Belton Exhibit Features Works by Barbara Ervin and JoAnne Anderson

An exhibit titled Mixing Oil & Water opened at the Belton Center for the Arts on July 24, 2021, and will run through August 27, 2021. It features artwork by Anderson Artists Guild members Barbara Ervin and JoAnne Anderson, along with Cecile Martin, an Upstate watercolorist and printmaker.

Ervin and Anderson were invited to put together a show by the center’s director, Betsy Chapman. “It is a pretty big gallery space, and to cover even two-thirds of the space would be way too much,” said Ervin. “So we asked Cecile to join us. We are all very visually compatible. JoAnne is primarily a watercolorist; Cecile and I do both watercolor and printmaking. Each of us shot for 16 to 20 pieces of art each. The result is a really nice looking show.”

Here are Ervin’s and Anderson’s reflections on their part of the exhibit:

Barbara Ervin

“I have included in the show watercolor illustrations and oil-based block printing inks on paper. The majority of artwork that I did for this show has ‘Nature’ written all over it. I started printing with woodgrains 45 years ago and have branched out to millstones, bugs, plants and feathers. The textures that are found in nature are fascinating, practical and diverse!

“For this show, using a 6x6-inch plate and just black ink, I explored using objects like insect wings, plants and feathers to make prints. Each was unique. Some I hand colored and some I left just black and white. I also had a couple of large pieces of wood that I printed for the show. One was a 3x4-foot piece of Deodar cedar that a tree cutter let me use. It was his ‘worktable’ and has random scars from various projects on it. I named it ‘Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen.’ On counting the rings, the tree was 114 years old when cut down.

“Other oddities of my artwork include prints of alligator hide and armadillo shell that are amazingly beautiful. It has been a great summer for exploration!”

JoAnne Anderson

“The artwork that I have created for this show is primarily flowers. I do have a scattering of figure work in the show too.

“It is said that the artwork an artist creates is a reflection of the personality of the artist. From the simple sunflower to the multilayered iris, flowers are a subject that I never tire of. I am drawn to the endless beauty of the simple yet sophisticated forms and delicate colors in flowers. These colors and forms can also be found in my figure work.

“People, flowers and gardens—life really doesn't get any better than that!”

Ervin and Anderson plan to give a talk on the show and its processes at the Belton Center for the Arts (BCA) on August 17 at 6:00 p.m. For more information about the BCA, visit https://www.beltoncenterforthearts.org/.