Artist Exhibits

August 27, 2024 - September 27, 2024

Treasuring the golden years with children, but balancing an unspoken drive to create, we
ladies work into the wee hours of the night with stacks of canvas and paint. Often painting in
odd spaces while children are sleeping or at school, and mostly in small blocks of time...our art
emerges! Choosing family first, several of us only have the chance to do a couple shows a year
to showcase our work. A few of us take the whole family and put in long hours on the blacktop
under the canopy of art tents with babies on hips. It is such a joy to connect new people with our
work! I truly believe in these ladies and the paintings they are producing are beautiful!

Artists in this exhibit:
Betsy O'Neill
Bryanna Manning
Emily Wells
Hallie LeBlanc
Kelly O'Neill-Dusome
Marella Morris
Rachael Hull
Randy Ford
Shelby Kregel

October 3, 2024 - November 15, 2024

This is a juried exhibit that will feature works by a number of GVA members. The pieces are selected through a competitive process and prizes will be awarded.
A list of pieces and chosen artists will be available closer to the exhibit.

November 20, 2024 - December 13, 2024

We invite any FHPS Staff to enter their artistic works into this unique annual exhibit. The exhibit will also include artwork by members of the community who have created pieces in Community classes or Open Painting at the Community Center.

January 8, 2025 - February 7, 2025

My current work in the classical style is complicated from life with a focus on luminosity and expression. I desire to capture the feeling of light, the beauty of it as it washes over a form and is absorbed, reflected and illuminated within. Using various natural objects, drapery, and vessels in a still life I create arrangements that allow for the exploration of light, form, and texture that when drawn or painted create an expression of what I see before me, an interpretation, not a mere copy. It forms a place of quiet stillness with an atmospheric sense of space that one can enter into with their imagination and explore at will.

February 12, 2025 - March 13, 2025

Nature’s shifting light, colors, textures, lines and shapes inspire me to try to convey my experience to the viewer. With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, my awe of the universe has increased and expanded.

I’ve always challenged myself to explore different styles in a variety of media. Now I’m discovering the power of focusing on the basic elements. Rather than attempting to replicate what I see, I try to communicate my feelings about what I see.

Art allows me to offer an emotional connection with others. My paintings are prayers, celebrations, expressions of gratitude.

March 19, 2025 - May 2, 2025

Selected artwork from FH students 7th-12th will be on display throughout the Fine Arts Center. This is a community favorite. You'll be amazed by the talent our students have.

May 8, 2025 - May 16, 2025

The Master Thesis Exhibitions feature the fully-developed work of those students who have completed their graduate studies. These students have spent their time at KCAD broadening both their technical abilities and their understanding of their respective disciplines, and this exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the process, methodology, and passion that went into the compilation of their final thesis projects.

May 21, 2025 - June 27, 2025

Plein air painting has been the driving force of my art since 1997. Trying to capture a landscape in a few short hours can be very challenging, but also deeply rewarding. There is an emotional element to painting outdoors that’s very important to my energy and desire to paint. The views of course are inspirational, but even the smells and sounds of nature play a role. I try to fully appreciate the moment.
I am a lifelong resident of Kalamazoo, MI, and graduated with honors from the Ringling School of Art and Design in 1981. I enjoyed a 28-year career at the Kalamazoo Gazette as a page designer and illustrator. In 2008, I founded the Plein Air Artists of West Michigan and continue to serve as its director to this day. In 2013, I began teaching plein air painting workshops and find teaching others very enjoyable and beneficial to my own growth as an artist. Over the years, I’ve come to love the process of painting outdoors as much as the finished results. Good or bad, the day is never wasted and the lessons alone are worth the effort.