Seasonal gallery exhibits spring landscapes by Randolph County plein air artist
March 13, 2024 -- Master pastelist Carol Strock Wasson illustrates Indiana's spring landscapes through her paintings, now on display in the seasonal gallery at Reid Health Primary & Specialty Care - Winchester.
The Union City,
Indiana, artist is known for her work in the pastel medium. She also works in
oil, monotype prints, and watercolor. Wasson's art incorporates the rural
landscape, focusing on color, shape, and design in the plein air tradition.
She said it's an
honor to share her work at Reid Health in Winchester.
"Looking at art
can be a powerful and transformative experience," Wasson said. "It's through
art that we can see the world in a new way and find the peace and joy of the
moment. I hope people who stop in at the facility will look, enjoy the artwork,
and perhaps feel enriched."
In February,
Wasson opened a three-month exhibition at Reid Health's MacDowell Gallery. "Artistic
Expressions of Thursday Art Therapy Group: A remarkable collective of personal
expression and healing" shares the artistic work of women bonded by their
resilience through life's toughest challenges such as death, divorce, and
adversities.
Wasson achieved
master circle status with the International Association of Pastel Societies in
2019. She's a pastel signature member of the American Women Artists and the
Pastel Society of America. Also, she's a master pastelist member of Chicago
Pastel Painters. She works and teaches from Strock Wasson Studio in Union City.
Reid Health Primary
& Specialty Care - Winchester also has the work of two Randolph County residents
on permanent display.
While visiting
providers, patients can enjoy local photographs by Greg Sommer and Vicki
Vardaman. Both are self-taught photographers who enjoy the medium as a hobby.
Sommers is a
wildlife, nature, and landscape photographer. He enjoys historic photo documentations
of old buildings, homes, and other places to capture images of buildings before
they disappear for future generations.
Sommers was
raised in the Deerfield area and continues to live there with his wife, two
children, and three grandchildren. He's a 1986 graduate of Winchester Community
High School. A factory worker, Sommer is also a founding member and board president
for the restoration of Ward Township District No. 5 School, a historic one-room
schoolhouse located southeast of Deerfield.
A native of
Lynn, Indiana, Vardaman graduated from Winchester Community High School and
studied fine arts and graphic design at IU East.
She photographs
urban decay and abandoned buildings. Her work has been on exhibit at Reid
Health's MacDowell Gallery and Indiana University East in Richmond.
Vardaman retired
as executive director of the Art Association of Randolph County in June 2023. Now,
she's the gallery curator for Reid Health's MacDowell Gallery and spaces
throughout the health system, bringing healing through art.