Leeds Area Visual Artists – Receptions

The Leeds Arts Council will honor the Leeds Area Visual Artists (LAVA) with opening receptions on Saturday, September 9 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and Sunday, September 10 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Leeds Arts Center in downtown Leeds.

The public is invited to meet the artists and enjoy their beautiful and varied works.  Additional art work, prints, cards, and books will be on display in the theater during the receptions. Refreshments will be served.  Admission is free.

Artists participating in the 2017 LAVA show include: Ramey Channell, William Darby, Frank Dawson, Joan Dawson, Cheryl Horncastle, Tina Miller, Gudrun Rominger, Tanna Rose, Grady Sue Saxon, and Linda Stephan.  The exhibit comprises oil, acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media paintings; graphite and pastel drawings; and photographs.

LAVA’s art will be on display through November 3, 2017.

For more information regarding the reception, exhibit, and other Leeds Arts Council events, visit  www.leedsartscouncil.org or call the Leeds Theatre & Arts Center at 205-699-1892.  Gallery hours are Fridays from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and during events.

Bill Barrow Opening Reception – July 31

Bill Barrow is our featured artist in August.  The public is invited to the opening reception on July 31, 2016, 1:30-3:30 pm, to view his delightful artwork.  Admission is free.

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William Franklin Barrow was born October 2, 1936 as Billy, to Robert and LaDelle Barrow in Atlanta, Georgia.  After traveling due to the war and Bob’s profession in the shipyard field, the family moved around until finally settling in Birmingham, Alabama after the war. Bill graduated from Woodlawn High School in 1955, which led him to Auburn University.  After one semester at Auburn, he enlisted in the Navy and spent six years traveling throughout the Pacific.

After his Navy career, Bill returned home and met his future bride on a blind date.  On May 5, 1961 he married Joyce Scogin, to whom he is still happily married.   He returned to college, this time at the University of Alabama, where he graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor’s in Business Management.  He then started his career with the Alabama Power Company, from which he retired in 1990 as the Manager of Inventory Control.  He and Joyce live in Leeds.  They have two daughters, Beth Barrow Dorough and Cathy Barrow Brown, and seven grandchildren.

Bill Barrow was born with a God given talent which he has considered a hobby his entire life.  He enjoys drawing architectural features, still life, and people – especially his grandchildren.  He has volunteered to teach art classes throughout his career, mainly at local churches.

Bill’s medium of choice has always been pencil, which allows him to use shadowing to create depth and texture with precise measure.  He loves being able to use his talent to bring pleasure to his friends and family.

Mr. Barrow’s work will be on exhibit through August 26, 2016.

The Arts Center is located at 8140 Parkway Drive, in downtown Leeds.  The gallery is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and during events.  In case of inclement weather, call the center at 205-699-1892 to confirm opening hours.

Michael S. Ballew: Spirits and Colors

Opening Reception – Sunday, June 5, 2016 – 1:30-3:30 pm

Michael Ballew

Michael S. Ballew is the featured artist in June.  The public is invited to the opening reception on June 5, 2016, 1:30-3:30 pm, to view his beautiful paintings.  Admission is free.

Michael is a self-taught, contemporary folk artist whose main medium of expression is mixed media. His work incorporates the use of various discarded materials (wood, glass, vintage books, rusted tin, etc.) and paint. Influences of his religious upbringing, spiritual nature, and his Native American heritage are evident in much of his work. The result is a unique piece of art that reaches out to the viewer with the “spirits and colors” of the subject.

Michael was raised on a farm in North Alabama. He was exposed to all aspects of nature and was taught an appreciation for what it can offer. Following in the footsteps and teachings of his elders, he learned to appreciate nature, listen to it, and seek guidance from his surroundings. These life lessons and messages are incorporated into his work and are often seen as whimsical and surreal with a visionary art quality.

With an appreciation of life and all it has to offer, he finds it important to share with others through his art. The influence of old southern churches, angels, animal spirits, and nature – as true life forces – continuously add dimension to his work.  Michael views all of these things as carefully placed gifts from God, to be appreciated and cared for.

As an artist, his goal is to create pieces that affect others. In describing this desire and deep-seated purpose in his work, Michael states that it is his sincere wish to bring enjoyment to others through his work. Along the way, however, he wants to take them into a deeper appreciation of the simple things – the things that we often take for granted.  Specifically, the “spirits and colors” around us.

As you view his work, he encourages you to look first for enjoyment… then allow the piece to provoke your imagination… stir emotions… and in the end, experience its true “SPIRITS AND COLORS.

Mr. Ballew’s work will be on exhibit through June 30, 2016.

Michael S. Ballew

The Arts Center is located at 8140 Parkway Drive, in downtown Leeds.
The gallery is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and during events.  In case of inclement weather, call the center at 205-699-1892 to confirm opening hours.