Ladies Choice

Feminine Perspective show returns to Black Door Gallery
Thursday, July 2, 2009
By Cherish West ~ Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau, Missouri


Patrons can glimpse the perspectives of local and national female artists at the Black Door Gallery's annual all-women art show "The Feminine Perspective," which has its opening reception from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at the gallery on Spanish Street.

"It's about women, just to celebrate what women do," said Beth Thomas, whose husband Craig owns the gallery.

Beth Thomas and at least 30 other female artists will celebrate their artwork at the second annual "Feminine Perspective" exhibit. She said artists are coming from as far away as Kansas and South Carolina to display fiber art, sculptures and realist, abstract, two-dimensional and mixed media pieces.

"Some of them have a message, others are basically formalism and what the artist would traditionally do," she said. "This is a good way to bring different generations of women together and show their work."

Four generations of women from Thomas' family exhibited last year -- herself, her aunt, her daughter and granddaughter. This year Thomas' granddaughter Mira Themm, will be her only other family member in the show, but family themes still pop up.

(Photo)
Sculpture by Debbi Bollinger
(Four Elements)
[Click to enlarge]
Elementary school teacher Sharon Williams made an intergenerational connection with her acrylic painting "Mother and Child."

"I teach art at Alma Schrader, and I actually got a lot of my influence from some of the second grade students' artwork," Williams said. "One of my students did a 'Pigcasso,' and I elaborated on that."

She said she found a Chinese proverb, "One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade," and incorporated it into her piece.

"My inspiration was children's artwork, Picasso and motifs," Williams said. "I really haven't done a lot of artwork until the last couple of years. I've been teaching 38 years, and I've always focused on what the children are doing."

Thomas said the idea for the show spurred from encouraging friends such as Williams to produce more work.

"A lot of my friends weren't producing because they put family first or jobs first," she said. "So this a way to encourage them to do their work."

Williams took that advice. She said the exhibit gives her a chance to display her artistic and feminine perspective.

"I feel like it's wonderful because you typically hear more about men artists, and it's just a refreshing change to have all women artists and our point of view," Williams said. "A woman's point of view of a woman and child, or man and child, might be different than a man's point of view."