PHANTOM BALLERINAS, MINDSCAPES, MAGIC With her small trolling motor purring and painting a quivering, undulating trail behind us, “Ma Cherie Amour” slowly makes her way across the water toward the beckoning ramp. The sun is slipping behind the tree line turning our late summer day into a watercolor lakescape, when they come etching their flight, just above the horizon, across the glimmering luster of the dusk’s shimmering sky. “Look,” I whisper. “Aren’t the geese lovely coming home for the night?” Just as the intimate flock of flyers glides their luminescent contrast down before the deep green backdrop of the lush shore- |
We count them. Six white egrets like a snowy dream—like phantom ballerinas fluttering across summer’s ending, making magic, circling, settling, rising, shifting, and settling again into the cluster of tree tops softly calling their goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.
Yes, a very good night as dark descends and we lift “Ma Cherie” into the back of the van and make our winding journey to artCentral at Hyde House where we look up to admire the new gallery railings restored above the porches—startling white against dark green roofs—as lovely as snowy egrets coming home to roost.
Crossing artCentral’s new water green porch we go inside to anticipate the installation of Doug Randall’s “Mindscapes” opening this Friday.
Like our magical evening sighting of six ephemeral egrets, Doug’s landscape and floral paintings are as magical as his life tucked into the Ozark highlands of northwest Arkansas. With carpenter’s tools, Doug builds the sprawling hobbit house, studio and Rocky Creek Art Gallery he shares with his wife, Suzy, and their furry companions. With artist’s brushes, paints and palette, Doug paints the “Mindscapes” that appear behind his eyes—composites of places and experiences that evoke emotion before he brings them forward and gives them life on his canvas where colors compliment and play to create art that’s impressionistic, abstract and traditional, too.
Doug’s an outsider. Known to wear a kilt, he dances to his own drum and choreographs his days to suit his creativity. From a first success in 1993, when he entered a painting in his first juried exhibit, the awards continue to fill Doug’s lengthy, impressive resume including his exhibit at the Off Broadway Gallery in London, England.
With great pleasure artCentral welcomes Doug Randall and his splendid “Mindscapes” to the autumn galleries of our elegant Hyde House. All are invited to the Opening Reception for “Mindscapes”, Friday, 9 September, 6-8 pm.
When you arrive, remember to look up at the gallery railings—as white as egrets in treetops—announcing you are entering a realm of magic.