They’re back! Local artists Rhonda Hicks, Janice Hughes, Julie Waschka and Virginia Williamson return to the galleries for a group show in April. Their first collaboration was between Hicks and Waschka in 1986. Since then, they have had six exhibitions as a group. This time they invited Melanie Pyron to join them. Works include steel, clay and found object sculpture, collage, and paintings in a wide variety of media.
Rhonda Hicks • Acrylic Paintings
Rhonda Hicks is the owner of Backwoods Art and Frame in El Dorado and has been a member of the SAAC for more than 30 years. A nationally recognized artist, she has received a number of awards. Hicks said, “When I started my career as an artist, my children were young and I created art for them. For this show, I have gone back to my roots as an artist – not my usual subject matter. I hope they make you smile.
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Janice Hughes • Sculpture and Drawings
Janice Hughes uses art to help herself evolve, as well as a formula for handling stress, joy, and even those in-between gray states. She said, “The theme ‘Degrees of Containment’ means different things to each of us. For me, the focus is the degree to which I handle my own circumstances, conducting a search for simplicity while battling my habitual nature to complicate life."
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Melanie Pyron• Mixed Media
An El Dorado native, Pyron has lived, studied drawing and painting, and traveled throughout Europe and Latin America. Her artwork is influenced by her Bedouin lifestyle. Pyron said, “We each have our own set of mental images and little ideas that represent the mystical and our creator. Working on a painting becomes a ritual of celebrating life and the opportunity to seek truths with heaven.”
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Julie Waschka • Collage
Julie Waschka is essentially a self-taught artist who has also studied under several well-known artists. She is primarily a collage artist. She said, “Many of my pieces are often whimsical and I believe that art should be fun for everyone. For me, it is fun just to do the work, to make art, to take a little vacation from life. I hope that others viewing my work will find enjoyment and inspiration, if only for a moment.
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Virginia Williamson • Watermedia Paintings
Virginia Williamson teaches ceramics and Introduction to Art at El Dorado High School. Even though she is able to work in any media, she prefers watermedia. Williamson said, “Art has always been a part of my life. I remember drawing on the white pages in the front of my father’s books. People have always been my subject in some form or other. I am an artist because I have to be to be complete.
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FOR LESSON PLANS – Go to www.dickblick.com and search acrylic lesson plans, mixed media lesson plans, collage lesson plans or watermedia lesson plans.