Clarksville, Ark. --- Russellville artist Jeannie "D.J." Stone will present her exhibit, The Grand Design" throughout October at University of the Ozarks as part of the university's Artist of the Month Series.
The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will be available for viewing from Oct. 2-24 in the Stephens Gallery, located in the Walton Fine Arts Center. There will be a reception to meet the artist from 6-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12, in the gallery.
"The Grand Design" contains paintings that include a blend of impressionistic and soothing landscapes and figures interacting with those landscapes. The paintings will fall into one of the four categories of the classic elements: earth, air, water, fire. The artist will have a hand-embellished giclee that she will give as a door prize for those who attend the reception.
Stone said in her artist statement that her late mother and their shared love of nature have had a tremendous impact on her art.
"I try to sum up my thoughts, my life, my beliefs and why I do what I do without invoking the memory of my mother, but it is impossible," she said. "I am who I am because she was who she was. For being a petite woman, she left huge footprints. As a lifelong Girl Scout and my childhood leader, she taught me how to make ‘Hobo’ meals wrapped in foil and cooked on the coals of the campfire and the wonder of ‘Chili-Mac’ and S’mores. She taught me how to step quietly in the woods and to sleep with my mess kit and a spoon nearby in case a bear came too close during the night. She placed great value on prayer, and during her two year illness we took many excursions with sketchpads, rosaries and a prayer list spending precious time together at the lake, park or in my backyard. I paint to capture those fleeting moments of peace, wonder and supreme joy that my mother and I found in nature."
Stone, who is also an author, was born on a Navy base in Maryland. She has lived in Puerto Rico, childhood home of her mother, but has spent the majority of her life in Arkansas. She and her family make their home in Russellville where she serves on the board of the Russellville Salvation Army. She was named the 2010 River Valley Artist of the Year. Stone has an intense interest in spiritual sojourns and has kayaked off the coast of Mexico, regularly undertakes labyrinth walks and silent retreats at monasteries and has walked Spain’s El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, an ancient pilgrimage route.
Stone’s paintings have appeared in numerous art shows and galleries, including the Arkansas River Valley Arts Center, the 46th Annual Central South Art Exhibition in Nashville, Tenn., and the National Diamond Art Exhibition in Hot Springs.
A portion of the sales from any cowboy painting in the exhibit, "The Grand Design," will be donated to www.cowboyforacure.com which raises money to benefit (GPS) Guillain?Barré syndrome and (CIDP) chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.
Ozark Autumn is one of the paintings by Russellville artist Jeannie “D.J.” Stone that will be displayed in the Stephens Gallery throughout October as part of the Artist of the Month Series.
Topics: Exhibit