Atchison Art Association

Sister Helen’s Student Art Awards Show, May 3 - 14, 2008

Each Spring the Muchnic Gallery hosts an exhibit of selected original work from all public, private and home-school students in Atchison, including the Bert Nash School. The show honors Sister Helen Buening, the Mount Saint Scholastica nun, who taught students in and around Atchison for more than sixty years. The diversity of the art presented represents Sister Helen’s belief that art is critical to the development of children of all ages and skill. Work featured ranges from kindergarten youngsters’ butterflies, to sophisticated ceramics and oil paintings by high school students.

Layers Revealed: The Art of John Vanderpool, May 16 – June 29, 2008

Begin with a well-textured canvas, cover with flat house paint, allow time to dry, illustrate the lines of the subject matter with colored pencils, blur the lines with paint thinner, allow more dry time, create form with oil pastels and finally chalk pastels and still more paint thinner if needed. Thus John Vanderpool outlines the techinical process, which leads to the richly layered and vibrant images he creates. The exhibit at the Muchnic Gallery opens with a reception for the artist Friday, May 16 from 5 – 7 p.m. Mr. Vanderpool characterizes his style as impressionistic, while others have likened the finished pieces to batik, a wax-resist dyeing method used to create textiles in Indonesia, as well as parts of the Asian subcontinent and parts of West Africa. Mr. Vanderpool counts Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Degas, and Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida among his favorite artists. For subject matter, Mr. Vanderpool draws from his collections of old photo postcards, vintage clothing, antique dolls and old family albums, as well as a more recent interest, his iris garden.

43rd Riverbend Art Fair, May 24 and 25, 2008, Downtown Atchison

The 43rd Annual Riverbend Art Fair takes place Memorial Weekend. John Vanderpool is the featured artist. This outdoor tradition presents artists displaying and selling their work in a festive market atmosphere. Original art in a variety of media is presented, and all artists must be juried into the show. The show is judged Saturday, and cash awards are presented to the winners that evening. Music and children’s activities remain prominent in the festival. Image by John Vanderpool,Poppies, Gicl?e Print, 19 x 13 inches.