The Arts Council will honor the Leeds Area Visual Artists with an opening reception on Sunday, September 8, 2019, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Leeds Arts Center in downtown Leeds. You are cordially invited to meet our talented local artists and enjoy their beautiful and varied works. Additional art work, prints, cards, and books will be on display and available for purchase in the theater during the reception. Admission is free.
Ramey
Channell, a Leeds native, began her love of painting and drawing
early in life, studied art in high school, majored in journalism at Bellarmine
College in Louisville, Ky, and majored in art at UAB. She is a member of the Portrait Society of
America, and Leeds Area Visual Artists (LAVA). Her artwork exhibit includes oil portraits,
multi-media illustrations, still life acrylic paintings, Native American art, wildlife
portraits, and whimsical drawings.
Nancy
Cole lives in Leeds with
her husband Steve and their cats Maxine, Mickey, and Andy. After a career in
education and nineteen years as a United Methodist Clergywoman, she has found
the time to pursue her passion for art. She paints with oils, watercolor,
pastels, and some acrylics. She attends
artists workshops throughout the South led by renowned artists such as Bob
Nulf, Greg Barnes, Pam Padgett, Gina Brown, Paulette Parks, and Alisa Koch.
These workshops and lessons have become invaluable since she is mainly
self-taught.
William
H. Darby began
drawing at an early age. Growing up in New Mexico, he developed
a love for space exploration, nature, and the singular beauty of the
southwest. His initial artistic endeavors centered on dogs, horned toads,
and rockets. Painting primarily
in acrylics, William uses color and brush strokes to illuminate that which is
sometimes unseen. He studied art at the University of South Carolina,
received a B.A. in art from Georgia College, and MLIS from the University of
Alabama. His paintings have been exhibited
at Leeds Arts Center, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, St. Vincent’s East, and Art
on the Lake in Guntersville.
Maura
Davies, a Leeds resident originally from Huntsville, has enjoyed photography
as a hobby for many years, beginning as a teen and taking photography courses
in college. Her photography often highlights her other interests, such as
plants and gardening, nature, and history. Documenting her children’s
activities has led to photographing the band programs at Leeds High School and
Leeds Middle School, and Leeds High School Soccer. She
has exhibited at Leeds Arts Center, St. Vincent’s East, the Genesis Gallery of
the Cahaba Springs Church, and the Trussville Public Library.
Joan
Dawson is a teacher, musician, and writer. She explored art with her fourth-grade students
and helps teachers discover their own artistic abilities. Joan’s association with the Leeds Area Visual
Artists (LAVA) encouraged her to contribute to this exhibit.
Elizabeth Gregory never considered art
as an option until her Mother started painting at retirement. She has taken
classes in watercolor from Becky Wallace of Murphy, North Carolina and Gayle
Jones in Birmingham, AL. “Through classes and learning from others, I
started seeing the interplay of color and shadows I once failed to notice and
beauty that escaped me before. Learning how to make art is a growth
process of becoming more aware…of life. Creativity is really about setting your
inner self free.”
Jonathan
Harris is a local,
self-taught artist whose interest in art started at the age of three and has
yet to reach an end. He enjoys drawing and painting people and trying to
capture life, emotion, and narrative that hopefully finds a relatable
connection with the viewer.
Scott
Harvey, a Leeds resident originally from Florida, has always enjoyed the
outdoors and enjoys illustrating wildlife and nature. His education includes a
bachelor’s degree in Fine Art & Graphic Design from Stetson University;
studies in Film & Literature at Trent University, England; and a Master of
Business Administration & Marketing from UAB. Scott works in acrylics, watercolors, ink, and
graphite to create animal illustrations, pastoral scenes, and layered abstracts.
Cheryl
Horncastle has been interested in all forms of art her entire
life. She took art classes in high
school and college. As a teacher of visually impaired children, she
helped them with art projects and was pleased when they received awards for
their work. Since retirement she has worked in several mediums including
pottery, watercolor, pastels, and mixed media. Her work is in private collections.
Tina Miller, a Leeds resident originally
from Nashville, earned a BFA from Savannah College of Art & Design and
a Master’s in Art Education from the University of Montevallo. She completed an apprenticeship in sculpture
from La Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, Italy. She built a visual arts program for grades
PK-5 for Leeds City Schools and is now building a Theatre Arts program for
grades 6-12. Her paintings, textiles,
and sculptures have been exhibited in Nashville, San Francisco, Savannah, Atlanta,
Tahlequah, Oklahoma; and Citta di Castello and Bologna, Italy.
Gudrun
Rominger is a native of
Heidelberg, Germany. She received her
B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University, studied at the University of
Louisville, Louisville School of Art, the Europaische Kurist Akademie, and
completed a Masters at Georgia Southern.
Both artist and art educator, she has taught at colleges and high
schools in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Brazil, and England. Her work is in private collections throughout
the southeast, west coast, Europe, South Africa, Brazil, and Japan. She works in numerous media, with a focus on
painting.
Tanna Rose has been drawing as long as
she can remember. She took art classes in high school, was in the art club, and
won awards. She received her BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design in
Sarasota, Florida. She has worked for Southern
Living Magazine; Luckie & Company advertising agency; and is presently at
WMU. Her work has been exhibited at
First Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Leeds Arts Center, St. Vincent’s East;
and the juried art show at the Warrior Arts Center, where she was awarded
honorable mention.
Cynthia Schmidt is a
retired teacher from Leeds Elementary School and Banks Christian Academy. Her
favorite art medium is watercolor. She has taken classes with Wayne Spradley.
Cindy loves for her paintings to glow with color and have light from the
creator of all. Her desire is to learn more about other forms of art. She lives
in Moody and has three grandchildren.
Kevin Wheeler, an Odenville resident originally from Connecticut, is an avid photographer. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1995, after serving over 21 years, and from pastoral ministry in 2016. In his youth, Kevin’s passion was drawing and oil painting, copying the masters and doing nature and landscape scenes. In recent years, he’s taken up photography as an art form, still passionate about nature and landscapes. His desire is to capture and share glimpses of God’s glory as revealed in nature. He has photographed in various locations around the world, including England, Ireland, Guatemala, Tanzania, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, New England, New York, Tennessee, the Smokies, and more.
Beverly Wilson is a resident of Moody. After retiring from UAB she became interested in painting. After all, if President George Bush could suddenly begin painting portraits, she thought she might try painting a landscape or a still life. Self-taught, she discovered several educational and fun tutorials on the internet. Each new painting is a learning experience for her, mostly in perseverance and patience, but the rewards are greater than the frustrations. Inspiration for her paintings comes from photos taken while traveling and suggestions from friends. She finds painting to be an enjoyable pastime and looks forward to continuing.
