Donna McGee, June Artist-of-the-Month

What do you Know about Dragonflies? (mixed media on paper)
    The featured artist in June at Ouachita River Art Gallery is artist Donna McGee. The paintings in her exhibit, Vision Manifested, are visions or “landscapes of the mind”, born of McGee’s experiences with nature. Quoting Kahlil Gibran, “Art arises when the secret vision of the artist and the manifestation of nature agree to find new shapes”.

    McGee works both directly and indirectly from nature. According to McGee, “The works in this show began as pure exploration of the medium, for the most part with no objective image in mind. The action of time and energy flow and their effect on nature are inspiration for most of the works. I was trying to express the visible and not visible properties of earth, air and water, but at some point images that directly reference nature do become a part of each work”. This exploratory approach to painting is what McGee enjoys most because to her it is the purest expression of creative insight. It is a way of revealing what is internal rather than depicting what is external. However, she also enjoys plein air painting because it gives her the opportunity to directly interact with nature, changing light and seasons.
    Regardless of the approach, McGee says that she tries to remain focused on the formal aspects of art as a balance for the seductiveness of the media and various processes used to create the image. She loves to explore and experiment and is always seeking new pathways to personal expression.
    Donna McGee has always sought a spiritual connection with nature through gardening, hiking, and travel. She looks to the natural world for entertainment, discovery, adventure and peace. McGee says, “I have wandered forest trails, trod high steep mountain paths, drunk from cold refreshing streams, eaten food cooked in the wild, (that tasted much better there than at home), laughed and groaned with like-minded friends, contemplated the meaning of existence, and found peace for pain of loved ones lost. I have seen the face of God in wild places and am richer for it. Sometimes I have found mystery and darkness, sometimes humor and light. The natural world is complex and sometimes unpredictable, but honest in a way that man is not”.
    Donna McGee is a signature member of the Louisiana Watercolor Society and the Mississippi Watercolor Society. Her oil, watercolor, and mixed media works have been included in numerous regional and national exhibitions. She has taught art at the university level for 20 years and is currently Head of the Department of Art at Grambling State University.
    This exhibition may be seen for the entire month of June at the Ouachita River Art Gallery, 308 Trenton Street, West Monroe, which has been designated part of the Cottonport Historic Cultural District and is sales tax free on purchases of original art. When you shop at your local gallery, you not only help our economy by keeping your money in the area, you also save on taxes and shipping. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Paintings and photographs by gallery members can also be seen at ORAG’s extension gallery located in the lobby of Ouachita Independent Bank/Bankers Mortgage Plaza at 18th and Louisville in Monroe. Call 322-2380 for more information.

Donna McGee, June Artist-of-the-Month

Beyond Me, mixed media on paper.

Anne Eberle, May Artist-of-the-Month

      The Ouachita River Art Gallery's featured Artist-of-the-Month for May is Monroe painter, Anne Eberle. When Anne moved to Monroe one of her first purchases was a book, The Southern Gardener. The rich soil and warmer, wetter climate of the area led to high expectations and a joy in the available beauty in local gardens. Anne feels nature offers a serenity not easily found elsewhere. She says, “I offer homage to beauty that lies all around us.”

      In this exhibit Anne returns to one of her first and lasting loves, the beauty of flowers. A Touch of Floral displays different approaches to painting flowers. Watercolor is Anne's first choice of medium for this endeavor, as she feels it lends itself to the transparency and delicacy found in flowers. Graduating from Purdue University in Applied Design, Anne worked for Hallmark, Inc. and later taught silver jewelry making. She has a Masters in Painting from the then Northeast Louisiana University. Anne has taught watercolor in the Monroe area. She has had many paintings accepted in exhibitions and many of her works are held in private and public collections.

      Anne Eberle‘s exhibit A Touch of Floral may be seen for the entire month of May at the Ouachita River Art Gallery, 308 Trenton Street, West Monroe. When you shop at your local gallery, you not only help our economy by keeping your money in the area, you also save on taxes and shipping. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Paintings and photographs by gallery members can also be seen at ORAG’s extension gallery located in the lobby of Ouachita Independent Bank/Bankers Mortgage Plaza at 18th and Louisville in Monroe. Call 322-2380 for more information.