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Artists take center stage at McKinney's Second Saturday
By Allen Rich
Mar 16, 2009

There will always be ebb and flow when it comes to the impact art has in a community and the colors were flowing this past weekend.  As if taking their cue from spring's first brilliant blooms, art aficionados took to the streets in historic downtown McKinney to show their support for a countywide art show and variety of complimentary events at local galleries.  

Of course, the centerpiece was the 45th Annual Collin County Adult Art Show held in the flagship of the renovated McKinney Square, the McKinney Performing Arts Center.  Featuring 160 pieces of art ranging from professional painters, a remarkable display of clay art and a novice artist division from participants across Collin County, the Collin County Adult Art Show attracted a steady stream of visitors to downtown McKinney

"Paul...A Study" by Jerry Hunsinger

"Paul...A Study" by Jerry Hunsinger was certainly deserving of a blue ribbon from judges in the professional division, but judging by the proud faces of all the artists, as well appreciative art admirers that slowly worked their way through the impressive art show, everyone left a winner. 

For more information about the McKinney Art Club, visit http://www.mckinneyartclub.com/

And McKinney truly was an art destination on Saturday, with all the galleries in the downtown area featuring fascinating displays for art patrons in town for Second Saturday, an evening of filled with art, fine dining and unique shopping opportunities from 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. 

Laura Moore's Fine Art Studios presented "Map it Out," a robust collection of hand-painted maps of two places artist Laura Moore has lived---Paris, France and Texas.  The collection primarily featured historic maps from the 1800s and early 1900s.

Laura Moore stands beside her hand-painted historic maps of Texas

"I'm fascinated by all the shapes Texas has been," Moore explains as she looks over the acrylic-on-paper maps dating from 1835 to 1845.

One of the projects she has in the works is to hand-paint an even older map, this one originally drawn in the 1700s that refers to the present location of Texas as "Mexico or New Spain."

Moore is also excited that Laura Moore's Fine Art Studios will soon be relocating to 107 South Tennessee.   Her new location will be much closer to the McKinney Square.

This will soon be the location of Laura Moore Fine Art Studio

For more information, call Laura at  214.914.3630 or visit www.lauramooreart.com.

Blank Canvas Art & Design is an interesting new gallery also located just off the Square at 207 East Louisiana.  With an impressive array of contributing talent, Blank Canvas Art & Design will feature artists Carol Benson and Chris Cobb, as well as the art of Susan Hanson and sculpture by Art Wells.  Denison ceramic artist Joni Beamish was also featured on Saturday.  For more information, email info@bcaagroup.com

Blank Canvas Art & Design

Orisons Fine Art and Framing offered a stunning of variety of photography and art, with the interesting addition of the 3-D oil sculpture paintings from Reflectionist artist Carrie Cameron.  For more information about Orison's, email orison@swbell.net or call 972-529-1441

For more information about Carrie Cameron, visit www.thecamerongallery.com

"The Weathered Door" by Toni Andrukaitis

Annie Royer's "Guitar Horses"



Happy Trails Carriage Service (http://happytrailscarriage.com/index.html)

McKinney Kammerguild Society practices for Haydn 200th Anniversary Concert held March 14 at McKinney Performing Arts Center

Pottery of Sona Knox

Laurie Lindemeier and "Sunbather"

Sketching by D.W. Overman

Moroccan Sunset" by Carmen Rives

Toni Andrukaitis stands beside her painting of her mother