Brownwood News – Art lovers of all ages may view the Stars of Texas Juried Art Exhibit February 10-23 at the Depot Civic and Cultural Center located at 600 E. Depot in Brownwood. Show hours are Monday-Friday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Saturday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and Sunday from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.
Artwork that did not make the Stars of Texas Art Exhibit will be featured in the Salon des Refuses at the Brownwood Art Association Art Center, located at 215 Fisk Street during the above hours.
Demonstrations will also take place each day during exhibit hours from a variety of artists. There is no charge to enter the exhibit or attend the demonstrations.
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Friday’s Artists:
1. Mike Lewis – Mike is a retired chemist from Minnesota who began pottery in kindergarten, took a 60 year break until he retired in 2012 when he moved from Brownwood to a retirement community in Georgetown Texas. After taking a “introduction to wheel throwing” class, he started spending nearly every day in the community pottery studio.
Mostly self-taught, he has taken workshops in wheel throwing techniques, raku firing pots, and has been responsible for firing the 5 studio kilns. He also has several kilns at his Blanket ranch where he hosts Raku Firing Days with up to 20 people.
He mainly makes functional stoneware pots such as bowls, vases and mugs, but once a year he throws a more “artsy” piece for entry into the Stars of Texas. Mike will be demonstrating a wheel technique to throw an enclosed form. After making an “orb” on the wheel, he will modify it into an apple and then cut it open to create a two-piece apple that can be used to keep trinkets. (or give to your teacher)
2. Tom C. Orsak – Tom was born in Texas and lives in the farming community of Harriett. He enjoys painting the beauty and heritage of West Texas. His interest in art began at a young age while having fun sketching and drawing for his classmates. He began studying art in Junior High and continued through college at Angelo State University in San Angelo. Tom had a distinguished career as an illustrator for the outdoor advertising market. After retiring in 2000, he chose to start painting again for personal satisfaction.
During his time as an artist, Tom has exhibited paintings and won numerous awards on local and national levels. He has also studied with renowned artists in developing his own style. Tom holds painting demonstrations and instructs workshops throughout Central and West Texas. He is one of the founding members of PASA, the Plein Air San Angelo group. Tom was a competitive artist in the national En Plein Air Texas 2016. He is still currently active and continues to be a strong advocate promoting plein air everywhere he goes.
Tom’s art demonstrates the benefit of outdoor painting as it relates to the studio. He has painted with oils, palette knife being a favorite style and enjoyed the calm effects that watercolors offered his landscapes. However considering all factors, he decided on acrylics as his current medium of expression.
” I paint fast and furious and have found that acrylics can stay right with me. “
3. Kit Timmins – Kit has a long love affair with art, influenced by her mother and her grandfather, the “Renaissance Man”. At twelve she declared that she planned to become an artist. At Texas Tech she studied with Paul Hanna, Juanita Pollard, and Allen Fainter, switching from graphic design to painting and drawing. Her marriage to Jay Timmins brought her to Brownwood and Howard Payne University where she took classes under Eloise Trigg and Maureen and Charles Stewart. She was graduated with a degree of BS in Applied Art with a minor in English and also finished a degree in Secondary Education.
In 1972 she began teaching art and English at the Brownwood State School. After four years there, she taught English at the Brownwood Junior High. The birth of son James in 1978 changed her direction and she retired for teaching in 1980.
Her love of graphics led her into the design and construction of stained glass. Many of her pieces are found in homes locally and as far away as New Mexico, Arkansas, and Missouri. She continues working in glass today. She has repaired many of the beveled glass windows in Brownwood’s historical homes including the historic Rogers House on Center Avenue.
About 15 years ago, Kit decided to get back into painting. She joined the Brownwood Art Association. She has served as the Ways and Means Chair, the Exhibits Chair, and the President, all two year terms. She also acted as project manager for the renovation of the Art Center at 215 Fisk.
Kit rediscovered a passion for pastel which is now her medium of choice. Her watercolors and pastels have been juried into the art exhibits in Brownwood, and Coleman, where she won Best of Show. She has won the Stars of Texas Juried Art Exhibit’s Mary Cadenhead Pastel Award six times.
She is a jury-accepted member of the Pastel Society of America. She is also a signature member of the Pastel Society of the Southwest where her paintings have been juried into the National Exhibit for the last five years. Last October she was proud to receive the top honor in that competition, Best of Show for her painting “Saturday Night”.
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