On the Town: Art exhibit features diverse pieces of art by local women

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Patricia Ogdon’s oil on paper presentation of “Ocean Chromology” took second place honors at Friday’s opening night reception of “Hot & Cold.”

(David Laurell / Burbank Leader)

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The third place ribbon was bestowed upon Suzanne Budd’s acrylic on canvas creation “Mysterious Presence.”

(David Laurell / Burbank Leader)

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Serving as host and hostess at last week’s reception were gallery curator Virginia Causton-Keene and staff member Paul Paolone.

(David Laurell / Burbank Leader)

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Among the members of Women Painters West whose work is featured in “Hot & Cold” are Debra Hintz, left, who took honorable mention honors, and Terry Romero Paul.

(David Laurell / Burbank Leader)

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Lynn Gadal, left, pictured with her painting “Ghost Tree,” was joined by fellow artist Eva Andry as honorable mention winners.

(David Laurell / Burbank Leader)

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Although artist Brenda Stone was not able to be present due to a previous commitment, her acrylic on canvas creation “Between Birth & Death” took top honors at last week’s opening reception of “Hot & Cold.”

(David Laurell / Burbank Leader)

By David Laurell

June 12, 2018 1:50 PM PT

The power of art can warm the heart and inject a disturbing chill into the soul. Few things other than art, in all its genres and manifestations, can heat emotions to feverish levels and cool the mind to relax in peace and tranquility.

It was with the embrace of that knowledge that the edict went forth to artists of Women Painters West, to create a painting, drawing or collage for a juried exhibition predicated on the subject of “Hot & Cold.”

The results of that call to artistic arms is now on display at the art gallery of Burbank’s Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center.

The 50-piece exhibit, showcasing the diverse artistic talents of local women, officially opened this past week following a Friday evening reception in which awards were presented to the creators of the top works.

Independently selected by the exhibit’s juror, Marie Thibeault, who serves as a professor of art at California State University Long Beach, the show’s top honor was given to Brenda Stone for her acrylic-on-canvas creation titled “Between Birth & Death.”

Patricia Ogdon’s oil-on-paper presentation of “Ocean Chromology” took second place, while the acrylic-on-canvas creation of Suzanne Budd dubbed “Mysterious Presence” came in third.

The evening also saw honorable mention awards presented to Debra Hintz, Lynn Gadal and Eva Andry.

With works of various styles that capture a broad range of subjects, from people and places, to objects and representational abstracts, “Hot & Cold” will be on exhibit through June 28.

With one show just beginning, the gallery’s curator, Virginia Causton-Keene, was already looking ahead to next month’s exhibit with excitement.

“Our July exhibit will showcase one artist, Lynda Reyes,” Causton-Keen said during Friday’s opening reception. “She is a phenomenal Filipino American painter who has battled cancer and says her art has given her the reason to live.”

Reyes, an art historian, author and educator, paints representational subjects in oil and watercolor and is a highly skilled portrait artist.

She has taught art history at Glendale Community College as well as Santa Monica, East L.A., Rio Hondo and Pasadena City colleges, and has also been involved with visual-arts programs for the Glendale Unified School District.

The opening reception for Reyes’ show will be held at 7 p.m.on July 6 at the Lueke Center, which is located in George Izay Park.

For more information about the current exhibit and future shows, call (818) 238-5397.

DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.