Kudzu Art Zone Celebrates Spring With Flora And Fauna

Spring is in the air at Kudzu Art Zone. The “Flora and Fauna” art exhibit opened on March 4 and runs through April 30. Members made a vast array of art featuring flora and fauna of all types, from life-like apples and trees to whimsical lions and elephants.

The last day of the exhibit coincides with the Norcross Blossoms Festival, which includes garden tours and other flower-themed events taking place in downtown Norcross.

The Kudzu Art Zone will be hosting a flower arranging workshop led by prominent Atlanta artist and instructor, Chris Sherry, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on April 30 as well. Contact them for more information about cost and supplies. 

Out of the 76 entries, three were chosen to win the bragging rights and cash prizes associated with first, second and third place. Another three were awarded honorable mentions.

Catherine Henry won $100 for her piece titled “Red Shouldered Hawk.” The beautiful light teal background and realistic hawk were meticulously drawn in color pencil. She says didn’t create the piece specifically for the "Flora and Fauna" show. She and her husband had been photographing a family of hawks for a couple of years and she fell in love with the contrast of their sharp beaks and claws next to the softness of their feathers.

Second place was awarded to Mikki Root Dillion for her piece, “At the Foot of the Mountain,” receiving a $50 cash prize.

Dillon is a member of the National League of American Pen Women.“It is a group that you have to be juried into. There are painters, visual artists, there are people who compose music, there are people who write poetry,” she said. “You all have to be professionals. You all have to have sold your work.”

Last spring they held their meeting at a memorial garden at the back of Stone Mountain. They were given time to paint at the end of the meeting, this is when she created her award-winning piece.

“It was beautiful,” she said, “The rocks and the back of the mountain.”

Carol Luttenberg won a $25 prize for her piece titled, “Sun Through the Trees,” which came in third place. It's an abstract watercolor painting, but despite its abstract nature, you can still distinctly see the gold, bronze and red sunlight shining through the dark forms of the trees.

Luttenberg said she lets the painting decide what it's going to be. "I just spray paint on the paper and get all the different kinds of textures on and then whatever appears. That's what's the painting is," she explained.

John Hope received an honorable mention for the acrylic painting of a water lily pond he made for his daughter’s birthday. It was inspired by a photograph taken of her during a visit to Monet's Gardens in Giverny, France.  He said his daughter is very understanding and is waiting until after the exhibit is over to receive her gift.

Susan Faircloth said she never runs out of ideas for bird, bird nest and butterfly paintings. She received an honorable mention for her collage called, “Coming Home.” 

“I’m interested in close-ups of these themes as they suggest home and new life to me,” she said.

Rae Prall also received an honorable mention for her acrylic painting, “Oh Give Me a Home.” It’s a landscape featuring a herd of buffalo milling around a grassy field with a mountain range looming in the distance.  Prall traveled to Montana with her husband this past October. They were both impressed with the beauty of the area.

“I was particularly fascinated with the buffalo--they are very imposing creatures,” she explained. “The painting was inspired by a photograph of them.”