Center, Oct. 12, 2013. The artwork includes paintings, sculpture, pottery, fused glass, stain glass & photography. The Art Gallery is open to all artists & is juried by a selection committee.The people who help make it successful are the following Co-director of the Conference Center- Wilba & BobThompson, Art Gallery Coordinator- Charlotte Rierson and Art Gallery Committee- Bonnie Hookman, Lea Berry, Lee Phillips, Jan Cobb, Alecs Long, Dianne Traylor, and Ellen Kelly. The Art Gallery has a lot of new artist. The word is getting around to artist throughout the state about our beautiful Art Gallery and scenic area. Our community, surrounding areas, and timeshare visitors are learning about the quality of fine art represented in the Art Gallery. We are especially pleased that our young people are being exposed to quality fine art. The NCA Art Gallery hasFine Art by both professional artists as well as new emerging artist. The new exhibit is featuring the following artist’s artwork: Painters- Ellen Kelly, Annette Garner, Sandra Marson, Cathy Wester, Susann Waggoner, Judith Beale, Dianne Traylor, Jan Cobb, Charlotte Rierson, Anna Marie Aparicio, Kathleen Hadley, Joyce Hubbard, Joyce Hartmann, Julie Caswell, Bonnie Hookman, Yun Kim, Joyce Burns, Brenda Berry, Gary Johnson, Faye Rodgers, Diana Shearon, Lea Berry, Jeanne Fry,and Cathy Dudzik ; Photography- One Woman Photography Exhibit: Cathy Wester; 3-Dimensional Artwork- Linda Pledger, Barbara Cornett, Anne Mitchell, Karen Gehl, and Susan Peterson.
Each month we feature an artist to showcase.
The month of May feature Artist is Joyce Burns
Joyce Burns used to be scared to draw anything, but now her artwork hangs in many states and she has sent several works to Germany, France, England and Japan. She is an artist in high demand and an art instructor.
Joyce was living in Bakersfield, California where she grew up when her husband was involved in a truck accident. “Our whole life changed.” He could not work for about two years. The doctor said she needed to find something for her to do for fun and to get her away for a little while.
One day a group of friends took her for a ride. They drove all over town and eventually they stopped at a building and told Joyce to go in and ask for a lady by the name of Marta Nelson, who turned out to be an art teacher. Her friends had purchased all of the paints and brushes that she would need to learn to paint and had it all set up and a chair with her name on it. “No one had ever done anything so wonderful.”
Her first painting was a tiny barn with a fence in front of it and a rooster sitting on the fence that was three times as large as the barn. Now she says it was awful. At the time she thought she had painted a wonderful masterpiece.
She said she learned so many things from that first teacher and still uses much of it in her classes. One of the most important things was that she never gives criticism without pointing out some of the good things in the painting.
Joyce and her husband James and their two sons, James and Tim, moved to Scotland, Arkansas in 1978. It was not easy moving from a large town to a very small and rural town and it was not long until she was bored because she had not found anyone with the same interests. She caned chairs, made baskets, restored old furniture and old picture frames, and she painted pictures.
In 1982, her husband suggested that she invited some people to their home to paint and maybe start a painting club. She invited 7 people and 14 showed up. It grew to 27 by the next meeting. These people were not artists – yet – but they wanted to learn. Joyce had not been painting very long and she was afraid they would soon know as much as she did, but they taught her something each class. One thing Joyce learned from the first session was, “don’t have everyone paint the same thing.” She let each one choose the picture, the medium, and the subject they want to paint. They each learn something about all of the mediums and are not afraid to try new ones. That is how she learned.
She said she was amazed. She gave them a little paint and some brushes and each time she thought “it will not be long until they know everything that I know.” They told everyone they knew and it was not long until she was giving classes. That was 36 years ago. She still loves to see people learn something new and be able to express their own style, not just to follow rules. She said that she had to learn to see before she could get it right.
When Joyce moved to Scotland, the first thing she wanted to paint was the town of Scotland. She used two old photos from 1949 and put them together and made a long painting of the whole town. She chose to paint this one with acrylics. Now, Joyce works in most mediums and she makes prints from most of her paintings that are not commissions. She has painted 8 old historical sites around Van Buren County.
She just finished painting the old rock school building that had to be demolished so Clinton Schools could build the much needed Gym and Auditorium. The prints of this painting will be available soon.
After moving to Arkansas, Joyce has studied under several instructors. She learned portraits from Tom Schmerle and now does many commissions. She has studied under Bob Ross for quick landscapes and Dorothy Dent for more detailed landscapes and buildings. Many workshops of great value and the best experience of all are from all of her many students. Thank you all.
Joyce came here and did not know anyone. Now she can not imagine living any where else. She still loves the area, the many friends and neighbors. She said this is home and she feels that she belongs.
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