​#GivingTuesday and the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE are two more grand artCentral successes. I stand, applaud and celebrate all those who participate and do their part to support and sustain our small town nonprofit arts center. To all these heroines and heroes I say “Thank you!”

Thank you to all artCentral supporters and friends, heroines and heroes who hit the online “donate” button and made contributions for #GivingTuesday. The success of this Facebook fundraiser goes far to insure the sustainable vitality of artCentral’s work on behalf of art and artists.

Thank you to all seventeen artCentral artists, heroines and heroes who brought their unique creations to fill the galleries and turn Hyde House into a beautifully elegant shopping venue: Linda Brown (Sgraffito clay giftables), Alexandra Burnside (whimsical pillows), April Davis-Brunner (paintings, wind chimes, mugs and coasters), Teri Diggs (garden art), Jerry Ellis (framed prints), Judith Fowler (angel journals and pillows),  Kristin Gerard (jewelry), Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé (prints and cards), Becky Golubski (paintings, mugs and pillows), Brenda Hayes (fiber creations), Helen Kunze (paintings), Koral Martin (porcelain, wood and metal ornaments), Jane McCaulley (glass ornaments), Mary Parks (cutting boards, coasters, small paintings), Marty Ann Petersen (whimsical ornaments), Priscilla Pettie (jewelry) and Dana Reed (Owl and Willow artisan candles).

Thank you to artCentral’s board of directors heroines—Betsy Flanigan (president), Jackie Boyer and Wendi Douglas—the phenomenal Holiday Boutique committee who worked with me for a year to create our splendid Holiday Boutique showcase and enlist the assistance of volunteers.

Especially thank you to hero David Greenwood-Mathé, artCentral’s hardworking and always willing prepitor, who prepared gallery walls, distributed banners and event flags, toted tables and chairs and graciously took care of many, many other tasks that made for smooth and easy set-up, shopping and reset of Hyde House.

Thank you to the all the other cheerful volunteers—those heroines and heroes who gave their time and happy spirits to staff the Boutique: Jane Ballard, Jackie Boyer, Aurelia Burr, Maddie Capps, Teri Diggs, Wendi Douglas, Betsy Flanigan, David Greenwood-Mathé, Jason Shelfer and Jane Van Den Berg. The Holiday Boutique couldn’t happen without you!

Thank you to former board member and heroine Gail White who originally brought to the board table the idea to plant and offer Amaryllis bulbs as a Holiday Boutique fundraiser. Each year the limited edition sale has brought more and more interest and success as Amaryllis have been purchased to be given as gifts and to decorate homes and offices.

A grateful thank you to heroine Wendy Verbeek of Bella Flora Nurseries for providing the space for planting and caring for the Amaryllis during their cultivation. Our Holiday Boutique patrons are carrying away stunning blooming plants that will give vibrant color and great joy all through the holiday season and well beyond.

To the artCentral artist heroines and heroes who have created and donated original 5”x7” creations for the Silent Auction fundraiser, I say “Thank you for graciously sharing your gifts and talents! Namaste." Your beautiful contributions individually and collectively attract patrons who generously support artCentral as they choose your creations to enhance homes and offices locally and far away. Our beloved artCentral is enriched by your artistic giving! You are heroines and heroes, one and all.

What a joy for me to work with and among all the artists of artCentral—those just emerging to find their creative voices; those well-established and continuing to find their ever broader audiences; and those special heroines and heroes who are being recognized for the outstanding artistic achievements of their lifetimes. In my next Art Notes I will celebrate with you the exceptional homegrown artist, Lowell Davis, who has very recently been inducted into the Hall of Carthage Heroes.

To all the heroines and heroes who support the life and work of artCentral I offer my deepest gratitude. You make a difference! I honor you!

​Set for the Tuesday following our traditional Thursday of Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday is a global, once-a-year opportunity to support the organizations and causes you love…like artCentral. Please support artCentral and the artists of our community. Give4ART and artCentral on #Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2019. 

​While the Louvre, the Met, the National Gallery and Crystal Bridges claim deep and broad sources for funding, the sustainability of artCentral as our hometown, non-profit arts center is built on the memberships and donations of our local community—folks just like you. Your generosity makes artCentral possible.
 
Give Give4ART on #Giving Tuesdayand…

Please mark your calendar today for #Giving Tuesday. On December 3 go to artCentral’s Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage) and click on the blue DONATE button. Easily, securely make your donation. When matched by Facebook your donation is worth two times as much!
 
Beginning at 7:00 a.m. CST on #Giving Tuesday, Facebook will match donations on a first-come, first served basis until $7 million are matched.
 
The allotted $7 million dollars sounds like a huge fund, but those dollars will be distributed globally to all eligible nonprofit organizations. There are many, many causes like artCentral hoping to receive a piece of Facebook’s $7 million pie.
 
Set your alarm for 6:50 a.m. Be ready early to click DONATE. Double your money! Your contribution made early in the day, has the best chance of being matched for the benefit of artCentral. Of course you can give later, too.
 
Thank you for every gift you give! Whether you donate $5 or $400, every dollar you give makes a difference, especially when your gift is doubled. Please help artCentral raise our goal of $2,000.00 for Give4ART #Giving Tuesday. With your help $2,000.00 will double into $4,000.00 for the benefit of art and artists!
 
Facebook covers all processing fees, so 100% of all funds donated to artCentral go directly to artCentral’s support.
 
artCentral is a nonprofit organization with the mission to promote, exhibit, teach and foster the appreciation of fine arts in our community. Visit www.artcentralcarthage.org to learn more.
 
Just after #Giving Tuesday artCentral’s green door of hospitality will open for the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE where you can see and enjoy the benefits of being an artCentral supporter of talented artists who offer their creations at Hyde House.
 
December 5th, Thursday, 5-8 p.m.—HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE preview, shopping and SILENT AUCTION launch.
December 6th, Friday evening, 5-8 p.m.—Shopping and SILENT AUCTION bidding times continue.
December 7th, Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.—Morning and afternoon shopping with the SILENT AUCTION bidding concluding at 3:00 p.m.
 
For more information please call (417) 358-4404.

​In this season when we pause to give gratitude I am thankful for art—the beauty of art and the comfort of art; the passion and the inspiration of art; the power and the challenge of art. I am thankful I wake into each new day to enjoy sharing art with my artist husband, David, my arty family, my art-loving friends and the artists and patrons of artCentral.
 
I am thankful art makes my world go round. I live and breathe art. I dream of art. I make art. I celebrate art. I work for my love of art and artists. I am thankful for the privilege of serving as Executive Director-Curator of artCentral, our hometown non-profit arts center.

​I am thankful for artCentral’s rotating exhibitions throughout each year that showcase local, regional and even international art and artists.  I am thankful for artCentral’s seasonal HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE where we all can practice thanksgiving by shopping locally, supporting artists and choosing art for our holiday gift-giving.
 
Please mark your calendar for December 5, 6 and 7 and come to artCentral’s HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE in festively decorated Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth Street. Admission is free for all three days.
 
You’ll find Hyde House full of amazing pocket friendly art created for you by many of our regions most talented artists including Linda Brown (Sgraffito clay giftables), Alexandra Burnside (whimsical pillows), April Davis-Brunner (paintings, wind chimes, mugs and coasters), Teri Diggs (garden art), Jerry Ellis (framed prints), Judith Fowler (angel journals and pillows),  Kristin Gerard (jewelry), Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé (prints and cards), Becky Golubski (paintings, mugs and pillows), Brenda Hayes (fiber creations), Helen Kunze (paintings), Koral Martin (porcelain, wood and medal ornaments), Jane McCaulley (glass ornaments), Mary Parks (cutting boards, coasters, small paintings), Marty Ann Petersen (whimsical ornaments), Priscilla Pettie(jewelry) and Dana Reed (Owl and Willow artisan candles).

When you shop at artCentral’s HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE, you will make a difference in the cultural life of our community by supporting these talented artists.
 
December 5th, Thursday, 5-8 pm—HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE preview, shopping and SILENT AUCTION launch.

December 6th, Friday evening, 5-8 pm—shopping and SILENT AUCTION bidding times continue.

December 7th, Saturday, 10 am-4 pm—morning and afternoon shopping with the SILENT AUCTION bidding concluding at 3:00 pm.
 
Featured again this year, in addition to artCentral artist creations, are artCentral’s signature fundraising, modestly priced Amaryllis in chic, vintage-styled galvanized planters ($25 for a single and $30 for two bulbs). Perfect for your own home, these limited edition beauties, planted to bloom at the peak of the holiday festivities, make lovely gifts for everyone on your list. Reserve several and prepay by calling (417) 358-4404 in advance of the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE.
 
Give yourself the gift of HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE shopping, Amaryllis selecting and SILENT AUCTION bidding all for the love of art and artists!
 
I am thankful as I anticipate your visit during this season of Thanksgiving, celebrating and gifting! 
​

contributors, for all Silent Auction proceeds raised by these artists will go toward artCentral’s work and programming on behalf of art and artists throughout southwest Missouri.

Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity to select fine art and support the arts and artists. Bid (starting as low as $5), purchase and take home one or more of these truly amazing artworks from the hands of artCentral’s awesomely talented artists—our marvelous constellation that includes international art stars, regional luminaries and emerging artists just beginning to twinkle. Each of these artists is shining at their very best through their SILENT AUCTION gems.

Even mega star Andy Thomas is making the time to contribute a SILENT AUCTION treasure. What is he painting this year? I’m eager to discover! Three years ago his donated canvas depicted the passion of a rising up stallion. The next Auction his canvas brought us the image of the jolliest Santa I’ve ever seen. Last year his richly rendered "Owl on a Snowy Day" garnered a stunning take home bid. For each of his small works the bidding has been vigorous, and artCentral has been made sustainably stronger by the dollars Andy brought in to support our work.

Thank you! goes out to all our artCentral artists who are stepping up to make this year’s SILENT AUCTION the best ever. Joplin artist rock stars Andrew Batcheller, Karolee Blanchard, April Davis-Brunner, Jesse McCormick, Connie Miller, Margie Moss, Jo Mueller, Debbie Reed and Linda Teeter and the ever popular Cheryl Church, Jerry Ellis, Sarah Huntley, Tom Jones, Helen Kunze and Lora Waring of Carthage are contributing, as well as newly emerging artCentral members Aurelia Burr, Nancy Dymott and Bonnie Young. Members of artCentral’s board of directors, Jane Ballard and Jason Shelfer, are again signed up to share their talents. JRAC president Emily Rose is adding hers, too. Of course both my husband David and I will have our own small works among the others.

Lora Waring | Debbie Reed | Karolee Blanchard | Jesse McCormic

Bonnie Young | Nancy Dymott | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Math​é

Many more SILENT AUCTION contributing artCentral member artists and friends are still putting the finishing touches on their canvas creations.

This year’s 5x7 SILENT AUCTION onsite bidding begins at Hyde House at 5:00 pm Thursday, December 5th at the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE Preview. Bidding closes at 3:00 pm, Saturday December 7th.
Treat yourself to the ultimate experience in happy holiday shopping for your loved ones, friends, teachers and business associates. Mark your calendars now for December 5, 6 and 7. Admission is free for all three HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE days.

Plan to visit artCentral’s elegant, enchanting historic Hyde House filled with beauty, inspiration and one-of-a-kind 5x7 canvases and pocket-friendly presents.

• December 5th, Thursday, 5-8 pm, is the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE Preview, SILENT AUCTION launch and your first shopping opportunity.
• December 6th, Friday evening, 5-8 pm, your shopping and SILENT AUCTION bidding times continue.
• December 7th, Saturday, 10 am-4 pm, is morning and afternoon shopping with the SILENT AUCTION bidding concluding at 3:00 pm.

Classic cookbooks will be available for $5.00.

Featured again this year, in addition to artCentral artist creations, are artCentral’s signature fundraising Amaryllis as solos and duets in chic, vintage-styled galvanized planters modestly priced ($25 for a single and $30 for two bulbs). Perfect for your own home, these limited edition beauties, planted to bloom at the peak of the holiday festivities, make lovely gifts for everyone on your list and support artCentral’s work on behalf of art and artists in Carthage and beyond. Reserve several and prepay by calling (417) 358-4404 in advance of the HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE.
​
Mark your calendars now for December 5, 6 and 7 and give yourself a delightful HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE time spent shopping, delectable sampling, Amaryllis selecting and SILENT AUCTION bidding all for the love of art and artists!

Those of you who meditate are likely to know the practice of choosing a simple, calming mantra to help you focus and relax as you still and clear your busy mind. Perhaps you like to use a singular object or an image to anchor your wandering attention. My husband, David, finds looking to a gently flickering candle flame leads him into an interior place where thinking is silenced and a sense of well-being expands and prevails.

I invite you to just such a place. Follow the gently twinkling lights to Hyde House on the Hill. There you will find paintings to carry you into lovely dimensions where the beauty of our natural world will beckon you and surround you and center you like a mantra that will settle and comfort even the most restless spirit.

​​Come see Jodie Sutton’s ENCAUSTIC AUTUMN LANDSCAPES. Be settled. Be soothed. Maybe find a gift for yourself or another, then you’ll be ready for the holiday pace that’s picking up already.

In times past—before big box venues and frantic Black Friday online trafficking—holidays seemed distinctive. End-of-summer Labor Day brought back-to-school. Pause. Halloween brought pumpkin cutting and costumed trick-or-treaters meandering through their hoods. Pause. Turkeys decorated classroom bulletin boards and family tables. Pause. Christmas gift shopping got started and a few lights were strung on rooftops; store windows were decorated and the big tree went up on the courthouse lawn; churches around town set up scenes of the Nativity with mangers awaiting the arrival of their babies; bell ringers stood beside kettles on the square; carols were sung and the babies arrived in their mangers along with Santa and his presents; and wrappings were cleared. Pause. New Year’s Eve parties and a welcome day off work. Pause. Winter slowly unwinding into spring.

Today many of us live without pauses, always planning, always looking months ahead with seasons and celebrations constantly bumping into each other and overlapping a lot. Many of our mostly benign environments can get super agitated. About the time Lowe’s finished installing the scary, gigantic Halloween blowups, they started displaying lighted faux Christmas trees just across the aisle. Our very sensitive Australian Shepherd, in training as a therapy puppy and usually a fan of practicing good behavior at puppy-friendly Lowe’s, gets overstimulated now before she ever walks through Lowe’s front door. I’m amazed we all don’t go bonkers. Our world is a fast-forward one. Like living in New York City, you have to jump into the pace lest you get run over or left behind.

artCentral is no exception. In early October David, our artCentral prepitor (art handler), and I carried the Hyde House holiday decorations down from the attic, and Board president Betsy Flanigan and I had the exterior bedecked with greenery and red bows before the wee ghosties and ghoulies paraded down Grand Avenue. When the question arose of setting up the Christmas tree, my dear husband adamantly declared, “Really? Halloween’s not even over!”
​
We have many other preparations to make before setting up the tree. I promise we’ll be finished completing our last tasks and be happily ready to greet you when you come through our vibrant green door for artCentral’s beautiful HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE!

When did I start celebrating the holidays with scarlet Amaryllis? So long ago I can’t remember. I had them in University Park in Dallas and in NYC walkups in Chelsea and Greenwich Village and Carroll Gardens; in my remote wilderness rental beside the Little Buffalo River and as the resident artist/gardener on a large private property on top of Mount Sequoyah in the Ozark Highlands of Fayetteville, Arkansas. I had them in my wee Forest Street Cottage when I first came to Carthage, and now David and I share them in our big, old house we love to call Paradise.

The dramatic beauty of scarlet Amaryllis will fill and brighten any home, modest or grand, with winter radiance and good cheer. I can’t imagine the holidays without them! Thankfully, artCentral’s Holiday Boutique Fundraiser (December 5, 6 and 7, 2019) is again offering robust and stunning scarlet Amaryllis bulbs cultivated to bloom through the holidays. They’re presented this year as solos and duets in chic, vintage-styled galvanized planters modestly priced ($25 for a single and $30 for two bulbs) ready for decorating homes and gift giving for your family and friends and business colleagues, too. You’ll want to purchase several. This year’s edition is limited, so put your order in soon to (417) 358-4404 or artcentral@artcentralcarthage.org. All proceeds are dedicated to artCentral’s work on behalf of the art and artists that enrich the cultural life of Carthage and our neighboring communities.
​
The genus name “Amaryllis” (Αμαρυλλίς) comes from the Greek word “amarysso”—an ancient female name that means “sparkling” or “to sparkle”. Greek mythology tells us that Amaryllis was a shepherdess who loved Alteo, a strong and handsome shepherd. He had a passion for flowers.

Many flowers and plants are believed to be symbolic. Looking into the symbolism of the Amaryllis we learn this flower signifies pastoral poetry. Also the Amaryllis is a flower of determination and exquisite beauty, as well as pride.

During the 18th century, Amaryllis bulbs were labeled as lilies, which may explain some of the common names in use today. The Amaryllis in South Africa is the March lily; this flower in the United Kingdom is the belladonna lily or the Jersey lily; in Italy the Amaryllis is called the Madonna lily. The Portuguese name for the Amaryllis means “St. Joseph’s Staff” in reference to the legend that the staff of St. Joseph burst into bloom as a sign of his selection as the spouse of the Virgin Mary.

Make your festive holidays relaxed and easy. Order your artCentral Amaryllis early. Shop local and stretch your gift budget with unique artist-made selections created by the sixteen featured artists participating in artCentral’s Holiday Boutique. Patronize the 5x7 Silent Auction showcasing the canvas creations of more than four dozen artCentral artists. Support artCentral—our community’s only non-profit Arts Center.
​
Before we begin our seasonal twirl, be sure to pause and give yourself pre-holidays treat! Visit Jodie Sutton’s ENCAUSTIC AUTUMN LANDSCAPES—continuing on view at Hyde House through November 17, 2019. Gallery Hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The display of these 112 stunning paintings made with hot wax is generously underwritten by Sirloin Stockade. For more information call (417) 358-4404.

A few weeks back I was down in the Hyde House basement when this strong nesting impulse first came over me. Anticipating the annual visit of the Trustees who oversee Katherine Hyde’s estate, I was collecting Ms. Hyde’s paintings from their basement storage cabinets and racks. Having promised to create a photographic database for Ms. Hyde’s Trust, I had set aside the day to photograph all of her paintings—those displayed upstairs in Hyde House and the ones held in the miraculously dry basement storage.

​Finishing all the photographing and the database creation, I blissfully proceeded to move up from basement to attic giving Hyde House an extra tidying up here and there, bottom to top to be ready for our special visitors.

The Trustees arrived on a brisk sunny morning. We went through the house and over the campus. All was in serene and perfect order. Our visitors were delighted and pleased to witness once again the tender, loving care artCentral gives to this beautiful foursquare farmhouse artCentral calls home. Buoyant with the success and fun of my happy ordering, I carried home the urge for more “autumn nesting”.

With any domestic flex time available, I have been enthusiastically autumn nesting and creating order in Paradise, the old home I’ve shared with my husband David for the last two years. Finally I’m almost done with sifting through the boxes “temporarily” stored in our sometimes rather damp basement. We’ve transformed our shared office into the sewing room I’ve always dreamed of having. We’ve gathered up all the household supplies (light bulbs, tools, painting accessories, et cetera) that were scattered in random locations, and we’ve set up shelves for all-in-one-place storage. Now we can quickly find what we need without having to search high and low.

And finally, perhaps most satisfying of all, the under cabinet lighting (carried from house to house over the last several years) has been installed in our kitchen by way of our usual modern-couple team-tasking. As David observed during the installation process, our approach is not the old-fashioned, “Leave It to Beaver”, Ward and June Cleaver, 1950’s gender specific, division of labor. We switch roles often. David’s even quipped that maybe he “should have a white apron like June!” Right! And I can give him a strand of pearls to complete his domestic ensemble. Lol.

I’d already assembled most of the tools and the fixtures for the kitchen lighting installation before David arrived home at dinner time. Since he does practically all the cooking and we were both really hungry, for him to cook while I put up the lights made perfect sense. We agreed to work around each other. We did.

First David fetched the exact drill bit I was missing. Then, while I cleared small appliances and sundry items from a big section of the counter surface, David pulled ingredients from the refrigerator and pantry and did his preliminary dinner chopping. As he started stirring up a vegetable medley at the stove, I climbed up and stretched out full length on my back on the cleared countertop. Looking above me and working on the bottom of the overhanging cabinet, I carefully measured, marked and drilled holes and set screws.

Aligning and installing the fixtures went quickly and well. David rang the gong and we sat down to another of his delicious dinners. During his clearing and cleaning up before tea and dessert, I used his heavy duty staple gun to neatly secure the excess wiring under the cabinet and out of sight.

Now we’re no longer doing kitchen counter work in our shadows. As our daylight hours grow shorter, we have lovely pools of soft light to illuminate our meal preparations.

Voilà! Another pleasing nesting project successfully done just as another glorious Maple Leaf parade and celebration have passed, and still I have this urge to nest. What next?​

​​For now I’ll get ready for Jane McCaulley's GLASS ORNAMENTS WORKSHOP on November 2 (there's still room for you!), ​​and I'll spend as much time as possible with Jodie Sutton’s ENCAUSTIC AUTUMN LANDSCAPES—continuing on view at Hyde House through November 17, 2019. Gallery Hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The display of these 112 stunning paintings made with hot wax is generously underwritten by Sirloin Stockade. For more information call (417)358-4404.

​THE BEAUTY OF BITTERSWEET

Along the way as we passed a boundary generously decorated with bittersweet, my father would point out the window and exclaim, “Look! There’s lots over there. Isn’t that beautiful?” Dependably, Mother would chorus, “Let’s stop and cut some to take to the folks!”

We did stop. We stopped and helped ourselves to the abundant bounty free for the harvesting and filled the large basket we carried for collecting the treasure that was to be our yearly offering.

As we arrived at our farmhouse destination, Daddy pulled into the front yard. From under the glowing yellow maple tree he dramatically honked our car horn over and over. Uncle Chester flung open the screen door, waved and crossed over the wrap-around porch. With his burly arms he gathered us up and then our overnight cases. When Aunt Gladys came out wiping her hands on her white apron, Mother presented her with our bittersweet brimming basket.

While Daddy parked by the chicken coup, my brother and I raced to be first at the outhouse. Until my brother was old enough to go to school, I always won, being four years older.

Though we wanted to explore the big hay barn, dinner smells drew us inside and to the dining room. There we found Aunt Gladys expressing her delight as she decorated the dinner table “just so” with our vining strands of festive orange berries. Mother Nature was palpably present blessing the table before we even sat down and Uncle Chester said our grace.

Uncle Chester and Aunt Gladys have passed. Their memory-filled farmhouse is gone—burned to the ground by a lightning strike. Mother and Daddy and my brother are all gone, too.
​
Ah, such bittersweet memories. They return this time each year as our trees color and the air turns brisk and my husband David and I decorate our old home with autumn leaves and strands and wreaths of bittersweet and other autumn berries. Nothing much else is needed except for a scented candle burning in each room, offering up the memories of bittersweet seasons already passed.
​

October is a bittersweet, sad-and-happy month. All the while we are saying our good-byes to the bright sunshine and warmth of the summer just passing, we are celebrating with the pageantry of Maple Leaf as we anticipate the festivities of the holidays—artCentral’s Holiday Boutique and the 5x7 Silent Auction and the splendid, fund-raising Amaryllis waiting to burst into brilliant scarlet blooms.
​
As songster Billy Joel reminds us, “Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes.”

Even an exceptional art exhibition must come to an end with our regretful good-bye, but not quite yet. You still have plenty of time to say “hello” to Jodie Sutton’s ENCAUSTIC AUTUMN LANDSCAPES—112 stunningly awesome paintings made with hot wax—continuing on view at Hyde House through November 17, 2019. Gallery Hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The display of this beautiful collection is generously underwritten by Sirloin Stockade. For more information call (417)358-4404.
​
I send you best wishes for this beautiful bittersweet season.

​When David gets his curiosity all revved up and puts his questions to me, he just won’t give them a rest until he gets sufficient explanations to satisfy his persistent queries. At last he’ll have his answers here

​Encaustics were first created in Greece.

An ancient painting medium with roots running as far back as the fifth century B.C., encaustic, meaning “to burn in or fuse”, was first practiced by the artists of ancient Greece.

As the oldest known pigment binder, encaustic combines molten beeswax with dry pigment and tree resin. Encaustic is completely resistant to the effects of moisture. This main preservation property of encaustic was instrumental for weatherproofing Greek ships. Introducing pigments to the wax brought about the decorating of ships with colorful iconography.

Greeks that settled in Egypt adopted the custom of honoring their dead by painting their portraits. Their encaustic rendering of a deceased, in the prime of life or after death, was placed over the mummy of the person.  The Fayum Portraits are the most well-known of these funerary paintings. They are the only encaustic paintings that survive from ancient times.

Some of the Fayum Portraits dating 3,500 years old are part of the Egyptian collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as in other museum collections around the world. All of these encaustic works are in very good condition considering how old they are. In comparison, most Renaissance paintings are only 500 years old, cracking and in need of extensive restoration work.

​In ancient times, the encaustic fusing process was achieved by putting a flame under metal that heated the painting.

Today the encaustic is a very versatile medium that offers a variety of handling methods.  Once molten, the wax is applied to the surface with a brush or other tools and fused with a heat gun, heated iron or propane torch.  In earlier times, the same fusing process was achieved by putting a flame under metal that heated the entire surface of the painting. Because of the adherent nature of wax, this medium also works well with the application of collage materials.

As a hardening agent, Damar tree resin is added to the molten wax. The resin also acts as a bonding agent as well as a hardening agent for the beeswax. Like in ancient times, this resin is what gives encaustic paintings their rich and glasslike sheen if buffed. Just before guests arrived for Jodie’s Opening Reception, Jodie moved through all the galleries carrying small, soft white cloths and gently buffing each of her paintings—making them at their very best for their evening debut.

Encaustic is best painted onto rigid wood. A variety of other surfaces can also be used. The applied wax can be thick or thin, translucent, clear or opaque or molded. The wax surface can be scraped, carved or etched into. Jodie Sutton uses various techniques and tools, including exacto knives, to achieve the exquisite details and textures in her painting surfaces. Among my favorites of her details are the randomly appearing dark, dashed lines. She makes these using a small pointed-toothed wheel, the very same type of wheel I once used when transferring onto fabric the cutting lines printed on tissue paper dress-making patterns. Virtually any color pigment can be added to the hot wax though consistency and pigment particle size varies. To intensify details, Jodie uses pigment sticks (that come premade from R&F Paints) rubbing the color into the lines and wiping away any excess.

​To view Jodie’s painting process please visit:
https://www.jsuttonstudio.com/?fbclid=IwAR1coDUNqcEI-sFSx46f4meZ3RMuGWmC2fsawyjrxHt9dQPFdYmoyUIucz8.

ENCAUSTICS: When and where did they begin?

With your now knowing the answers, be sure to visit ENCAUSTIC AUTUMN LANDSCAPES which continues on view at Hyde House during weekend hours through November 17, 2019.

    Works of a Wonder Woman on artCentral's Walls         

​My husband, David, artCentral’s prepitor (art handler and installation guru) and I watched with satisfaction. After finishing our day job tasks, for three nights we had worked very late installing Jodie’s art. For hours we moved throughout the galleries, upstairs and down, thoughtfully considering the conversations suggested by these beautiful encaustics. As we placed all of Jodie’s 112 awesomely stunning paintings we kept thinking and talking about how much we’d like to purchase and gift every single one to ourselves and others. Finally, we made our choices for acquiring four of these treasures.

​Jodie’s creations, painted with molten, pigmented wax, (sometimes applied in as many as fifty layers) range from 4”x4” at $35.00 to 30”x40”at $700.00 with a wide variety of sizes, presentations—framed or matted or unframed—and price points in between. Please do come see for yourself this astounding, budget accessible collection of beauty and wonder. Just as we have, you, too, will quite likely fall in love with Jodie's exhibition and find a favorite painting or two to take home.

​I have worked for the same company for ten years and just a year ago started working from home. My job varies from day to day. One day, I could be working on a print brochure and the next I could be working on a web page design for a mobile device.”

“I enjoy my full time job,” this artist tells me, “I get to be creative and work for a company that focuses on helping children and teachers succeed. However after sitting for forty hours in front of a computer each week, painting gives me a much needed break from the technology that I enjoy.”

While fully committed to her family and her forty-hour a week day job, Jodie still manages to carve out studio hours. She stands in that class of exceptional artists I think of and admire as the Wonder Women of the Art World. Somehow they have those special skills that enable them to be fully present to their families and day jobs while they create a significant body of highly accomplished art.

Loving spirits are surely with this young woman! Daily they are giving her the grace to live a complex life with great poise and success. I am grateful to have Jodie’s talented graciousness glowing on the walls of artCentral.

Jodie Sutton’s ENCAUSTIC AUTUMN LANDSCAPES, generously underwritten by Sirloin Stockade, will continue on view through November 17, 2019. The public is invited. Admission is free. Weekend Gallery Hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m., and Sundays, 1:00-5:00 p.m. On October 19th, the Saturday of the Maple Leaf Parade, artCentral will be open by prearranged appointment only. Please call (417)358-4404 to schedule your visit.
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To watch videos of Jodie at work visit https://www.jsuttonstudio.com/….