Nickel Plate Arts is featuring three artists of the month in October. The artists of the month include Critt Hunter, Jerry Mannell, and Shelley Feeney, and each of their exhibits will be featured at a different Nickel Plate Arts showcase location. Information on the exhibit dates, receptions, and artist details are available below.
STEPHENSON HOUSE
Critt Hunter
Hunter
Critt Hunter has been on an amazing journey as an artist, and last year’s 10th Anniversary Nickel Plate Arts Gala included a memorable milestone for him as he accepted the Emerging Artist of the Year award.
“Nickel Plate Arts truly, truly holds a special place in my heart,” Hunter said. “The impact that Nickel Plate brought me gave me strength. Imagine an almost 70-year-old receiving Emerging Artist! Never, ever did I imagine such an acceptance.”
When it comes to his journey to becoming an artist, Hunter credits small experiences presented by wonderful educators. Growing up, he was a straight-A student in school, yet it was an art contest in third grade that brought his personal best reward and a blue ribbon. Assuming he did not possess the creative talents needed to become a full-time artist, Hunter did not realize his own passion was appreciated by others until later on in his life during his senior years when his art was accepted into exhibits, art fairs, The Hoosier Salon, and Indiana Artisan.
Now, after three years of making his living as a full-time artist, Hunter is narrowing his focus to all florals. These pieces – which he says he believes best represent his desire to bring curiosity and happiness to the viewer – will be on display in his upcoming exhibit, The Sensation of Vibrant Color.
“My desired audience is anyone who appreciates the time involved in a painting and the thought process behind composition, technique, and color,” Hunter said.
While he acknowledges the fact that many artists paint florals, Hunter hopes his color vibrancy forces an “aesthetic pause” among his audience and results in a “positive, memorable” experience.
The full The Sensation of Vibrant Color exhibit can be seen Oct. 6 to 28 from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Stephenson House. You can meet Hunter during the October First Friday event from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Stephenson House on the Nickel Plate Arts campus.
MEYER NAJEM
Jerry Mannell
Mannell
Jerry Mannell, an artist known for his diverse influences, doesn’t aim to emulate specific artists but draws inspiration from various sources, including the transitional phase of abstract art. His background in graphic design is evident in his use of shape and composition, blending seamlessly with his image-oriented approach.
Mannell’s creative process varies, sometimes starting with a composition, other times with an image in his mind, resulting in a unique and conceptual style that is somewhere between the surreal and pop genres.
“The freedom to mix abstract or two-dimensional shapes in an otherwise representational framework allows me great freedom in my palette,” Mannell said. “I can deviate from the natural world and its colors exactly because I incorporate non-representational elements in a painting. I like color, you just can’t easily get odd juxtapositions of color in a wholly natural setting.”
The surreal quality comes through in his work not in terms of technical execution but rather in its conceptual presentation.
“I try to keep my imagery open-ended so that viewers can bring their own frame of reference and perhaps achieve something common,” Mannell explained. “Poets use dualities in language to the same effect. My greatest compliment is when different people see entirely different meanings in a painting, or better yet when one individual sees more than one idea.”
See Mannell’s full exhibit, Points of Reference, Oct. 6 to Dec. 29 in the Meyer Najem 2nd floor gallery, located at 11787 Lantern Road, Fishers, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can meet Mannell at his free public reception from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Meyer Najem.
FOUR DAY RAY
Shelley Feeney
Feeney
Shelley Feeney is an accomplished artist with a deep passion for capturing the beauty of nature and landscapes through her vibrant and textured paintings. She currently resides in Fishers with her husband and three daughters and teaches art at Fall Creek Junior High School.
Feeney’s preferred medium for her paintings is oil paint, and she uses her fingers and a palette knife to apply the paint to her canvases.
“I love how the paint flows between my fingers,” Feeney said. “It is very free and almost spiritual. Humans start painting at a very young age with their fingers. Let’s go back to our roots and feel that same joy we did as a child.”
Feeney draws her inspiration for her artwork from the natural world, particularly the vast landscapes and the interplay of light and color. Her paintings reflect her fascination with the way light impacts our perception of color, and she uses vibrant hues and impasto texture to create a sense of movement within her artwork.
One of her major artistic influences is Vincent van Gogh, whose ability to convey emotion through the layering of colors resonates deeply with Feeney. She aspires to evoke similar emotions in her viewers through her work.
Feeney’s exhibit, Traveling Through Texture and Light, captures landscapes from her personal travels and those of her close friends and family. Her goal for the exhibit is for the viewers to have a memory of traveling to a place like the ones depicted in her paintings.
“My paintings are not made to capture the exact landscape like a photograph would,” Feeney said. “They are inspired by the photographs and made to take the viewer to a magical place, filled with vibrant colors and wild textures that they want to reach out and touch.”
Feeney’s full exhibit, Traveling Through Texture and Light, can be seen Oct. 6 to Dec. 29 at Four Day Ray Brewing, 11671 Lantern Road, Fishers, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. You can meet Feeney at her free public reception from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16 at Four Day Ray.
About Nickel Plate Arts
Nickel Plate Arts is an umbrella nonprofit organization that creates and coordinates arts and cultural experiences across communities in eastern Hamilton County and the surrounding areas to improve the quality of life for residents, strengthen local economies, and enrich experiences for visitors. Nickel Plate Arts is a project of Hamilton County Tourism, Inc.