Batesville Area Arts Council to present mother-daughter show “Observations”

January 28, 2016 2:54 pm

The Batesville Area Arts Council will present Observations: Artwork by Sheila and Allison Cantrell. The exhibition will be on display at the BAAC Gallery on Main, 226 E. Main St, from February 2 through March 12. Both artists will be present at the gallery reception for this exhibition on Friday, February 12, from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., with a brief artist talk at 6 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The beauty of reality is the focus of this unique mother-daughter exhibit. Although pursuing different subject matter, the two artists share common goals of incorporating a high level of draftsmanship and attention to detail into their work. Sheila Cantrell is a still life artist working in graphite, colored pencil, and oils. Her art is a celebration of the ordinary, revealing the dignity and beauty of the commonplace. Allison Cantrell is a graphite artist specializing in equine art and pet portraits, going beyond simple observation to capture the individual personality of each of her subjects.

Sheila Cantrell’s work has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine and in Drawing, an American Artist Magazine publication. Her work has been selected for inclusion in two different museum exhibitions – The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century, and Masterworks From the International Guild of Realism. Her works have received many awards over the years including the Best of Drawing Award at the International Guild of Realism’s 4th Annual Exhibition, held in Naples, FL, and a first place award in the National Association of Women Artists 122^nd Annual Exhibition, held in New York. In 2014, Sheila was awarded one of the prestigious Individual Artist Fellowship Awards from the Arkansas Arts Council. She is a member of the International Guild of Realism and a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America.

Allison Cantrell has had her work featured in multiple publications including Western Art Collector, Art of the West, and Southwest Art. Her work has been a part of the Bosque Art Classic Annual Juried Exhibition for eight years in Clifton, Texas. She has also participated in the Empire 100 Western Art Show & Sale, the Art of the Plains Juried Exhibit, and the American Academy of Equine Art Annual Show. In October 2015, Allison was part of a select group of artists to take part in the first annual Traveling the West Show & Sale, which has been hailed as one of the largest western art shows to date. The show took place at Southwest Gallery in Dallas, Texas, a gallery where her work has been represented for the past few years.