SMALL WORKS ON PAPER 2025 EXHIBITION
Join Us for the Small Works on Paper Exhibition Opening Reception!
Date: January 30 • Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM • Location: UA Little Rock's Windgate Center of Art + Design, Little Rock
I'm excited to share that my 7x7 watercolor piece, Provenance, has been selected to tour with the 2025 Arkansas Arts Council’s Small Works on Paper Exhibition. This annual showcase celebrates the creativity of Arkansas artists through a traveling exhibit that highlights outstanding small-format works.
Provenance (7x7) This work explores questions of chronology, ownership, custody, and the location of historical objects, as well as the challenges of determining their provenance and authenticity. It examines how objects considered to be art are often subject to evolving interpretations over time.
For example, crystal skulls were once believed to be pre-Columbian artifacts crafted by ancient Mesoamerican civilizations. However, modern research and technological advancements have revealed that these artifacts are more likely from the 19th century, possibly created in Europe.
Crystal skulls serve as a compelling illustration of how initial assumptions about the origins of an artifact can be reevaluated and reshaped through meticulous investigation and evolving methodologies.
2025 Small Works on Paper Touring Schedule:
January/February: UA Little Rock's Windgate Center of Art + Design, Little Rock
March: River Valley Arts Center, Russellville
April: Community Creative Center, Fayetteville
May: UA Rich Mountain, Mena
June: Arts & Science Center, Pine Bluff
July/August: Delta Cultural Center, Helena
September: SAU Magnolia, Magnolia
October: UA Monticello, Monticello
November: Harding University, Searcy
Opening Reception: January 30, 2025 • 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM • UA Little Rock / Windgate Center of Art + Design • 5617 W. 28th St • Little Rock, AR 72204
FIGURE DRAWING AT COMMUNITY CREATIVE CENTER
These are details of my student work. Join us Mondays, 6:30-8:30 pm, FEB 17, 24 | MAR 3, 10, 17, 24 at Community Creative Center for Figure Drawing and develop your eye and your hand as you learn fundamental Figure Drawing techniques such as gesture, form, light and shadow as well as anatomy based on a live model. An undraped Male or Female model will be present in each class. Whether you are a seasoned professional artist or beginner, this class will help you learn to loosen up, build confidence and speed and see the figure in all new ways!
Figure drawing is foundational for any artist working with the human form, enhancing their ability to create more accurate, dynamic, and expressive works across various artistic fields such as……
Animators
Illustrators
Fine Artists
Tattoo Artists
Fashion Designers
Concept Artists
Medical Illustrators
Architects
Storyboard Artists
Mondays, 6:30-8:30 PM • FEB 17, 24 | MAR 3, 10, 17, 24 • Community Creative Center • Fayetteville, AR
POPE COUNTY LIBRARY AUTHOR TALK / BOOK SIGNING
Join artist and author Sean Fitzgibbon at the Pope County Library in Russellville for an engaging discussion about his book, What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel. This 240-page, fully painted graphic nonfiction explores the gripping and eerie history of the Crescent Hotel during its two years as the Baker Hospital—a fraudulent Depression-era cancer treatment center.
What Follows Is True masterfully weaves together oral histories, newspaper articles, and the writings of Norman Baker to uncover this chilling chapter in history while examining the complex nature of real-life villains. The book has received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews for exceptional merit, described as "a gripping, moody, illustrated chronicle of the notorious Crescent Hotel."
Books will be available for purchase. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore a fascinating blend of art, history, and storytelling.
Special thanks to Genealogist Leslie Tedder.
February 8 • 11 AM • Pope County Library • 116 E. 3rd Street • Russellville, Arkansas
DUO EXHIBITION AT HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM
This exhibition is on display in the Trinity Gallery for Arkansas Artists at the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, from February 14 through May 25, 2025.
Graphic novels combine the aesthetic sensibility of comic books with the academic legitimacy of literature. And while graphic non-fiction is a more recent addition to this genre, it’s an extremely effective form for memoirs and documentary-style storytelling. The combination of words and images produces an almost cinematic effect, transporting readers into an immersive space that feels relatable and real.
Fayetteville-based artist and author Sean Fitzgibbon uses visual storytelling to explore unusual places and strange (but true!) events. For his most recent graphic nonfiction book, What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel, Sean investigated the tragic history of the Baker Hospital, a Depression-era cancer treatment center that was briefly housed in the Crescent Hotel. Using moody, atmospheric imagery, each hand-painted panel sets the stage for the tale of Norman Baker, a real-life con man whose deadly lies were more
frightening than any ghost story.
Kasten Searles employs a few digital tools in her art practice, but her latest foray into nonfiction storytelling still relies heavily on her expert drawing and painting skills. Kasten’s current project shares a harrowing personal account of the tornado that ripped through Little Rock on March 31, 2023. She depicts the tornado’s aftermath with a survivor’s sensitivity, juxtaposing delicate linework with tempestuous ink and watercolor washes to evoke the chaos of displacement and recovery efforts.
You can pick up a copy of What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel in the HAM Museum Store. Sean Fitzgibbon’s upcoming work includes a graphic nonfiction book about the history, folklore, and science surrounding the Plum Bayou Mounds site.
Kasten McClellan Searles is an artist, illustrator, and educator living in Little Rock. She serves as the head of the Art Department at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, where she teaches illustration, design, and studio art. Her artwork is regularly published in magazines, and Kasten’s illustrations are included in HAM’s Collecting Arkansas Made and Knife Gallery exhibits.
Special thanks to Curator of Exhibits, Carey Voss.
February 14 - May 25 • Historic Arkansas Museum • 200 East Third St • Little Rock, AR
This month's banner image is from my painting inspired by a trip to New Orleans and depicts Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau (1801–1881), a prominent religious leader and community activist in the city. Of African, Native American, and French descent, Laveau practiced a form of African and Native American spiritualism known as Voodoo, which became syncretized with Catholic and Francophone culture in New Orleans.
Marie Laveau was a midwife, nurse, and herbalist who held theatrical public rituals at Bayou St. John and Congo Square. These ceremonies, aimed at healing and protection, often left unaccustomed onlookers both fascinated and confounded.
Her daughter, also named Marie Laveau, shared her mother's spiritual practices but was more flamboyant in her public persona. Over time, history has frequently confused the two women, often attributing the title of Voodoo Queen to both.
In addition to their spiritual roles, both women worked as sought-after hairdressers for wealthy Creole and American women. This profession allowed them to gain power and prestige, becoming confidantes and, at times, spiritual advisors to some of New Orleans’ most influential citizens.