The May Exhibit at Justus Fine Art Gallery will feature a selection of paintings by Emily Wood, along with work by Michael Ashley, Mark Blaney, Matthew Hasty, Mike Elsass, Robyn Horn, Dolores Justus, Dennis McCann, Sammy Peters, Steven Schneider, Sandra Sell, Kathryn Sixbey, Peter Sixbey, and others. The opening reception will be held on Friday, May 2 from 5-9 p.m. Live music by classical guitarist David Perry will also be featured during the opening. A gallery talk and demo by Emily Wood will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 3. Exhibit dates: May 2-31, 2025.
Emily Moll Wood is known for her figurative and loose floral paintings. The works showcased in the May exhibit reflect a new direction for the artist as she has combined the two subjects as a vehicle to draw attention to the hidden labor of women. Wood holds a Masters of Arts degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and has taught painting classes for over 15 years, most of which have been at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Her work has won awards in numerous juried exhibitions and can be found in many private and public collections such as the Historic Arkansas Museum and the Springfield, MO Art Museum.
I make paintings to notice the world around me, understand myself better, and connect with others. I specifically paint flowers to find joy and connection with the natural world and with the women I have known, some of whom I descend from. I come from a long line of makers, master gardeners, and aesthetes who gave a lot of time, effort, and devotion to plants. I watched them work hard at underappreciated and unpaid labor. Recently, I’ve been thinking about all the hidden labor women have always done and continue to do to make more visible work possible. Daily walks through my neighborhood and nearby woods, among other things, serve as research for painting flowers. On these walks, I think about our relationship to nature as I observe what is blooming and then return to my studio to paint it. With this new work, I try to trust myself by tapping more into intuition and muscle memory to see what flows out after doing flower studies from observation for years. What has been hiding within myself and what else is hiding in the natural world that I have yet to find? – Emily Wood
Steven Schneider discovered at an early age that he had an aptitude for drawing and a joy for the creative process. In the beginning, his attention focused mostly on drawing and painting, but later expanded to explore more effective ways to communicate visually by examining the laws of nature and how they effect our perception. Schneider pursued his art career in Lafayette, LA as a fine art painter, illustrator, and graphic designer until moving to Donaldsonville, LA in 2004 where Schneider and his wife, Cynthia, owned and operated Schneider Art Gallery and Grapevine Café & Gallery. The couple moved to Goshen, AR in 2014, where Steven, influenced by the beauty and purity of the Ozark wilderness, continued to develop his expressive style. To be closer to family, they relocated to Tupelo, MS in 2023, where they currently reside and Schneider continues to create.
“My work is greatly influenced by the natural world and draws inspiration from the color harmonies, values and shape relationships that exist in nature. The subjects chosen resonate a personal experience to me and are of a familiar spirit. They serve to satisfy my need for image making as well as document a place in time. My process includes referencing plein air studies and sketches and the use of photography with digital manipulation.” – Steven Schneider
Mark Blaney has been exhibiting his paintings, drawings, and sculpture for over 25 years. Exhibitions include solo exhibits at Thomas Gallery in Bloomington, IN (2020, 2019), the Walron Center of the Arts in Bloomington, IN (2011), Greg Thompson Fine Art in Little Rock, AR (2010), Galeria Antenea, San Miguel, Guanajuanto, Mexico (2003); along with inclusion in numerous group exhibitions including the Delta Exhibition at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock, AR (2002, 2001). Blaney’s work has also been exhibited at fine art galleries and other venues throughout the nation and abroad. Commissions of his work have included: Duke University, Raleigh-Durham, NC; Carti Cancer Center in Little Rock, AR; the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock, AR; Smith-Barney Investment Firm, San Francisco, CA; Women’s Crisis Center in Pine Bluff, AR: Arkansas Sheriff’s Youth Ranch in Alma, AR; and many others. Blaney states about his process, “If all works well, I paint with the same approach as drawing: seeking an intuitive freedom while having a visual conversation with nature. Mixing colors to follow an idea is real fun and every new painting is a fresh chance at work and play in form and color.”
Owned by artist Dolores Justus, Justus Fine Art Gallery offers a wide range of original art including sculpture, paintings, ceramics, photography, and more by recognized artists. Opening receptions are held in conjunction with the Hot Springs Gallery Walk held from 5-9 p.m. the first Friday of every month in downtown Hot Springs. Hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Wednesday – Saturday and by appointment. Justus Fine Art Gallery is located at 827 A Central Avenue in Hot Springs, Arkansas. For more information, call 501-321-2335 or visit online at justusfineart.com.
Image: “Crows Through a Glade” by Mark Blaney (c) – 26”h x 36”w – watercolor and conté on paper
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