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Last large egg helps start art show
Art WEB
Annette Adams and daughter Kaylie get a closer look at artist Rick Rennick’s first-place painting, “Maybelle,” at the annual Sawnee Artists Association show. - photo by Jim Dean
The final of two dozen eggs made its appearance outside the Central Park Recreation Center on Friday as the Sawnee Artists Association annual show got under way inside.The mosaic egg is the 24th, and probably the last, placed in Forsyth County as part of a multi-group project that began in 2008 to promote arts in the community and celebrate the county’s heritage.The Sawnee Woman’s Club, Forsyth County Parks and Recreation and the Sawnee Artists Association have led the way on designing, decorating and installing the eggs.All the fiberglass eggs have been painted except for the newest release, which is a mosaic, said Paula Chambers with the artists association.Her design for the egg was inspired by an original plan to put a sensory garden in at the Central Park rec center, which was shelved when the building expanded.“I decided then that the egg should be a flower garden,” she said.The piece had been in the works for several years, and Chambers said she, Jennie Viers and other members of the association worked on it.“The egg was a labor of love for a lot of people,” Chambers said. “It was nice that we were able to get it completed and installed in time for the show.”March Art Madness is the nonprofit’s 12th annual show and sale of the Sawnee Artists members’ works.Formerly known as Bellezza, the show featured 135 artworks and a raffle to raise funds for the Marcus E. & Sharon B. Gunter Foundation, which provides free monthly meals to the county’s hungry.Charlotte Gardner, past president of the association, was pleased with the show’s setup as she watched a purple ribbon being placed on “Maybelle,” a painting by Rick Rennick.“This is the first time we’ve had ribbons and judging of this particular annual show,” Gardner said.She also was pleased to welcome the association’s many new members. One of those, Kris Straukas, said she enjoyed volunteering with the other artists to set up and promote the creativity.Straukas said she was impressed with “the level of detail and beauty that’s in the community.”