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Sandy visual art show celebrates 13 years of local talent

Nov 26, 2018 01:16PM ● By Heather Lawrence

Linda Marie Cloud of Bluffdale said showing her abstract pieces gets her out of her comfort zone. (Heather Lawrence/City Journals)

By Heather Lawrence | [email protected]

The 13th annual Sandy Visual Art Show was held Oct. 16–26. The Sandy Arts Council received over 250 entries from around the valley, displayed them at the Sandy Senior Center and awarded several prizes. This year’s featured artists were wife and husband team Lola and Ray Kartchner of Sandy.

Sue Watts, a member of the Sandy Arts Council and an artist herself, acted as docent for the works on display. “I’m not sure if we’re the biggest local art show, but I feel we’re the best. Local artists have a chance to show their work publicly and can sell it if they choose,” Watts said.

The show was open to artists 18 and over who are residents of Utah. Each could submit up to three works in the areas of watercolor, oil, acrylic, sculpture, mixed media and photography. In addition, artists with disabilities were encouraged to enter and those entries were judged as well. 

“The Sandy Senior Center is very accommodating to us and lets us have the event here each year,” said Watts, as she pointed guests to the different rooms, each containing a different medium. “The main foyer is reserved for the featured artists who bring several works to show. The featured artist is chosen by the council and is always a resident of Sandy.”

Ray and Lola Kartchner were this year’s featured artists. Lola’s passion is watercolors, and she had several paintings to show and sell. “I am basically a traditional landscape artist. I try to recreate on paper what Mother Nature has created here on earth. Living in Utah there is an endless supply of inspiration,” Lola said. (See www.watercolorsbylola.com)

Ray participates in the annual Living Traditions Festival and loves woodcarving, especially with inlay. He carves everything from walking sticks to knife handles and pen covers. He’s carved dinosaurs for his grandkids and a dragon that won Best of Show in a Utah Arts Council show. “My work with wood has become a part of who I am,” Ray said. 

 The opportunity to show work was new to some artists, such as mixed media and collage artist Linda Marie Cloud of Bluffdale. Cloud said showing her work publicly is a big step outside her comfort zone and a new part of her journey as an artist. She had two entries in the show, and uses the creative process to continually see things in a new perspective, on and off the canvas.

The show’s opening gala on Oct. 15 let the artists meet and view each other’s work. Adjudicators awarded ribbons for first place in the following categories: Mayor’s Choice, People’s Choice and Best in Show. 

Best in Show this year went to Sandy artist Glenda Gleave. A seasoned portrait painter with a romantic flair, Gleave used her granddaughter as a model for her painting titled “When Understanding Comes.” 

Gleave, whose great-great-grandfather was Danish artist C.C.A. Christensen, learned about art from her mother, though it took until her adult life for her to really give painting a try. “I took a community ed(ucation) class with my daughter, and at the end of it, the teacher said that I should be teaching the class,” Gleave said. 

Since then, she has studied with some of the “best portrait artists in the world,” and decided to master charcoal, oil and portraiture. Despite both her gender and age working against her, she now has a thriving studio and many commissions. 

The winning portrait in its current form almost didn’t happen. “I planned to paint my granddaughter as a fairy. While she was sitting for me, we started talking, and she’s always thinking. I saw her suddenly understand (what we were talking about), and I thought, ‘That’s how I want to capture her,’” said Gleave. (www.glendagleave.com

For information on this year’s winners or past winners, or if you’re interested in entering next year’s visual art show, visit www.sandy.utah.gov and search the Sandy Arts Guild.