Arts Center displays showcase local talent

Upon entering the oak-framed glass doors of the John Waldron Arts Center, the busy sounds of Bloomington fade away as the familiar sounds of laughter and conversationalists at their best celebrate the opening reception of four talented, local artists Friday.\nThe reception allowed friends, family members and those appreciative of fine arts to immerse themselves in various forms of painting, watercolor and ceramics. Straight up the main stairway and to the right, the works of Jean Benabou, Richard Ferrer and Daria Smith decorate the walls of the Rosemary P. Miller Gallery.\nBenabou, a Bloomington resident, said that art is an "innate talent ... something that was in me, like breathing."\nShe said life experiences and the aesthetic pleasure of combining color, texture, dreams and music provide most of the inspiration for her work.\nThe mixed media paintings she has on display exhibit various painting techniques with the subtle use of printed media to create pieces depicting the depth of human emotion and the strength to overcome personal tragedy.\nRichard Ferrer, a Brown County resident, has a prominent tribal theme in his work. Ferrer has been painting all his life but started painting very seriously following his hiatus -- the Native American form of a sabbatical. Ferrer is an adopted member of the Lakota Tribe, which became more well-known following its inclusion in "Dances with Wolves," a film starring Kevin Costner.\nOne of his pieces, "Morning at the Sundance Drum," is what Ferrer claims to be as "close to a self portrait as you'll get." The piece was created using the first photo ever taken of a drumming ceremony. \nFerrer said he intends his work to be "true to culture ... and to convey an attitude or feeling."\nDaria Smith, also from Bloomington, exhibits ceramic wall plaques in her display. \nSmith said her art style comes from the ancient civilizations of Mexico.\n"The niches came from the plates worn on their chests," she said. \nSmith said she got most of her art influence from her mother, an art teacher. "She always had us doing stuff, I was always doing it as a kid," Smith said.\nSmith has spent the last 15 years creating ceramic works of art -- getting her inspiration from nature, fiddle head ferns (the spiral shapes she favors), twisting vines and the ceramics of the ancient civilizations of Mexico. Smith's plaques use a plethora of textural surfaces surrounding a viewing portal (often in squares and rectangles of varying size) to the symbols within -- where the spiral shapes she said she enjoys truly take form.\nThe combined display of the works of Benabou, Ferrer and Smith are a "nice juxtaposition of work, sizes, themes: spiritual and tribal," Benabou said. \nContinue up the second staircase of the Arts Center and the Flashlight Gallery exhibit awaits. The gallery was created by Suzanna Hendrix to view the "City Silhouettes." \nHendrix said she displays her watercolors of city scenes with an emphasis on her surrounding environment.\n"I look at people and their interactions with the environment," she said. Her watercolors quite accurately detail familiar Bloomington sites such as Laughing Planet Cafe, Tara and Peoples Park on Kirkwood.\nMary Hambly, the director of the Bloomington Area Arts Council and an IU alumnus, said the artists chosen for exhibition are scored by a jury process. Once they submit a slide, resume and an artist statement, a jury of five to seven people from the fine arts field scores the artists and their work.\n"All four artists were very accomplished, and I encourage people to stop by and take a look," Hambly said. \nThe Arts Center's gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.