It was an art lover’s delight on Friday night, September 9, at the Marion Art Center, when local artists Bess Woodworth and Betsy Payne Cook kicked off their month-long show with an opening reception. Attendees admired both abstract combinations of color and pastel plein air paintings displayed in the MAC’s Cecil Clark Davis and Patsy Francis Galleries.
Woodworth specializes in pieces blending color and texture to evoke emotion, while Payne Cook creates realistic paintings using pastels.
“We often will look at two artists who have applied [for a show],” says Executive Director Kimberly Teves, “and know that their artwork fits together.” That’s exactly what happened with Woodworth and Payne Cook.
The abstract paintings featured in this month’s show are by Woodworth, who began exploring her artistic talents after 25 years as a reading specialist. Her pieces that explore relationships in nature and between people are created on yupo paper, a synthetic paper that is both waterproof and able to be wiped clean.
“If I don’t like it, I can just throw it in the bathtub,” she said with a laugh. The paper doesn’t actually absorb the paint; it dries only by evaporation, so it allows for interesting textures to form while the paint is drying. The results are unique – abstract paintings that blend colors in ways that aren’t easily done using regular watercolor paper. These paintings are Woodworth’s latest creation, and she loves the process from start to finish. “It’s fun,” she says. “You can get lost in them.”
Pastel painting is a fundamental part of Payne Cook’s life. She writes a newsletter called Painting In and Out, teaches workshops and classes, and has even organized a week-long painting workshop in Wales, Great Britain this year.
“This show is really a culmination of thirty paintings in thirty days I did in January 2016. Some of them are upstairs. They made me think about the fact that what I wanted to do was to take that feeling that I have of being on location and bring it to the forefront of my artwork.”
Her paintings on display vary from quaint European country cottages to bustling nighttime city streets. She paints in mostly plein air style, which allows her to fully immerse herself in the moment. “I have really tried to capture something of where I was so I could take it home with me.”
The public is encouraged to visit the Balance: Real and Abstract exhibition, which runs from September 8 through October 7 at the Marion Art Center.
By Christina Musser
