Although the Anna Bier Gallery is currently closed, the world of wonder contained within its walls awaits your enjoyment. Frustrated by the fact that the impressive selections made for the Gallery’s annual Elementary Art Show prior to the closing of schools could not be shared with an appreciative public, Anna Bier Gallery Director Tamera McNulty created a video which will soon be available for viewing on the Gallery’s Facebook page. Following is a small preview of the wonder that awaits; participants include home-schoolers as well as students from Arcanum, Bradford, De Colores Montessori, Greenville, Mississinawa Valley, and Versailles.
Animals star in the art created by kindergartners; “Crocodile on the Nile” by Kendall Kiehl depicts a menacing yet appealing crocodile with jaws open and ready to snap. Eaton Gower’s charming pastoral ”The Farm” features an adorable curly tailed pig who stares back at the viewer. Also peering at us is “Reindeer” by Elise Winner, a close-up portrait of the holiday staple with Christmas bulbs cheerily adorning his antlers.
First grade artists capture personality in portraits of varied creatures; in the appropriately titled “Spider On Web,” Maddox Brinley created a captivating spider cavorting on a complexly drawn web, while “Pirate—Aargh!” by Liam Roehe exudes the swashbuckling spirit of its peg-legged subject. “Scarecrow,” Molly Trissel’s multi-media work, uses a feather, popsicle sticks, and buttons as well as paint and pastels to provide a realistic picture of its title character.
Happiness abounds in the art of second graders. “Snowflake Kid” by Ainsley King captures the pure joy of a child reveling in the wonder of falling snow. Abigail Keel and Lillian Young have produced delicately appealing images with watercolor on silkscreen descriptively titled “Flower” and “The Sunset” respectively. The joyful energy of Isabella Drew’s painting “A Dog’s Paradise” will bring a smile to viewers, as will “Foreground, Middleground, Background—Fall Tree,” the happy landscape created by Gabrielle Nelson.
Third grade artists offer a broad variety of subjects and media; Abby Wilker imaginatively utilized bubble wrap and paint to create a colorfully appealing “Bee In a Hive.” Brooklyn Crain and Riley M. Arden used an array of color to produce inviting structures in “Watercolor House” and “Home.” Several students depicted a downward-hurtling subject in “Freefall;” the falling boy drawn by Jack Winterrowd could be laughing with delight or screaming in terror, while Lyle Brinley’s character wears a decidedly apprehensive expression and a shirt proclaiming “I Love School.”
Fourth grade art shimmers with captivating design. A piece by Rowan Schmitmeyer, “3-D Pop Fall Tree,” joyously depicts its title, while Isabele Henninger has created an elegantly bewitching image in “Egyptian Cat Print.” More pictures illustrating “Freefall” include the works of Erin Winner and Bailey Stout, both featuring girls’ faces expressing a stoic calm as they prepare for an abrupt landing.
More diverse portraits are found in the work of fifth graders. A striking drawing of “Linda” by Anna Cox captures a classically beautiful female returning your gaze; “Personality Swirl,” created by Kiley May, is a totally different sort of portrait incorporating words, shape, and color. Avery Brown’s “Silhouette” shows an exuberant figure reaching upward into a swirl of descriptive words.
Colorful scenes of the seasons attracted the attention of sixth graders; Grace Psczulkoski’s autumn still-life “Harvest Days” surrounds the viewer with the aura of fall, while Landon Subler’s “The First Ride” shows ATV riders moving over a pastoral path populated by deer. Brandon Isaac Osborn used watercolor and crayon to produce an attractive untitled work featuring a colorful patterned oakleaf. Kyle Caldwell’s “Silhouette” shows an active figure in front of a sunburst surrounded by descriptive words on a rainbow-hued background.
Several seventh graders express whimsy and joy in their work; Megan Wood induces happiness with her colorful, slightly goofy caricature of a dog. Likewise, the whimsical “Dairy Cow” created with cloth by Tristan Thornhill produces a lingering sense of delight. Emma Lavy uses a plethora of color and shapes to depict an inviting cityscape, while Daphne Lavy’s lovely untitled piece recreates a calm, peaceful winter’s night.
Boundless colorful variety is seen in the art of eighth graders. “Juliet,” a fascinating enigmatic portrait in shades of red, was painted by Aleah Tomlinson. Using an unusual medium, aquarium gravel, Lydia Beisner created the inviting “An Evening In the Park,” which fools the eye into believing it is seeing an impressionistic painting, while Bradley Fleming produced one of the few three dimensional pieces on display,“Spring of Sunflowers,” a cheerful clay vase topped by sunflower petals.
A virtual visit to this joyous world will lift your spirits and inspire hope for the future. For more information, contact Tamera McNulty at 937-564-5863.
