A new exhibit at the Janice Mason Art Museum in downtown Cadiz features large-scale animal paintings by a Texas artist, Lori Spradley, who will attend the opening reception of “Animal Magnetism” from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 12.
Spradley is a painter, graphic designer and illustrator who specializes in oil paintings of animals and people. According to her website, she works in several forms of media, including oils, acrylic, watercolor and color pencils.
“I create an impression of [an animal’s] charm or temper … whether it is with a gleam of an eye or a flare of a nostril,” Spradley writes. “While painting, I strive to create lighting that is truthful to the surroundings without the confusion of its reality.”
A native of Parma, Ohio, Spradley moved to Texas when she was 13 years old and now resides in Dripping Spring about 20 miles west of Austin. She is a 1987 graduate of the Art Institute of Houston.
Janice Mason Art Museum board member Nan Waldrop said the exhibit is made possible by a donation from H&R Agripower. The exhibit will run through Aug. 22.
Waldrop said Spradley’s art is a “big deal,” both for its artistry and the size of the paintings. Some are 4 feet tall.
In a Facebook post, a museum representative described an interaction with the freight truck driver who drove the paintings to Cadiz.
The driver asked, “What’s so special about this little museum that I traveled over 800 miles to bring this art here?”
And the answer was, “We focus on bringing quality art to our rural community …”
Located at 71 Main St., the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
