Ozark
Mountain
Artists
Studio
Tour
Second Annual
September 19-21, 2008
Newton County, Arkansas
The Artists of the 2008 Ozark Mountain Artists Studio Tour

 We are pleased to report that more artists have joined the tour this year. They are listed below in alphabetical order. Clicking on the picture of any of the artists will open their feature page in a separate window . Their individual pages provide a nice sampling of their work, their bio, location, and email and personal website if appropriate.
The Artists
"Singing Waters" by Don Kitz
Scott Baldassari, Acrylic Painter      Parthenon
Born in Chicago, inspired and encouraged by a family full of Artists. Tutored under several excellent Artists, but without any "institutional" art education, I am a completely self taught artist who has been drawing and painting as I've seen fit since childhood. Dropped a hectic business life in Chicago, and came to the Ozarks in the 70's in search of a simpler life.

I've spent chunks of the last 15 years doing art & craft shows, selling wholesale to gift shops and galleries, painting locally for tourists, and doing commissioned paintings for people all over the country. Lately, I have spent my weekends and sunny days in the creeks, on the bluffs (and sometimes at Scenic Points on the side of the Highway), Painting and peddling my work (I like to call it direct marketing). I live a simple life, making a fair living from my creations, and am rewarded by being able to live my life in these mountains I love so dearly. Currently, I am working on half a dozen commissions, and looking forward to my weekends on the side of the road; Painting and Peddling. Life is Good…always has been.

I am a realist... and a romantic. As much as I love reality; life, (and paintings) can always use a little "romance". I think my work speaks for itself. If it requires explanation, I am not communicating very well. Beauty and Communication after all, is what art is all about.
Alice Andrews, Pastels, Oil Painter          Boxley (Ponca)       
 I work with images of the Ozark Mountains where I live.  I work in both oils and pastels. My subject matter ranges from landscapes and paintings of my home and garden, to paintings of dreams, of allegory and of pure abstraction.  I received my Masters of Fine Arts in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, where I studied under Grace Hartigan, one of the Second Generation Abstract Expressionists.  Awards include residency at The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico, and residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson,Vermont, which was personally awarded by the respected pastel artist Wolf Kahn.  My work is reperesented in Arkansas, San Francisco, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Forrest Waltmann, Carving, Sculpture    Jasper
Forrest Waltmann has won more than 20 national competitions with his work. His work is displayed in a permanent exhibition at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford, KS, and is featured at Roy's Gallery in Lawrence Kansas.

"I try to express in mere moments what nature does in many centuries. The wooden sculptures of aging stone, covered with moss and beauty, birds that look soft and alert, as if living in an instant of time balanced between the past and future, are mine to sculpt. My goal as an artist is to create peace, grace and beauty, to invoke pleasant memories hidden within, to show nature's unique fragile place on earth. "
Louise Reynolds, Painting, Ceramics, Fabric     Jasper
Louise  Reynolds has lived in the Jasper Area since 1995 and resides with her husband Ivan. They are currently refurbishing the historic building where the Spring Street Arts studio/shop located on the east side of the square in Jasper. The media you may see at the gallery are watercolors, clay, handpainted silks, and glass fusion.
Wendell Norton, Painter     Mt. Judea
Wendel Norton earned a BA in fine art from Hendrix College. He studied painting with Olive Chaffee in St. Louis Missouri.
He founded Norton Arts Studio, in Dallas, Texas and Norton Arts, Inc. in New York City. These companies are currently involved in fine arts oriented projects.
He is a Life Member of the Art Students League in New York City, where he studied sculpture with Philip Pavia who was a leading figure in the New York School of artists. He also studied painting with Phillip Sherrod founder of the Street Painters.
Wendel has exhibited his personal artwork throughout the Southwest in group and one person shows. Gallery showings and representations have included ASL Gallery, Stendahl Gallery and Foster Gallery in New York, Baker Gallery in Dallas, and Rivermarket Gallery in Little Rock.
Michael Dougherty, Photographer     Compton
Michael Dougherty's work provides a glimpse into the beauty of the landscapes and the life of wildlife in NW Arkansas. He seeks images with long tonal scales animated by low angle light. His works range from area wildlife to landscapes to wild flowers. His work has been displayed and sold in 4 states. "People have often said they like my photography because it is emotional. I seek moments in time and light that tell a story about my subjects. My hope is to help people share the beauty that is NW Arkansas."

He and his wife Mandy live on 21 acres adjacent to the Ponca Wilderness (with their cat, chickens, and ducks).
Janine Croxford, Solar Sensitive Dying, Beaded Body Sculptures        Deer
Who am I? I'm a glad-to-stay-at-home artist in the Arkansas Ozarks. My formal art education was bought from the University of Wisconsin. The Real art education came from 15 plus years of traveling to Renaissance Faires and juried street fairs around the country. Current passions include solar sensitive dying with which I create a one of a kind clothing line and beaded body sculptures.
James Foreman, Painting     Marble Falls
My work concerns itself with questions relating to the environment. However, I also enjoy doing three styles of comparative, impressionistic portraiture. As well, I also do what I call "corporate suites". These are groupings of similar related images often with a sculpted planter and floor stand. A portion of he purchase price of my larger works always goes to an environmental related cause, and this contribution can be made tax deductible to the purchasers of my work.
Darwin Fontenot, Luthier          Pelsor
A native of south Louisiana, Darwin has been making instruments for about 10 years.  He was a computer engineer and took early retirement from Hewlett Packard in 2005 to pursue his passion for making instruments.  Darwin was inspired to take up the craft from his father Royne Fontenot who lives in Eunice, Louisiana and who is also a Luthier.  The nature and scenery of the Ozarks inspire Darwin to make beautiful looking as well as beautiful sounding instruments.
Chuck Hazard, Ceramics, Painting         Deer
Encouraged by artistic parents, Chuck Hazard began drawing and painting at a very early age. When it came time to choose a career path, he naturally gravitated to the arts majoring in painting , sculpture, and ceramics at Grossmont Community College of San Diego. Intending to continue on at the University of California at Berkley life took a different direction with marriage and a Son. After a fast paced life in the corporate world, the decision was made to get back to his love for the beauty of nature, pottery, and sculpture. After three years of living in the Ozark Mountains, Chuck's work reflects his connection with the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.
Rebecca Holden, Painting, Ceramics, Fabric     Jasper
As a child Rebecca preferred mud pies and finger paint to playing with dolls. She learned to sew her own clothes in Junior High and Art was the only class in which she excelled in High School. Since that early beginning she has continued to learn new skills, including an auto body repair and painting course in the late 1970's.

A long time member of the Arkansas Craft Guild, in the spring of 2000 Ms. Holden established the Old Carriage House Art & Fine Craft Gallery in Jasper.  It has become a destination for tourists in the Upper Buffalo River Region by representing some of the areas finest artists and artisans, as well as members of the Guild.  Her clay studio attached to the gallery is included in the tour, with all the changes and events that are happening in the area, Jasper and the Old Carriage House are well worth a visit.
Phyllis Hurd, Painting, Ceramics       Low Gap
 I have always expressed myself best via drawing, painting and ceramics. In the 90's I used a process that involved crayons, ink and modeling pastel subjected to heat.  I have made Christmas cards from hand made papers, drawings and watercolors but lately, I have folded the pages of used books, then altered them further with drawings.

My preferred medium changes with the seasons.  I work with oils and/or ceramics in the warmer months, watercolors and acrylic paintings in colder months.

My home and studio are located on top of a mountain near Jasper, Arkansas, with a 12-mile view of the Henson valley.  I have chickens and also sheep that mow my yard. There is an abundance of wildlife such as turkey, elk and bear to photograph and draw in this area. There are many nearby sites to visit/explore -- from the beautiful Buffalo River to Boxley Valley where there is an established herd of elk.
Don Kitz, Egg Tempera        Deer
Don Kitz  born in 1939 in New Jersey. His training as an artsist was at  the Philadelphia College of Art, The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, San Antonio College and the San Antonio Art Institute. BA, MFA, Greenwich University, He worked as an illustrator for the Army medical center in Texas,  Don moved to NW Arkansas in 1981 and taught art at North Arkansas College,1983-2005

He works in egg tempera using egg yolk and pigment on gessoed panels.  Don also works in watercolor and oil.

He is a member of the Society of Egg Tempera Painters. The Eureka Springs Artist Guild and the Ozark Mountain Artist Group.
Merlyn Lazorow, Painting, Ceramics, Fabric   Mt. Sherman
I was born in Newton County but, like so many people from Newton County, I was raised in Kansas City.  I maintain a cabin and studio on Mount Sherman where I feel fortunate to be able spend summers My artistic spirit is very much grounded in nature which manifests itself in all of my artistic endeavors whether it be dyeing textiles to be fashioned into garments, sculpting clay, or developing intaglio prints of flora and fauna.
William McNamara, Painting and Woodcuts     Low Gap
 We all have within us the impulse to look into the clouds and find an image, to see a face in a rock, a scene in the grain of wood. We also have the impulse to make a mark, whether it be a scratch on a rock, a line in the dirt, or a brushstroke upon paper. By learning to control the movements of our hands, we can create our own patterns, own own clouds in which to look and find images.
Don Nelms, Photographer       Mt. Sherman
Don Nelms owned and operated automobile dealerships in NW Arkansas for 32 years.  In 2001 he sold Nelms Auto Park to the Penske Auto Group.  He and his wife, Millie moved to Newton County and Don began his journey into the world of photography.  In the last 5 years, he has pursued images of nature throughout the Ozarks.  He has published 2 slideshows (Fall on the Buffalo & Spring in the Ozarks).  In the last year he has selected 300 photographs for printing.  Approximately 200 of them are printed on canvas and framed without glass in the new Nelms Gallery.
 
Nelms Gallery has been listed as one of the top ten things to see in Newton County.  You will find a variety of landscapes, wildflowers, wildlife and natural abstracts.  The grounds have over 4 miles of walking trails, ponds, picnic areas, and a beautiful view of far off mountains.  The inside of the Gallery has a contemporary feel, but on the outside it has a large wrap around porch perfect for sitting, rocking, and enjoying the view.
Micki Nelson, Silver Jewelry     Parthenon
The ancient art of lost wax casting is my specialty. I sometimes feel like a "mad scientist" conducting experiments in alchemy as I bring the elements of fire and metal together with a pinch of hocus-pocus thrown in for luck! An exact science it is not, and many hours of preparation can result in either a fine piece of jewelry or a blob of scrap metal in the flash of a torch! My work honors the many miraculous life forms which reveal themselves to the gentle observer. A love of adventure and exploration in caves and in water is expressed as well. I also do gold jewelry on special orders.
Wendell Norton, Painter     Mt. Judea
Wendel Norton earned a BA in fine art from Hendrix College. He studied painting with Olive Chaffee in St. Louis Missouri.
He founded Norton Arts Studio, in Dallas, Texas and Norton Arts, Inc. in New York City. These companies are currently involved in fine arts oriented projects.
He is a Life Member of the Art Students League in New York City, where he studied sculpture with Philip Pavia who was a leading figure in the New York School of artists. He also studied painting with Phillip Sherrod founder of the Street Painters.
Wendel has exhibited his personal artwork throughout the Southwest in group and one person shows. Gallery showings and representations have included ASL Gallery, Stendahl Gallery and Foster Gallery in New York, Baker Gallery in Dallas, and Rivermarket Gallery in Little Rock.
Mary Olson & Maggie Weeden, Cement, Jewelry, Mosaics, & Rustic Furniture               Erbie
Mary Olson and daughter Maggie Weeden live minutes from the Buffalo River at Erbie. We are constantly amazed and inspired by its both subtle and outrageous beauty. Self-taught aspiring mosiac artists we work with glass, tile, cement and ''found " stuff. Our studio is part 1930's ozark architecture and part straw bale so if you want info on stucco and straw bale come on down. We will probably be working on a mosiac or a colorful recycled bottle wall over the weekend so feel free to bring any bottles or broken dishes, pottery, or cool rusty stuff with you when you come see us. Thanks for checking us out                         

 
Pamela Bellamy, Oils, Watercolors and Acrylics     Mt. Sherman
My drawing and painting began with an award in the 5th grade.  After that I took every art course offered in jr. high and high school.   In 1983 I began working in oils, taking some workshops,one with a Hallmark artist, however I am mostly self taught.  My work has taken awards in judged shows.
Most of my work is in oils, with some acrylic and water color.  I work between landscapes, portraits and flowers with a great fondness for barns and old buildings so you will find them in a lot of my paintings.
Cynthia Lynn Dollard, Batik      Jasper
Cynthia Dollard has lived and worked in Newton County for many years. Her main medium is batik wax resist, although she works in a variety of materials. The wax resist process dates back to the early Egyptians. Cynthia has worked with this method since 1972. Her painterly style is unusual for the technique, and demonstrates her study of academic painting methods, as well as her commitment to experimentation and the creative process.
Joanne Steiler, Oils, Watercolor, Pastels, Acrylic     Deer
Steiler has lived in the beautiful Ozarks (Deer, Newton County) for over 32 years.  She paints her surroundings, her pets and an occasional portrait.  Watercolor, pastel, oil and acrylic are all enjoyed . In the recent past she has been absorbed in rendering skyscapes with pastels.
David Walker   Sculpture, Ink, Photography, Design      Parthenon
David Walker works as a designer and photographer out of his historic gallery and studio store front in Parthenon. His work ranges across many media including sculpture, painting, inks,  photography and design. His studio/gallery is the old gray storefront  in downtown Parthenon. Mr. Walker has done many commissioned works, and is represented by the Eurekan Art gallery in Eureka Springs. Mr. Walker is originally from California, and has lived in NW Arkansas since 1991. His works are in many corporate, celebrity, and private collections nationally.  In addition to his artistic endeavors, he does public art projects and commissioned work in other states from his studio/gallery in Parthenon.