Area artists earn prestigious membership

Work from four area artists who are among Missouri's elite are on display this month at the Bilderbach Art Plaza in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Aaron Horrell, Marti Hartle, Leslie Compass and Anne Foust were selected in February for membership into the The Best of Missouri Hands, an organization based in Columbia, Mo., that is dedicated to the development and recognition of Missouri artists. Their recognized artwork is being presented as part of The Best at Bilderbach exhibits, which began May 3 and will run through May 30, and the 2013 Spring Arts Festival, which will take place Friday and Saturday at the Bilderbach Art Plaza.

Horrell, of Chaffee, Mo., is the owner the Painted Wren Gallery in the art plaza. His nature photography of bluegill fish and cardinals led to his selection after an extensive jury process.

"The Best of Missouri Hands gets thousands of entries every year," Horrell said. "You submit four photographs of your work, and the jurors see each of them for three seconds."

Horrell, who also achieved The Best of Missouri Hands status in 2012 for his acrylic paintings, said being selected by the jury was crucial to his reputation as an artist.

"I thought it would be in my best interest as a gallery owner to be juried into the organization," he said.

Compass and Hartle are co-owners of the art plaza's Mozaic Art Studio. They each submitted the required photographs of their stained-glass mozaics to the jury, which were approved.

"The photos are sent via email," said Compass, of Scott City. "When you hit the ‘send' button, you don't know if your work will be accepted or not."

"It was stressful getting juried-in," said Hartle, of Jackson. "You just don't know if the jurors will like it or not."

Foust, of Cape Girardeau, was chosen by the jury for her jewelry creations.

"I've been making jewelry for myself all of my life," she said. "I was always either repairing or creating jewelry."

Foust's jewelry previously had been denied approval by The Best of Missouri Hands jury.

"I didn't use professional photography when I submitted my picture," she said. "I learned from my mistake."

The Best at Bilderbach exhibit this month coincides with the Spring Arts Festival, which also is being presented by the Bilderbach Art Gallery.

"The festival is an opportunity for us gallery owners to get something going," Horrell said.

The festival is scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The work of 13 art vendors will be on display and available for purchase during the festival.

"The Bilderbach will be the festival's epicenter," Horrell said. "Along with the artwork, there's going to be face painting and art demonstrations."

Live music by Shaad Shubert, Tim Godlove and Eight Tracks will be performed from noon until 6 p.m. Saturday.

"We'll also have barbecue sandwiches from SEMO Smoke and even vegan food on Saturday, too," Horrell said. "Hunter Valley Winery and the Schmetterling Tea and Coffee Company will also be providing refreshments."

Horrell said he expects this year's art festival to be three times as big as last year's, and he's already looking forward to next year.

"It'll be our chance to make the festival even bigger and better," he said.

For more information on the Bilderbach Art Plaza or the 2013 Spring Arts Festival, contact Aaron Horrell at 579-1000.

klewis@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

5 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO