CELEBRATING THE ARTS
Winners announced for the Hill Country Arts Foundation 2023 Members Show, which runs through September 15.
Third place: Bonnie Woods.
For the past 20 years Bonnie Woods has been exclusively drawing and painting the female figure. In particular, she paints women who are unique in some way.
She imagines them to be edgy, gutsy, glamorous and frequently whimsical. They are bold, brave, sassy women with fascinating lives; women you do not meet every day.
For Bonnie, they are those bewitching women who immediately stand out in a crowd. Whether she draws from her imagination or from live models, she uses gesture, attitude, mood and costumes to create an engaging fantasy for the viewer.
The medium used is primarily watercolor, but gouache, graphite, charcoal, pen, pastel and collage are often incorporated. When paintings lead to a series, it provides her a chance to do further study, or the opportunity to think about her own life.
Bonnie hopes that her paintings give viewers the opportunity to connect emotionally with these women --with fascination, excitement, sympathy, or amusement. To view Bonnie Woods’ work at her Fredericksburg studio, call: 619-296-8576.
Second place: Roger Parsons.
Before Roger Parsons began to paint the landscape, he was a student of math and science. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Air Force Academy, followed by a master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University.
While working at his Air Force job in Albuquerque, he met with a friend to paint the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos.
“I learned I needed to draw better, so I took workshops in portraits and still lifes and then landscape,” Parsons said. “I naturally gravitated to the landscape -- rocks, trees, clouds -- and that’s what I love to paint.”
In 2011 Parsons suffered a stroke, forcing him to pause his flourishing art career. It took nearly a year of rehabilitation but -- with help from his wife, as well as inspiration from his mentor, Arturo Chavez, and advice from painter, Dan Mieduch -- he overcame his limitations and emerged a stronger painter.
He currently finds inspiration in the landscapes of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, bringing to life the canyons, rock formations, cliffs, and valleys.
“I want my work to be mesmerizing. My compositions naturally tend to be meditative, the kind of scenes you can linger in and contemplate. I want strong action and drama in the color in my composition,” he added.
You can view Parsons work at: www.rparsons.fineartstudioonline. com.
First place: Mary Kathryn Collins.
“I have had a lifelong fascination with looking at the physical world with its shapes, lines, textures, and unique patterns,” first-place winner Collins said. “Viewing the world up close helps me to produce my work in an unpredictable and contemporary manner, giving me the opportunity to express myself with paint and found objects.”
Collins received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Sam Houston State University and her master’s degree in painting and drawing from Texas Women’s University. She has received many artistic awards and honors and is a Signature Member of the Southwest Watercolor Society. Her interests in collage and painting stem from the unique combination of materials which define the composition. This approach gives new insight into the creative process producing no boundaries. She paints in oil and acrylics with an emphasis on collage and mixed media.
Duncan- McAshan Visual Arts Center, 120 Point Theater Road, Ingram. For details, call: 830367- 5121, or visit: www. HCAF. com.
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