DALLAS — Art students from Sue Hand’s Imagery studio in Dallas showcased their creations this week at the 41st annual Student Art Exhibit.
The event draws hundreds of art lovers each year to view and purchase pieces created by regional talent, including artists from as far away as Allentown and Binghamton, N.Y.
Owner Sue Hand said several hundred pieces were on display, including styles such as impressionism, realism, graphic art and cartoons.
“The students participate in the art school for the enjoyment of creating something,” Hand said. They range from elementary school children to senior citizens, novices to professionals.
“There are professionals who are honing their skills and young students who seek to pursue a career in the arts,” she said. “There are also students who just enjoy the camaraderie with other artists.”
Nature scenes, landscapes, cityscapes, portraits and more were crafted with acrylics, oils, watercolors, graphics and inks. One illustrated book on display commemorated a family’s history from Irish immigrants to the present day.
“We help people paint what they want, the way they want,” she said. “We don’t want to make clones of me.”
Christine Lisman, whose 7-year-old son Andrew, a student in the Dallas School District, feels his participation in the art classes has done a lot to open his eyes to the world.
“He really looks at things differently and more closely,” Lisman said. “He talks about art a lot,” pointing out artistic features like backgrounds and colors.
Andrew added that making art is like creating a “rainbow.” Plus, he said, painting gives him a chance to depict history.
Some of Hand’s students have been attending the school for about a year, while others have attended for decades. She enjoys seeing former students and other visitors come to the exhibit to review the new art being created there every day.
Art available for sale ranged in price from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. Hand estimated almost 1,000 people visited the store during the exhibit.