Private art collections on display in Rock Springs

“Our Collections” is a display of artwork from the private collections of members of the Sweetwater County Library System Exhibit committee. Both library staff and community volunteers promote and arrange the rotating exhibits at both Sweetwater County Library in Green River and White Mountain Library in Rock Springs. Several of the members are artists and have been acquiring art for a number of years. The collections will be on display at the White Mountain Library.

“This is an opportunity to share with others the artwork that for one reason or another we were drawn to and have hanging in our homes,” Debora Soule, committee member and Community Fine Arts Center director, said.

Angie Bennett, Deon Quitberg and Donna Ragsdale volunteer their time in assisting with the libraries’ exhibits and are artists themselves.

“I enjoy all forms and styles of art,” Bennett said. “The original paintings are from people I have known and allow me to remember the artists as special people who shared their creative vision with me and others who view their work.”

Many of the committee members agreed when Bennett shared that these paintings have become part of her everyday visual world. They bring good memories that inspire her with shapes, design and color and she hopes the public will enjoy them and find them interesting.

Quitberg has two pieces, an oil “Painted Daisies” and a paste “Bearly Friends,” both painted by her mother, Barbara Dowdle, who currently lives in Salt Lake City. Dowdle exhibits at the Lamplight Art Gallery in Bountiful, Utah.

“These paintings are among my favorites. I love the colors she used and the subject matter,” Quitberg said.

Ragsdale is attracted to light and color in artwork. She also enjoys having art from people I know such as local artists Jill Hartley and Florence McEwin.

“The painting “Fall” by Marla Barnum is special,” Ragsdale said. “Marla was a founding member of our art co-op Local Color which opened many years ago in Rock Springs. I was looking forward to knowing her better when she and her husband were killed in an automobile accident. The painting is a memorial to a lost friendship.”

“There are many reasons I am attracted to a particular piece of art – subject matter, colors, the style or techniques the artist used,” Soule said. “But many times it is getting to know the artist behind the work that makes it personal.”

The large oil painting of a band of wild horses was for sale at the first Wild Horse Art Show that ran for several years in Rock Springs. While setting up the show, Soule said she keep looking over at the piece because of the way the artist caught the evening light.

This exhibit will be on display now through the month of March. Local artists are encouraged to apply to have their work considered for future exhibits at both libraries.

 

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