Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.   Ruby Gustafson, a Nederland student, picked up her mop, dunked it into a pail of black paint and became an artist. She swirled the mop over the large canvas on the floor, the strings creating slurries of black, feathers of gray, and a base of black that allowed the imagination to go to work.

“That was fun,” said Ruby as she tried to figure out what she had created.

What she created is a flow to life, says artist Bob Wing, who was demonstrating his painting at the Art at the Center opening reception last Thursday night. His paintings are large and simple but complex at the same time. As he swished paint on the paper, he talked about his work.

“There is a flow to life,” he said. “One thing leads to the next, one decision leading to another, one choice leading to another choice. My art here is aimed at providing the possibility of sensing ordinary sacredness in each piece. With simple brush strokes, created quickly, in the moment and without much preconceived thought, movement and liveliness is revealed.”

Wing was one of three artists who demonstrated their work at the Thursday opening. Dawn Buckingham taught visitors how to capture the light in a landscape using pastels. Steve Briggs demonstrated his watercolor technique and about 12 people learned how to set down the basic outline, use water spray and cloth to work the density and flow and then slice in the detail. The demonstration nights are always popular and last Thursday was no exception.

While the artists shared their craft, people walked the hallways enjoying the new show and writing down their favorite pieces of work. They also dug into the appetizers and sipped wine.

Awards were presented to the people’s choices once the votes were tallied. First place went to Kathy Banich. Her photographs touched the hearts of those who stopped to take a look, especially the picture of a fox overlooking a valley.

Art at the Center organizer Annie Thayer says, “Kathy’s “Apparition” was by far the favorite piece of art in the show. People commented on her great capture of wildlife, the detail, the crisp and vivid colors along with the beautiful subjects and amazing angles.”

The second place winner went to Wolfy Wolf whose watercolors are imaginative, with intriguing detail stuck into his swirling landscapes.

Third place went to Virginia Unseld and Serene Karplus. Unseld’s lyrical and dramatic rendering of human bodies dancing together are compelling as works of art. Karplus’s study of wild orchids is stunning. Her picture of a spider devouring a bee is captivating. She said she must have taken 100 shots before she captured the life and death moment in nature.

Vera Berv returned to the center with rich, vibrant new work. “Robust and delicious,” said the voters. People also raved about Scott Coan’s scratch board pieces that are “so realistic” and with “amazing detail.”

The whole show is a perfect exhibition for the summer, with its landscapes and wildlife art and the demonstrators might have inspired the arrival of new local artists.

(Originally published in the June 28, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)