Three artists of varying styles will share different interpretations of nature in exhibits opening this week at the Community Arts Center in Danville. Mixed media works, impressionist-style paintings and digitally altered photographs will be on view free of charge from Wednesday, Aug. 6, through Saturday, Sept. 27, at the corner of 4th and Main in downtown Danville.
A public artists reception will be held Thursday, Aug. 7, at 6 p.m.
The Arts Center’s largest exhibit space, the Grand Hall, will be home to Marco Logsdon’s exhibit of mixed media pieces entitled “Weathered and Reclaimed.” Logsdon was born in Seville, Spain, and grew up in Arkansas. He has called the Bluegrass home since attending Asbury College in the 1980s.
”I have always had a studio and my desire to create art is a necessary part of my existence,” says Logsdon. “The process keeps me from feeling lost. I have shown in galleries across the U.S. and have kept active in the Chicago gallery I set up while living there for a year. I have always either held a job or have worked on non-art projects to create a balance. My hope is that this balance and some craftsmanship are evident in my work.”
Many of his works are landscapes on reclaimed wood.
“The main objective of my current work is to create awareness of the amount of wood and other materials that are destined for the landfill unless someone breaks the cycle and finds a way to put it to use,” he says. “I have been playing with a planetary landscape idea for several years, which I refer to as Tar Landscapes.”
In the Farmers Gallery on the Arts Center’s second floor, impressionist paintings by Donna Forgacs are on exhibit in “My Year with Monet: Paintings Inspired by the Impressionist Master.”
Like Monet, many of Forgacs’ paintings are a reflection of her appreciation for the beauty of nature. The inspiration for this particular exhibit was a 2013 mini-calendar full of works by Monet. She would look at the paintings featured each month and search her photo files for something similar.
“I think landscape painting and beautiful art will always be relevant. It records not only the beauty of nature, but also our history – cultures and peoples over time,” says Forgacs. “It is and can become historical documents, as has been evidenced in the past.”
Her many visits to France over the past 20 years have no doubt influenced her artistic works as well.
“It is like going home, no matter which part of the country we visit. My mother loved all things France also – furniture, paintings, books, fabrics. Maybe that is partially also why it seems ‘familiar’ to me … France surrounds me, is a part of who I am and what is created no matter what comes out onto the canvas here in Danville, Kentucky.”
The third artist on exhibit this month, Geri Trinler, is also a lover of nature and travel. Her exhibit, “Here, There and Everywhere,” is a gathering of photographs and digital art upstairs in the Lockhart Gallery.
This is Trinler’s first exhibit. She has been drawing and painting most of her life, and has been interested in photography since grade school. After many years working in publishing and computer graphics, she has recently realized that technological advancements have given her new, unlimited possibilities to express her creativity. She now works with computers to bring these components and skills together.
“Now, with the wonderful computer programs available to photographers, I can take my photography to a whole new level and let my imagination soar,” she says. “My exhibit ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ is composed of photographs showing the places I love and my creativity in altering some of them to look like paintings.”
These exhibits are free and open to the public Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many of the artworks on display will be for sale.
The public is also invited to a free artists reception Thursday, Aug. 7, at 6 p.m. This is an opportunity to be among the first to view these exhibits with friends and family, while also meeting the artists and enjoying light refreshments.
To learn more about these exhibits and upcoming events at the Arts Center, visit communityartscenter. News and updates from the Community Arts Center are also posted regularly on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Vine.
- CAC release