'Small but mighty' - Artist turns to nature for her first 5x5 entries

Courtesy Image Artist Kristi Ponte says she loves a project. "I've always had a passion for creating and working with my hands, making something out of nothing. As a little girl, I spent every day at the Lewis (Kan.) Press; my parents owned and produced our local newspaper, and while there my three siblings and I had tons of toys to get creative with -- 'toys' meaning boxes and paper that is, always making something out of nothing."
Courtesy Image Artist Kristi Ponte says she loves a project. "I've always had a passion for creating and working with my hands, making something out of nothing. As a little girl, I spent every day at the Lewis (Kan.) Press; my parents owned and produced our local newspaper, and while there my three siblings and I had tons of toys to get creative with -- 'toys' meaning boxes and paper that is, always making something out of nothing."

Kristi Ponte comes from three generations of professional artists -- working in glass, watercolor, acrylics, metal art, iron forging and floral design -- and she herself has been painting in acrylics for more than 30 years.

The old saying might posit there's nothing new under the sun, but when Ponte wanted to add more dimension to her art, "voila, resin painting with multiple layers was my answer," the Springdale artist says. "After my very first painting, I was mesmerized by the depth I could achieve and was definitely hooked."

FAQ

5x5 Soiree & Auction

When: 5:55 p.m. Oct. 26; works on show now

Where: Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale

Cost: $15 admission; 5x5s are sold by silent auction

Information: (479) 751-5441

Bonus: Hors d’oeuvres, gourmet coffee and sweets, and a live jazz band are also part of the soiree ticket.

This year is Ponte's first time showing her work as part of the annual 5x5 Exhibition, Soiree & Auction at the Arts Center of the Ozarks -- an event now in its 17th year -- and "I'm so thrilled to be a part of the Springdale art community and this fundraiser," she says.

"The 5x5 Exhibition and Soiree is a long-standing, annual ACO event that features local professional artists and gives non-professional artists as well the opportunity to share their work," explains ACO spokeswoman Rebecca Estep. "The event brings together artisans and art lovers for a fun evening of entertainment and fundraising. All proceeds help keep ACO's gallery open to the public and to continue showcasing local, regional and even national artists and exhibits."

"My resin paintings are inspired by essences of nature," Ponte explains her work. "The three 5x5 paintings I created are mini versions of my much larger 'Iced' series. Every painting from this series has a geode inspired theme. These three specifically are like little natural treasures. A calming drift of colors in black, white, metallic gold, iridescent champagne and translucent pearl intertwine and flow along all three pieces intersecting with the cantilever of Brazilian crystal points, glass and polished crystal pebble clusters.

"Each cluster contains Brazilian crystals I purchased at one of my favorite places in Colorado, the Broadmoor Seven Falls. There are three coats of resin on each piece containing mica powder pigments, acrylic paint and alcohol ink. Each layer is applied 24 hours apart.

"On the daily, I'm constantly thinking about better designs, impactful and soothing color combinations, unique substrates, display possibilities, art with a purpose and constantly ask myself, 'Why do I do this?'," Ponte says. "Why do I search, collect and buy supplies, prep canvases, drop clothe the floors and tables, wear a respirator, pull on protective gloves, use a heat gun and fire up a blow torch?'

"[It takes] lots of equipment and protection for resin painting. It's a very temperamental, sticky, frustrating, short working time medium -- but quite simply, I just enjoy it! As an artist, there are always trials and errors, especially when using a new medium. Moving forward and pushing on to be better is the goal for me."

Eve Smith, visual arts and program director at ACO, calls the 5x5 Soiree a "tiny but mighty fundraiser."

"It's always an exciting and daunting challenge to create on not only a square, but a 5-by-5 inch square," says Smith. "Although the art pieces are small, they always have a big impact."

With some 300 pieces of art to compete for in silent auction, "I like to remind people that this is a fundraiser," she adds. "So at the end of the night, not only do patrons have their ears filled with great music, bellies filled with food and drink and eyes and hearts filled with great art, [their] purchase furthers the arts ecology in [their] area!"

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Jonathan Perrodin Springdale "Morning Rituals" Medium: Wood, metal, spray paint, oil pastels, leather, sewing, weaving, ash, expended lighter fluid, found objects, trash, animals, insects, un/mowed lawns, human body, installation, conceptual, space, time, fire, water, earth, wind, emotion, spirit, logic, math, science, folk wisdom, mythology, etc., ad infinitium. Favorite subjects: The inherent beauty of the natural world and the inherent destructive force of man. How did you get involved with ACO? I've participated in this annual event for many years now. I even constructed and stretched each of the 400 canvases by hand for the ACO for this exhibit in years past. What's the story about your painting for this 5x5? It's called "Mo(u)rning Ritual." It developed this name as a result of being something I started the day with -- mostly as a procrastinating warmup exercise before working on other projects. I'd never call myself a painter, so my interactions with this canvas were always a highly antagonistic exercise in wrestling with one's self. The struggle never ended, it only collected more history, more wounds to heal only to be reopened. We try to memorialize what we think is sacred and important; sometimes it works, sometimes not. So in the end...It was covered with a smile, a white-washing of emotions and feelings. Ultimately the result is just a erasure, a covering over, a rewriting, of what came before. Or maybe it's just some colors & texture in abstraction, without meaning without purpose.

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Lisa Blount Springdale "Alaskan Jellies" Medium: Photography attached to acrylic. By attaching the photograph to the acrylic, it brings more depth and radiance to the art. Favorite subjects: Anything [in] nature Why do you make art? I like to capture places and details that make you smile, inspire imagination and bring back memories. How many times as children did we want to ride on a train, or pluck a grape from the vine? I want my photos to make you stop and reflect on a place or event. I want you to see beyond the picture. I want you to "see" the sounds, "see" the smells ... and remember. What do you do in "real" life? I'm a senior manager at Tyson Foods in the Information Technology Department, where I have been for 27 years. How did you get involved with the Arts Center of the Ozarks? Being from Springdale, I have known about the ACO most of my life. I remember coming to the summer musical when it was outdoors! My family and I have been involved with the ACO for over 20 years -- singing in the Chorale and acting on stage. In fact, all four members of my family have been on stage at one of the many Arts Center of the Ozarks productions. What's the story about your painting for this 5x5? I have always thought that watching jellyfish was hypnotic. While in Resurrection Bay, Alaska, we were whale watching when we happened on a smack (group) of jellyfish. I immediately got out my camera and was absolutely mesmerized!

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Charla Moyer Springdale “Pumpkin” Medium: Oils mostly Favorite subjects: Portraits, landscapes and still lives What do you do in “real” life? Paint canvases, murals, paint furniture and cabinets. I have been painting murals all over this area since 1994. How did you get involved with the Arts Center of the Ozarks? Started coming to the plays in early ’90s.

NAN Our Town on 10/18/2018

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