May Artist of the Month: Ben Darling

A Sidney resident since 1997, Mr. Darling is the middle school and upper elementary art teacher for Sidney Public Schools. Darling also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Sidney Campus of WNCC, offering courses in painting and drawing. He has had numerous residencies with the Nebraska Arts Council Artist in the Schools and Communities program and toured shows with the Nebraska Touring Program. In 2004 he received a Masters Degree in Education from UNK.

Darling is known for his landscape paintings which can be found in many private and public collections.  The appeal of the changing light and interaction between the weather and the land keeps him out and looking for subject matter.  Ninety percent of the time his work is started on location.  Sketched in with oil paint on canvas, the paintings are then completed in the studio.  His recent drawings are of local wild flowers, generally started from life and finished in pastel and colored pencil.  He also does theatrical painting for Way Out West, and has helped with the High School musicals and one act plays as a scenic artist.

With some of his spare time he makes hand built pottery, most often using the coil and paddle method.  Darling also enjoys bicycling, backpacking, hiking and gardening. 

Darling's work will be on display at the CCCC and the Sidney Public Library through June 9, 2014.  The public is encouraged to view his fine artworks! 

Pat Albers: June Artist of the Month

The Cheyenne County Art Guild has selected Pat Albers as the June Artist of the Month.  Albers has fun doing art and creates artworks just for the pure joy of it.  She did a little art while in high school several years ago and didn't do much with her creativity until after her husband passed away six years ago.  Since then she is enjoying painting whatever catches her eye.  When asked what her favorite subject matter was, she stated, " Whatever comes to mind."  She has painted on paper and canvas but doesn't let a stray piece of burlap or slate go to waste either.  "When something sparks my imagination," she said, "I go with it!" 
Alber's favorite media are acrylic paints and oil pastels.  Her creative artworks of landscapes, flowers, etc. are happily shared and given away to family and friends  One of her artworks won a First Place Award at the CCAG Spring Art Show in April and was one of over 350 artworks in the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs Annual Conference June 11-14, 2014, in McCook, NE.
After moving to Sidney from Council Bluffs, IA, Albers has enjoyed the exchange of art ideas and fun with other artists of the Cheyenne County Art Guild of which she is a member.  She also works at the Fort Sidney Museum during the summertime where she paints original postcards in her spare time.  

Pat Albers' acrylic painting titled "A Walk with Jesus" is on display now through July 13, 2014 at the Sidney Public Library.  Twelve other artworks of Albers are on display at the Cheyenne County Community Center.  The public is encouraged to view these creative and joyful artworks.

Annual Spring Art Show

The CCAG is proud to announce their annual art show.

Location: Cheyenne Co. Community Center
April 1 - Entries Due (mail or email to Chuck)
April 3 (Thur) 5p-7p enter art work
April 4 (Fri) 9a-11:30a judging
11:30a-12:30p critique
5-8 artist’s reception
April 5 (Sat) 9a – 7p Open to Public
April 6 (Sun) 12p-4:30p Open to Public
4:30p-5p take down show

Cindi Egging: Feb/March Artist of the Month

OOOPS!!!  Seems that there was an error in info transfer.  Will fix this and get it posted ASAP!!!

Ann Darling: January Artist of the Month

The Cheyenne County Art Guild has selected local artist Ann Darling as Artist of the Month.  Darling is a life-long resident of Cheyenne County, a graduate of Sidney High School, and holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts, a Master of Education Degree from the University of Nebraska and a Master of Science in Instructional Technology from the University of Nebraska, Kearney.  And in Nov 2006, she earned National Certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.  Darling teaches general art, 3D design, multimedia, graphic design and web design classes at Sidney Public Schools.  As an adjunct instructor at WNCC - Sidney Center, she has taught watercolor, drawing, design fundamentals, graphic design, and elementary art methods.

Ann has been a member of the CCAG since 1994 and has shown her artwork in the CCAG Spring Show, the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs Converence, and many other art shows.  Awards for her artwork include CCAG People's Choie in 2006, Reserve Grand Champion at the Cheyenne County Fair in 2005, Honorable Mention at the ANAC Conference in  1997, and many other awards.

Amaryllis - Belladona

Most often working in colored pencil, Darling once mentioned that she enjoys drawing the unique and interesting things that people ofter overlook or take for granted - "The things in the nooks and crannies of places -- the backyard, nature, etc."  Her expertly rendered stalks of rhubarb drawing (and many other drawings) attest to this and end in an artwork that opens people's eyes to the beauty around them. 

Her most recent work on display at the Sidney Public Library is a colored pencil exploration of antique paper and the flower "Amaryllis Belladonna."  Ann Darling has twelve other artworks on display at the Cheyenne County Community Center in Sidney through February 10th.  The public is encouraged to see these fine examples of Darling's talent and expertise.

December Artist of the Month: Virginia Goesch

Virginia Goesch was selected as December Artist of the Month and has her artwork exhibited at the Cheyenne County Community Center and the Sidney Public Library through Monday, January 13, 2014.  Goesch’s focus is landscapes rendered in oil and acrylic paints and the things included in the landscapes.  She also paints people and animals.  She finds herself drawn to old things--their function, imperfections, their shadows and their impact on the land.  She states, “I’m influenced by how I grew up, where and when I grew up in rural Nebraska—the Depression, being poor, the wars, storms, and being alone in the rural parts of Nebraska.”  These are reflected in Goesch’s work, which show the sensitivity of having grown up during hard times and yet with the delight of color, wonderment, and happy times, too.

She finds she’s still amazed at taking a flat piece of paper or any surface and creating distance and depth with paint.  As a child she was interested in distance, changing skies and clouds, colors in the sky, plants in the pasture and the trees.  She grew up around horses and cows and she tried to draw the horses.  “I knew there was a way to know how to draw and I finally found it,” she said.  Goesch said that she is still challenged by color, the seasons, and the time of day.  She remains amazed at summer lightening revealing a storm, of the depth of light and the reflective quality of it.  She continues to question, observe, and learn.  She describes her work as somewhere between realistic and impressionistic.

Goesch has been a member of the Cheyenne County Art Guild since she moved to Sidney in 2003 upon her retirement from the teaching profession.  She has attended numerous workshops on watercolor, oil, and pastel.  Her works have been shown at Kearney, Neligh, Sidney, Holyoke, CO, murals in local businesses in Sidney, and the Cheyenne County Fair.  Her work has won many awards and been in the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs Conference Annual Show.  One of her special awards was winning the People’s Choice Award at the 2013 CCAG Spring Show with her artwork titled “Red Barn”.  Great things are coming from this fine artist, Virginia Goesch!

Chuck Borcher: Artist of the Month ~ Oct/Nov

The Cheyenne County Art Guild has selected Chuck Borcher as the October/November Artist of the Month.  Chuck began drawing and painting while in grade school.  Throughout his life, Borcher has always maintained a love for creating works of art.  Even when college and career choices--Engineering and Computer Science--led him in other directions, he has dedicated much of his free time to drawing painting and photography.

Borcher's artwork and photographs have won many awards including several Best of Shows, Association of Nebraska Art Clubs awards, and People's Choice Awards.  His love of photography has led to a lucrative secondary career that he likes to call his working summer vacations.  Over the years he has been selected three times as the official photographer of the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association Finals Rodeo.  He has also served as photographer for the Wyoming Professional Rodeo Association, the Colorado Professional Rodeo Association, and the Nebraska State Rodeo Association.  

"Getting to mix my love for rodeo with my love for painting makes a very enjoyable and rewarding experience," Borcher stated. "With my photography I get to add another aspect to the creative mix."  On display through Monday, November 11th are thirteen photographs--one at the Sidney Public Library and twelve at the Cheyenne County Community Center.  The public is encouraged to view these fine photographs by Chuck Borcher, CCAG President.