Opening Soon! The 4th Annual National Spring Fine Arts Exhibition

Entry Wall of
The Kumkum Majumdar Exhibition Hall

Walls & Walls of Art



The Renaissance Gallery has a busy weekend planned. The 4th Annual National Spring Fine Arts Show is opening this Sunday, May 1.



And boy, is the Kumkum Majumdar Exhibition Hall crowded! I don't think it has ever been this full! We even had to use the rolling display wall!

More Art

34 Artists with over 100 pieces of art



Paintings, sure, but also sculpture, ceramics and fine photos adorn the hall with amazing art! We have art from across the country, but also from across the Tri-State area. Artists from West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky and Southern Ohio have all contributed work to this show.





Tess van Dijk's "Birds at Play"




Weekend Ahead



Manning the Gallery Friday will be cartoonist, Gary Lapelle. Gary is one of the best pet artists in the area. His love and involvement of animals is reflected in the gentle humor he shows in is work. Saturday, Humanist artist Linda Helgasson will keep the doors open, plus Robbie Poore will be responsible for Sunday. I don't envy him, with the grand opening we have planned for that day!



There Will be Cake!




Amusement Parks a popular Topic


Everyone is invited to join us Sunday for the Grand Opening of the Spring Fine Arts Show. While the main gallery is still under construction (more about that in later blogs) the exhibition hall is open, and the show is a fine one. There are more than a few interesting, experimental pieces in this show, as well as some media/materials we have not seen in a while. New materials represented are tinted charcoal and ceramic and glass. There are both traditional approaches but other really pushed the envelope, especially with in digital photography.



Amusement parks seem to be recurring theme, but each artist and their own takes on them. And of course, the beach is there! Rolling surf and beach fun, the many moods of the beach are there in both realistic and interpretive styles. But quiet moments in the mountains are also reflected in many paintings. So much of our area is pictured.



And of course, Sunday will see many of our artists there. This is the time to connect with them, talk to them about their art and what it means to them to create it, but also to show it to their friends and neighbors.

An Abundance of Talent

The public is invited to the opening of the 4th Annual National Spring Fine Arts Exhibition at The Renaissance Art Gallery Sunday, May 1, 2011. The reception will be held in the Kumkum Majumdar Exhibition Hall of The Renaissance Art Gallery from 2-4 pm. There will be refreshments and award announcements. Karen Lilly, Director of Cynthia Bickey Art Gallery in Beckley, W.V acted as the juror for this years show. The reception is free.

This year’s theme is Parks & Recreation. Works entered into this year’s show include sculptures, watercolors, drawings, photographs and ceramics. Our walls are covered by over 100 original pieces of art entered by 34 artists from across the US.



The Renaissance Art Gallery is a non-profit artist co-op in Huntington West Virginia. We draw our membership from the tri-state area of West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky and Southern Ohio. We focus on original art from local artists. Located in the Historic Renaissance Building (the old Huntington High School).

The artists of the Renaissance Art Gallery hope you can join us Sunday for the opening reception for "Parks And Recreation"

Welcoming Artists

After months of work the artists of The Renaissance Art Gallery were ready to welcome artists and the work they prepare for submission to the 4th Annual National Spring Fine Arts Exhibition: Parks & Recreation. Friday, Saturday and Sunday saw artists from as far away as Cincinnati, OH to bring in art these felt represented “Park & Recreation”. In addition, several artists from across the country shipped in their work.

Artwork and files to run the show

Received were paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, both digital and film as well as woodcarvings and pottery. I think it might be the biggest variety of artwork we have seen in a long time. All in all, 34 artists accepted the challenge to give their interpretation of “Parks & Recreation.

Two of our founding members, artists Bruce and Lillianne Bowersock have hung the show. And this is no easy task, given the variety of works, medium and sizes. Karen Lilly, curator of the Cynthia Bickey Beckley Art Group Gallery, is acting as our juror this year. She has the difficult task of going over all of the many entries and trying to determine just who did the best job of expressing the subject theme.

Paintings & photographs fill the gallery.

All of this leads up to our opening reception on Sunday, May 1, 2011. Then all the artists and our friends gather to see this wonderful show.

It really is exciting to see a show come together. To see the enthusiasm on the faces of other artists but even more important than that, is to see how the larger public reacts to it. Just seeing what we are all capable of is exciting. The artists who bring in their work are our neighbors. They are housewives and teachers, Labors and doctors. People from all walks of life and all circumstances. The one thing they have in common is the ability, the need the drive to create something beautiful with their own hands. And to share this gifts with their neighbors all over the tri-state area.




Sometimes in this world of hatred and strife, we forget just who and what we are at the core. We are not hatred. We are not strife. But rather we are a creative people. People of great gift.  Please accept this gift from your neighbors, the artists around you. Come and visit the Spring Fine Art Exhibition, Parks & Recreation.

Beginning Digital Photography Classes

Laura Moul, a certified professional master photographer will offer a digital photography class for beginners.  It begins Monday, April 18^th from 5:30-7:30 pm

at Hobby Lobby near the Huntington Mall in Barboursville.  Pre-registration is required.

In the Beginning Class (Part 1) Moul reviews basic photography concepts and provides reference materials to help each student.  Students can bring their point and shoot cameras or their SLR cameras and receive hands-on training on How to Take Photographs, Which Photos to Save or Edit, and Ways to Archive or Organize Their Digital Files.    This class is scheduled for April 18^th.

Part 2 (April 25) concentrates on more hands-on practice including transferring digital files into students’ computers and basic photo editing techniques including demonstrations of Picasa. 

Part 3 (May 2) reviews Part 1 & 2 and deals with aperture and shutter priority, as well as manual camera settings.  More advanced photo techniques will be taught.

There is a small fee for the materials and instruction.  Laura’s goal is to help individuals learn to use their own cameras more effectively.  One of Laura’s students termed this as “bonding with her camera”.    For more information and registration, please contact Laura at 304-743-8281 or email her at lauramoul@aol.com.    Laura’s website also has more information http://www.moulphotography.com/

Exhibition Opening

“Random” Acts Of Art

“Loose buttons, cds &broken eye glasses,

Glued all together to sell to the masses,

“My old computer, can tabs & stretched springs,

These are a few of my favorite things…”

Such is the artist’s statement of Robby Poore. “Random”, the current solo show now hanging at The Renaissance Art Gallery certainly reflects that philosophy of art. The Kumkum Majumdar Exhibition Hall is full of random items arranged and re-arranged into three-dimensional artworks. Nothing is scare and nothing is beyond turning into art by Robbie Poore.

With the opening reception April 3, Huntington, and the surrounding area got a look into the creative mind of a unique artist. Gallery walls were bursting with people. At one point, it was almost impossible to move through the crowd. Person after person remarked, “I would not have thought you could use that” or “oh my, I know what that is!” only after staring at the piece for a full 15 minutes!

Robbie included a rather unique entry plaque, and piece of interactive art! The invitational sign also served as a photo-op for guests. Thus a mood of whimsy and fun started even before guests came through the door!

Gallery members and guests all got a real kick out of this. Even members of the press got involved! When we set up, I thought we might have been too enthusiastic on the refreshments, but the volume and appetite of the public put that worry to rest!

Robbie hangs the last
piece as people start to arrive!

Robbie and the rest of The Renaissance Art Gallery worked right up to the moment guests started to come through the door, but it was worth the effort to have such a successful opening for this show.



Robbie and Entry Art




“Random” can be seen now through April 17th at The Renaissance Art Gallery.







Normally overflow at an opening at The Renaissance Art Gallery would meander into the main gallery, but this month, the main gallery is undergoing extensive remodeling. It is going to be gorgeous, but the transformation process is anything but! Still progress has reached the point where you can see what is developing. The new, central display wall is up, and some of the panels have been covered. The framing still needs to be painting and the new lights hung, but the floor is a new, lighter and brighter color. At last we can see just what the gallery will be in the coming months. Along with these new display walls we will be getting new lighting for the main gallery, something we have long wished for.

Gallery member, Linda Helgsson

Reporter Dave Lavender

Guest, Kathleen

Anchorwoman, Susan Nicholas