The artwork of winners Olivia Kershaw Smith, Rosanne Moon and Vikki King in The Rescue Mission’s Fourth Annual Art Collection Competition 2009, was featured at an artist reception held at 2nd Helpings Gallery on Saturday, April 10. Mark Walsh and his band provided music.
“The Guitar Player” Acrylic by Smith, “Bernie 220” Watercolor/Collage by Moon and the People’s Choice Award, “Vietnam Memorial” Pastel by King were selected by Curator Taliaferro Logan, Director of the Olin Gallery at Roanoke College, as winners out of 65 entries in the competition.
Smith, originally from Maryland, resides in Boones Mill. Even though her major in college was art, it was only after raising three children and retiring from Salem VA Medical Center five years ago, that she had time to put her formal education and talent as an artist to work. Her artwork includes acrylic, watercolor, collage, abstract, landscapes and animals. She has participated in numerous art shows, including the annual art competition held at Westlake Library where she received an honorable mention in watercolor in 2008, placed second in acrylic in 2009 and placed first in acrylic in 2010. The Jefferson Center, WVTF Radio and Roanoke Valley Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RVSPCA) are three venues where her artwork has been on exhibit.
Moon resides on Bent Mountain. Originally from New York City, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in both Nursing and Fine Arts. Her three years as a registered nurse on Staten Island was followed by the birth of three children. She and her husband later went into the custom contracting business, providing her with the opportunity to utilize her art and talent. Her responsibilities included doing drawings for presentation of contracts and putting together collages for rooms with a primary focus on kitchens, baths and offices. This was a “wonderful period of time in my life for 30 years,” she remarked. They retired to South Carolina, but after living there only four years, her husband lost his battle with colon cancer. She met her current husband in church. He had just lost his wife to breast cancer and they both had a lot of memories in South Carolina. While riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway, they wound up in Roanoke.
A prolific painter, Moon works with watercolor, oils, and acrylic; she focuses on portraiture and nature. She is a member of the League of Roanoke Artists, Virginia Watercolor Society and Arts Council of the Blue Ridge. Her work can be viewed at several locations, including Brandon Oaks and Lewis Gale Medical Center. While in Pennsylvania, she received first place in watercolor media at “Sunday in the Park,” and she has received numerous other honorable mentions. “I feel blessed to have the talent, the health and to be able to do this is a joy,” Moon said.
Originally from Massachusetts, King has resided in Blacksburg since 2007. She graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1991 and within months after graduation was in a near fatal skydiving accident. As a result, her career in art was derailed for 17 years. “I’m back now with experiences that have changed my life and my art. I know difficulty. I know disability. They have made me more sensitive to ‘the individual,’ the general theme of my work,” King remarked.
Her preference is to depict a single individual who reveals their character through expression, body language or action. One example she cites is homeless Vietnam veterans. The medium that she most often uses is marker, pencil and colored pencil. She also works with pencil, pastel and ink together.
A member of the Blacksburg Art Association, her artwork “Vietnam Memorial,” was voted “People’s Choice Award” by the men at the Roanoke Rescue Mission’s Men’s Shelter. When describing the purpose behind her artwork, King said, “I want people to be comforted and to know someone cares about and appreciates them.”
Editor’s Note: There were six winners in this competition. The initial article published in the March 12-18 edition recognized artists Barry Wolfe, Mary Anne Meador and Sally Mook.
By Susan Ayers [email protected]
