The show opens on Saturday, October 31st with the reception being held at Silke’s Old World Breads from 6:30pm till 8:00 pm. The reception is free and open to the public, and refreshments are provided. Betty’s art will remain on display throughout the months of October and November.

Jacob's Ladder by Betty Liles

Painting is a passion that Betty has has enjoyed all her life.

“I paint to express and record my feelings about places (usually historic) that I have visited throughout my travels. I try to express a passion for beauty in my landscapes. The rugged, gnarled tree is especially compelling in its form and shape. I love the intricate patterns formed by the bark on various species of trees. Different textures in landscapes are beautiful–an old bridge with weather-worn planks–huge cracked boulders with vegetation growing out of the cracks–weeds (or wildflowers growing in a ditch beside the road. I record, through painting, how it feels to view these things. I believe art is the emotional expression of the artist’s soul, his or her life experiences taking form via the media of the artist’s choice.

Betty is a member of the Hopkinsville Art Guild; The Chestnut Group (Plein Air Painters); the Downtown Artists’ Co-op in Clarksville, Tennessee; the Paducah Area Painters’ Alliance in Paducah, Kentucky; and the Portrait Society of America.

Gallery

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You should also visit the Roxy’s Peg Harvill Gallery and view the paintings of Betty Liles.  Enjoy wine tasting via the generosity of Horace Heggie from Pal’s Package Store, and stay for the 6pm performance of CINDERELLA Jr. The show runs approximately an hour, so you will still have time to visit the other galleries and businesses participating in the Art Walk.

The Downtown Artist Co-op is holding a reception tonight from 5p.m. till 7p.m. for the “Serendipity” Works by Gail Meyer show which is running from June 4th. – June 27th.

CINDERELLA Jr. runs May 29 until June 13, playing Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 6pm, with 2pm matinees on Saturdays. Poor Cinderella is endlessly mistreated by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters … but with a little help from her mice friends and a lot of help from her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella goes to the ball, meets the Prince and falls in love!

Call now and reserve those seats! All tickets are $10.

This month’s Art Walk is Thursday, June 4, which is a good opportunity to visit the Roxy’s Peg Harvill Gallery and view the paintings of Betty Liles. Enjoy wine tasting via the generosity of Horace Heggie from Pal’s Package Store, and stay for the 6pm performance of CINDERELLA Jr. The show runs approximately an hour, so you will still have time to visit the other galleries and businesses participating in the Art Walk.

An opening  reception will be held Thursday  night, January 8th, from  5:00-7:00 p.m.

The fifteen artists showing are: Terri Jordan, Tammy Dohner, Malcolm
Glass, Mitzi Cross, Peggy Bonnington, Gail Meyer, Heidi Hopkins,
Connie Livingston-Dunn, Winnie Bagley, Lynn Stanley, Kathleen Chute,
Martha Yanchyshyn, Eunice Kern,   Betty Liles, and Nada Fuqua.

If you can’t make the opening reception, please stop by some other time during the month of January.  Gallery hours are noon to 6:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

The DAC Inaugural art exposition event serves as prelude to annual Riverfest festival and promotes independent celebration of the visual arts and the art community.

The Downtown Artists Co-op hosted the inaugural of the Regional Juried Art Exposition on September 4. DAC’s Franklin Street showroom was filled with over 300 pieces of art submitted for the exposition.

An estimated 300 people viewed the DAC Juried Exhibition on opening night

“The submission response to this inaugural competition was greater than expected. We hope for even more next year,” said Betty Liles. She explained that in non-juried expositions, every submission is displayed and a judge selects the winners. Entries are submitted mostly from local or immediate regional community artists. In a juried exposition, selections are received from a wider area, often from outside the state, are viewed by a panel of art experts for inclusion in the exposition or rejection and then are judged by the various specified categories.

Best of Show winner Lessie v. Dixon with "Harvest Time"

The winner of the inaugural Regional Juried Art Exposition ‘Best of Show’ is Lessie Venardo Dixon of Gallatin. His painting, an oil portrait titled Harvest Time captured the $500 prize. He has been painting for over four years and has been drawing since his early childhood. He developed his talent progressing from pencil and charcoal to pastels, to watercolors and acrylics. He met Dawn E. Whitelow and Michael Shane Neal who directed his focus and mentored him in portraiture. He said his ultimate goal is to win the Portrait Society of America competition in 2009. It’s an annual event which happens before the Regional Juried Art Exposition.

In addition to Dixon’s best of show award, the exposition awards listing include four categories with the following winners: 3D/Fiber Arts- 1st Place, Konstantin Jatropius, Crucified; 2nd Place, Sarah Hightower Hurst, Dreaming in the Wind, 3rd Place, Shelia Caspino, The Color of Money; Mixed Media- 1st Place, Rickey Williams, Psalm 23; 2nd Place, Claudia Balthrop, Untitled; 3rd Place, Brandt Hardin, Scared Texts: Clear/Balance; Honorable Mention, Charles V. Bennett Jr., Sound the Battle Cry.

In the category of Painting/Works on Paper, besides the best of show award: 1st Place, Jason Daniel Jackson,On the Rocks; 2nd Place, Eleanor Baker, At the Old Time Fiddlers’ Jamboree; 3rd Place, Karen Enright, Summertime…and the living is easy; Honorable Mention, Richard L. Milam, Eat Your Greens. In the photography category, 1st Place-Mitzi Cross, Portrait of a Woman; 2nd Place, Winnie Bagley, Untitled; 3rd Place, Beverly Parker, Flowers at Customs House; and Honorable Mention, Richard Pugh, Waiting.

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First Thursday Art Walk and Wine, hosted by the local businesses in the downtown area,will be held Thursday, August 5 from 5-8 p.m. Businesses stay open late, many host artists and have refreshments.

The Downtown Artists Co-op will host an art talk featuring Betty Liles and Nada Fuqua regarding their Retreat from the Heat show, now hanging at the Downtown Artists Cooperative. They will discuss techniques and inspiration for their paintings and style. Refreshments will be provided. Art talk is from 6 – 8 PM.

Jim Hancock’s photography exhibit is hanging at The Front Page Deli.

Judy Lewis will have her work hanging in Rogate’s Boutique. Judy is an extremely talented artist who recently returned to Clarksville. While she busily restores an older home, she makes time for her commission works of portraits and other studies.
Hodgepodge will continue to host Reisa Peters, with a smattering of Judy Lewis in the Garden Gallery. You’ll also find the amazing jewelry creations of Madge Patton. Madge is no stranger to Clarksville, having participated in several Rivers & Spires events. She started her artistic career in oils, moved to stained glass, and made a turn toward jewelry. She creates what is known at wrapped jewelry. She states, “My next passion turned to lapidary, taking the rough (gem stone rocks) slicing them, and cutting out a design, grinding and polishing into beautiful cabochons that I could wrap, or silversmith.”

Hodgepodge will host Madge for only one evening, so you need to need to get down here on Thursday.

The Roxy is currently hosting a show by Gail Meyers. Gail has several works related to downtown Clarksville, which are always big sellers. There will also be a performance of All Shook Up—call ahead for tickets because this show has been a regular sell-out.

We’re encouraging artists to contact Paige King (paige@hodgepodge-home.com) or Cliff Whitaker () to discuss displaying their work during our Art Walk events.

Early Spring oil on Canvas by Betty Liles. This is the stream flowing through Rotary Park in Clarksville

The Downtown Artists Co-Op in beautiful downtown Clarksville is happy to announce a new art exhibit by long-time member artists Nada Fuqua and Betty Liles. The opening reception will be tonight, July 17, from 5:00 p.m. through 8:00 p.m. at our gallery located at 96 Franklin Street. The new works will be on exhibit through August 12. Hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon until 6:00 p.m. with no admission charge.

Nada and Betty are both from Hopkinsville, KY, and both work primarily with oil paints but do a variety of works in other media. Nada says that she loves the way oil paint moves, even how it smells. Nada says that painting has been her bobby for many years and she never stops learning and developing new techniques.

She says that, “This year I’m learning a new technique from an artist-friend in South Dakota. Using this technique I cover the canvas in layers of wet paint, often using complementary colors, then use styli of different shapes to define and make details.” Nada says that a number of her paintings in this show were done in this style.

Still Life by Nada Fuqua. Painted out of frustration while waiting for home repairs after flooding

Nada also loves painting portraits in live sittings using pastels. She says she receives satisfaction from seeing the pleasure that her friends and family get from the portraits for years to come.

Betty Liles is a native of Christian County, Kentucky. She studied commercial and fine art at Austin Peay State University and Murray State University. She says that the primary medium she employs is oils on canvas, “but I also use alkyds, acrylics, water colors and mixed media.”

In the upcoming show she has used a variety of media to paint landscapes, portraits, figure studies, still-lifes and abstracts. Painting is a passion that Betty has enjoyed all of her life and she enjoys the challenge of a variety of subjects and various media.

Betty and Nada are both members of The Portrait Society of America as well as the Hopkinsville Art League, the Downtown Artists Co-Op, the Tennessee Art League and other art organizations. Both are excellent artists who never stop studying and finding ways of stretching for a new challenge.
Cliff Whittaker

Nada Fuqua and Betty Liles will be opening a new art exhibit at the DAC gallery on July 16. Both are very accomplished artists primarily using oil paint on canvas The opening reception will be from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, July 17th and they will conduct their “art talk” for the August 7th 1st Thursday

The Downtown Artists Co-Op, located at 96 Franklin St. in downtown Clarksville is also seeking artists to submit entries for a Regional Juried Art Exposition for residents of Tennessee and Kentucky. Entry forms must be postmarked no later than August 6th. Entry forms can be picked up at the DAC gallery, the Cumberland Bank in Clarksville or at several other businesses in Clarksville and Hopkinsville.

Additional information and entry forms may be downloaded by going to www.clarksvilleartists.org and clicking on Regional Juried Art Exposition Link to More Info. DAC gallery hours of operation are Wed-Sat from noon-6 p.m. Telephone number (931)552-4747. You may also call Becky Keene at (931)552-3311 () or call Cliff Whittaker at (931)980-2041 ()

Awards will be paid in cash for Best of Show and then 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the following categories: painting and works on paper; 3D/fiber arts; photography; and mixed media. Artists may submit a total of two works to be juried for acceptance with a fee of $15 per item. Victoria Boone who is currently director of the Leu Art Gallery at Belmont University will be the juror. .

The Seventh Annual DAC Membership Exhibit opens at that time with “bunches” of art from many of the area’s most accomplished artists. This will be an excellent opportunity to enjoy food and drink at the DAC opening reception, mingle with fellow art lovers and talk with many of the artists who will be present.

At left, The Peacock, a48×30 inch oil on canvas by Betty Liles (copyright protected) is one of the featured works in this exhibit.

The Downtown Artists Co-op is proud to claim many of the area’s best know artists as members. Several of these members have earned recognition on the state, regional and national level. Some are members of the Tennessee Art League and/or The Tennessee Watercolor Society. At least two DAC members are spouses of soldiers.

Twenty of these DAC artists will be exhibiting more than 40 of their current works of all types of painting, mixed media, photography and collage.

Artists participating in the 7th Annual DAC Membership Exhibit include new members Reisa Peters, Melanie Dennis, and Judy Lewis, and existing members Billy Renkl; Susan Bryant; Monica Quattrochio; Barbara Beach Seip; Gail Meyer; Becky Keene; Cyndi McGrail; Becky Hall; Betty Liles; Mark Griggs; Nada Fuqua; Beverly Parker; Connie Livingston-Dunn; Claudia Balthrop; Cliff Whittaker; Maijaliisa Burkert; and Doug Halloran.

This exhibit will open on June 5th and run through July 12th. Normal gallery hours are noon – 6:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Visitors are welcome and there is no admission fee. For more information you may call the gallery at (931)552-4747 or call Cliff Whittaker at (931)980-2041.

Wind Behind Our Sails – acrylic on canvas by Gail Meyer
(copyright protected).