Des Moines Women's Club 101st Art Exhibit

I am just thrilled to have 2 of my paintings on display in the historic Hoyt Sherman Place. The original mansion was built in 1877. A few years after Major Sherman passed away, the Des Moines Women's Club made the structure their home. In 1907, an addition was built to house their growing art collection.
Hoyt Sherman Place also houses a 1253 seat theatre which has been restored to its original glory. If you love old buildings, check out their web site. [Hey! Don't snicker about what we call old in Iowa. We're relatively young compared to where some of you readers live.]

The rooster is my painting that I completed last summer. It was accepted in the Iowa State Fair's Fine Art exhibit. While there, it was seen by a representative of the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa, who invited me to exhibit my paintings.

I also took the recently completed bird of paradise. It has always been a character portrait to me and the round form seems like the moon to me, so I titled it "BOP in Moonlight". Hubby was gracious to help me with the framing phase. He makes the most excellent picture wire wraps. I always end up with fraying wire ends that poke holes in my fingers. It's very frustrating because I can wrap jewelry wire very professionally. Hubby also gets credit for the shots with me in them.

You're looking into the gallery from the foyer. On the first picture, the gallery is the far left part of the building. If you were to climb the stairs and enter the building, you would end up a few feet to the left of where I was standing.

This is another shot taken inside the gallery. There are two rooms, so technically, there are two galleries, but they are fully opened to each other for this show. The walls are lined with beautiful art collected by the Des Moines Women's Club over the years. This show is open to artists from Central Iowa. There is a professional and an amateur division. There was a wide array of subjects and styles represented.

My last shot is of these remarkable doors. I LOVE them! They have just the right amount of detail to suit me. Their massive size and the repetition of the arch shape excite me.

This is a short show. Sorry I didn't post sooner. It started last weekend and it will be open through this Sunday, March 8, 2009.

FYI - I have been working on new art, but what I want in my head is not what's been happening on paper. I spent part of the afternoon drawing en plein aire in hopes of capturing what I am going for. Stayed tuned for more...