Orland Arts Commission

In Their Own Words

Due to the large number of artists participating in this exhibit and the difficulty of quoting each of them, we chose four artists whose work offers a glimpse of this group's talent and the diversity these talented artists bring to their work.

Laurie LaGrone:
"Drawings done in 15 minutes capture the bare essence of an image with very little extra. There's a tension to it, an element of gambling...one wrong or right stroke changes everything. Sometimes it's not what you draw but what you leave out that makes an impact. There is a magic to drawing that I'm fascinated with, that you can express direction or weight, movement or texture with just one single imperfect, squiggly line."

Diane Penner:
"As a child, I felt compelled to draw what I saw in nature. No one asked me to do it; it was second nature. When something inspired me, I grabbed a pencil and my interpretation spilled onto the page. For me, art is therapeutic. When I create, it reflects my personality. I love the bold, symbolic strokes of saturated color. Yet beneath each striking art piece is a believable structure, rooted in the pared down simplicity of pencil."

Janet Jonte:
"I enjoy drawing...looking at a landscape, a face, or the human figure...studying the lines, shapes, and shadows, capturing images on paper. Studying the form, truly seeing it and having it come to life with my pencil brings a stillness as thoughts fade into the background. What remains is focus, the very act of seeing. When I let the process flow and drop judgement and effort, the form emerges on paper with grace. The essence of beauty in every person is what I hope my work reflects."

Rose Duncan:
"I've been drawing since I was very young and always gravitated to portraiture. There isn't much that rivals the variation and beauty found in the human form. Painting, sculpting and other mediums are wonderful, but creating a likeness using only pencil lines and smudges on a blank sheet of paper gives me great satisfaction. I'm fascinated with the results, because when you put down only what you actually see you discover that how you see is always changing."

Meet and visit with the artists at the Orland Art Center Gallery Artists Reception: Friday, January 2nd, from 3 to 7 p.m. This exhibit runs from January 2nd through February 21st.