The Soup Kitchen of Muncie’s 30th anniversary gala, “Painting a Brighter Picture,” will take place April 20, and attendees will have the opportunity to bid on artwork by the finest artists in the area.
Tickets are on sale now for the art-filled evening, which will include an art auction, an artfully curated menu, and a main attraction that involves interactive performances, including live “sculptures,” live “paintings,” and performances by Muncie Civic Theatre.
Businessman Fred Reese is spearheading the gala planning with help from Muncie’s art community. Reese earned awards and recognition as the man who brought Meridian Health Services’ popular Rialzo gala to life.
Artists from Muncie and surrounding areas have already contributed 20 pieces of fine art to be auctioned, with all proceeds benefiting the Soup Kitchen in its mission to fight hunger.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the art that you can bid on:
“Appeal to the Great Spirit,” oil on linen, by Deborah Tanner Brown
Deborah Tanner Brown has been honored with numerous awards for her paintings. She has traveled to New Haven, Maine, and Nantucket, Massachusetts, to learn under master artist Thomas Dunlay, as well as learning from several Indiana artists in various classes and workshops.
Her art has been selected for several juried Minnetrista Cultural Center art shows, as well as Red Tail Conservancy’s “Open Space: Art About the Land.” She has earned best-of-show twice as well as a first place during Muncie Artists Guild’s annual exhibits at the Minnetrista Cultural Center.
“A Quiet Place,” oil on canvas, by Dan Woodson
This beautiful painting of a scene near Brookville was exhibited at the Red Tail Nature Conservancy art show at Minnetrista Cultural Center last year.
Woodson is colorblind, and in one of his earlier works painted a beautiful scene with one slight problem – a dog in the scene was green. With help from loved ones, he learned to paint wonderful landscapes despite being colorblind. Woodson started his career managing the signs and displays department of Marsh Superstores.
“Battersea Power Station,” photograph, by Jenny Smith
This is an image of the Battersea Power Station, situated along the Thames River in central London, UK. From 1930-1980, the Battersea Power Station was a working power station producing one-fifth of London’s power.
Fine-art photographer Jenny Smith frequently visits the UK and Europe to take in the culture and create new art. Her work has been juried, exhibited, and awarded nationally, and one piece is on display in a King County, Washington, Metro Station.
“Bend in the River (Morrow’s Meadow),” oil, by Jean McCauley
Jean McCauley is an award-winning artist who is a member of the Muncie Artists Guild, Richmond Art Museum, Art Association of Henry County, Art Association of Randolph County, Anderson Museum of Art, Minnetrista Museum and Gardens, Muncie Art Students’ League, and the David Owsley Museum Art Alliance to name a few.
She paints predominately in oils and pastels and exhibits many of her landscape paintings and dog portraits. McCauley has studied with a wide variety of well-known and highly respected artists, including Carol Strock Wasson, Mary Ann Davis, and Pam Newell.
Her paintings have been inspired by the beauty and simplistic aspects of nature and the world in which we live. McCauley hopes her work evokes a pleasing and meaningful calm, capturing a sense of peace for a quieter, more thoughtful, almost forgotten time.
Ceramic bird feeder with copper wire hanger, by John Peterson
Peterson trained with Marvis Reichle at Ball State University, 1964 – 1967, and opened a pottery shop in 1967, becoming a leading figure in East Central Indiana’s rich ceramics tradition. Peterson specializes in art that is as beautiful as it is functional. In 2017 he was recognized with a Muncie Mayor’s Arts Award for “Artist in the Community,” which recognizes artistic excellence and singular efforts in contributing to Muncie’s cultural vitality.
“Misty Morning,” oil on canvas, by Tom Heatherly
Tom Heatherly was the Muncie Artists Guild’s featured artist for March 2021. In 2019 he won the Peoples’ Choice Award at the Muncie Artists Guild’s Annual Show.
Heatherly prefers to paint people, landscapes, and buildings. His wartime experience also influences his artwork.
Heatherly is a Vietnam War Army Veteran who served in the 25th Infantry Division and the 101st Airborne Division from 1970 to 1971. He has created several paintings of soldiers in action from this time period. One of these paintings is proudly on permanent display in the Yorktown American Legion.”
“My Grandmother’s Garden,” oil on canvas, by Ann Johnson
Ann Johnson (aka F.B. Fogg) is an award-winning artist and entrepreneur that made a business of art and art a business. Working in handmade paper sculpture, the Fogg whimsical sold in some 1600 galleries across the world, and were collected by such notables including Steven Spielberg, David Letterman and Madeleine Albright. Two of her lamps grace the East Wing of the White House.
Johnson is a Sagamore of the Wabash, the Presidential Art Teacher of 1976, an Athena awardee, and top awardee of the prestigious Philadelphia Museum Art Show. A long-time fashion designer, Johnson does an occasional show for Indiana Artisans, where her unique combination of painting and one of a kind art wearables and jewelry are available to the public. Always with a tongue in cheek, Johnson sees humor in the unexpected and brings it forth in everything she touches.
“Pears and Silk Flowers,” oil on canvas, by Margie Prim
Prim has shown in the Minnetrista Annual, the Richmond Art Museum Annual, and Red-Tail Land Conservancy “Open Spaces” exhibit. She has won several awards and held several one-woman exhibits in the region. In 2019, Margie won honorable mention in the Madison County Art Show. Her works have been included in the Indiana Waterways Project and the Women’s Commission Art Exhibit.
Pendant, by Jan McCune, jewelry artist
This piece is an etched brass pendant with etched copper, brass tubing, red jasper, Tiger’s eye and red agate on antiqued brass chain. The pendant measures 3.25 x 1.75 inches.
A retired arts educator, McCune is a three-time recipient of prestigious Indiana Arts Commission grants. She designs and creates one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces from silver, copper, and glass using traditional techniques.
“Road by the River,” oil on linen, by Alan Patrick
Early one morning after a new snow, Alan Patrick took picture of this setting along the Mississinewa River. He slipped down the bank and got covered in mud, but it was well worth it because that experience inspired this beautiful piece of art, which exhibited at the Hoosier Salon, a juried art show at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis. Patrick has been painting in oil and en plein air since he was 8 years old!
“She Sent Me A Letter,” watercolor, by Cindy Norrick Turner
“She Sent Me A Letter” is characterized by a mix of vibrant colors including yellows, purples, greens and rust. A sense of movement is created by the dynamic and expressive brush strokes used. As with all abstract art, this painting was not meant to answer questions but instead to start conversations.
Cindy Norrick Turner is a watercolor artist from rural Delaware County in Indiana. Norrick Turner’s paintings have been exhibited in juried local, state, regional, national, and international shows, where she has won numerous awards. Norrick Turner has studied under some of the best watercolorists in the United States, including Marilynn Derwenskus, John Salminen, Barbara Nechis, Susan Tregay, and Soon Y Warren. She is a member of the Watercolor Society of Indiana, the Muncie Artist Guild, the Indiana Artists Club, the International Watercolor Society, the Women in Watercolor International Organization and the National Watercolor Society.
“Sunset Glow,” pastel plein air, by Carol Strock Wasson
Carol Strock Wasson of Union City painted this on location in Randolph County. Fast work is required at this time of day, light travels quickly and decisions must be made before the colors fade.
Strock Wasson is a signature member of American Women Artists, a Master Pastelist member of Chicago Pastel Painters. In 2019 she achieved Master Circle status with IAPS (International Association of Pastel Societies) and in 2022 became a Master at Pastel Society of America. She is focused on painting with spontaneity and freshness with primarily pastel medium and occasionally oil. Her dedication is evident in awards and entry into prestigious shows across the country.