Thursday, March 5, 2009

Artists show off Best of the Best

March 5, 2009

Twenty Plainfield Art League members selected what they consider to be their best pieces for the first Best of the Best exhibit.

The exhibit, which features a variety of mediums including oil, watercolor and colored pencil, will be available for viewing through March 11 at the Plainfield Art League and Gallery.

Although the league regularly features member shows that are open to the public, this show is also the prelude to the Alliance of Fine Arts Best of the Best Show, which opens Sept. 19 at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook.

Because each of the 14 leagues that comprise the alliance can only submit 10 pieces of art to the show, PAL president Sheryl Jones said having their own show is a fun way to narrow down those selections.

"Last January we only had 39 members and we're up to over 60 now," Jones said. "Each member was asked to pick their very favorite piece of art for our show and each member could only enter one piece. Members can vote on their 10 favorite pieces."

Although every member had the opportunity to submit artwork for the PAL show, some, such as some of the students at PAL art classes, chose not to do so. One member who did not participate was Jones herself.

Jones usually does glass work, she said, and has just recently started painting. "I just don't feel I'm ready to exhibit yet," she said.

Nevertheless, the artists represented in this show are a mixture of professional artists accustomed to regularly exhibiting and artists who only occasionally publicly display their work, Jones noted.

This show is a means for the public to see the array of artistic talent that exists in the community.

"I'm astonished at the high caliber of art we're getting," Jones said. "The number of high-quality artists and entries has increased with every exhibit. If you have children, this is a great opportunity to introduce them to art in an accessible way."

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