An art exhibit featuring “the best of the best” and the city of Helen’s history is on display at the Helen Arts & Heritage Center.
Titled “Helen: Past, Present & Future,” the exhibit opens with a reception honoring its artists from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, May 11, at the center.
“This exhibit reflects so much of what we are about,” Helen Arts & Heritage President Nancy Ackerman said.
The exhibit and parking is free. Parking is in the rear area of the center.
Featured artists include professional photographers Larry and Joanne Andrews, painter Anna Wilkins and pottery artist Terry Buffington. Wilkins teamed with Larry and Joanne Andrews to form a rather creative union. Wilkins’ paintings are rendered from photo images taken by the photography couple, providing viewers with a side-by-side comparison of two media perspectives of the same subject.
Wilkins is an impressionist painter with years of experience in painting the local landscapes in Helen and White County. Her historic covered bridge painting was recently selected as the cover image of the 2017 Scoop Magazine, a publication of more than 7,000 by the White County News. The registered nurse is a longtime member of Helen Arts & Heritage Center as well as an active member of the Plein Air Painters of Northeast Georgia.
Despite busy careers in the medical profession, the Andrewses found time for creative relaxation through nature and photography. Their time spent camping and backpacking on Cumberland Island National Seashore only intensified their love of nature and drove them to create a book of photographic memories, “Cumberland Island, A Treasure of Memories.”
Buffington is the new director of the HAHC pottery studio. She creates images of Helen on her pottery pieces using the transfer technique. Buffington has an extensive background in art, and her pieces reflect a consistent effort of proficiency. Although she has experience in painting and photography, her passion remains in pottery making and discovering new methods and techniques. Buffington creates practical use and decorative pottery pieces along with everything “Pugs,” which is her specialty. A selection of her work can be seen at www.pugaboo.com as well as HAHC and several other local shops and galleries in Northeast Georgia.
For more information, visit www.helenarts.org.