After several weeks of writing ARTicles for this site, I've been asked more than once, «Shouldn't your writing be more gay since you are writing for the Gay News Bureau?» The question keeps popping up in my mind while I've been painting nonstop for an upcoming show.

I feel that most folks gay or straight, do what they do whether it is writing, painting, cooking, or working their everyday jobs with little thought of their sexual orientation. When I'm scrubbing the bathtub or watering the plants I don't do it in a gay frame of mind.

Does art created by a homosexual make it gay art? At times it might when the subject matter is homoerotic but for the most part it is not. When viewing artwork can one tell whether the artist is gay or straight? Of all the paintings that I've done in the past two years perhaps only one has homoerotic overtones.

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In less than two weeks many Eureka Springs' artists will hit the road and venture into nearby Benton County to participate in the Pinnacle Hills Promenade Art Festival, Sept 7th and 8th.

Produced by the Eureka Springs Artist Registry and Stiel Direct LLC, the festival is a juried show and sale featuring outside displays in the Pinnacle Hills Promenade Mall in Rogers.

Although there will be exhibiting artists from many areas of the country, the majority are from Eureka Springs.

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Iris and Rick Feutz own and operate two outstanding galleries in Eureka Springs. Both galleries exclusively feature American art that includes work by many local artists.

Ten years ago the couple relocated From Maryland and opened Iris in the Park on the ground level of the Basin Park Hotel, #8 Spring Street.

The Serendipity Gallery is two years old and can be found on the main floor of the historic Crescent Hotel at 75 Prospect.

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If you ever wanted to see what goes on in the studio of an artist, your opportunity to do so can happen during the Annual Artists Studio Tour. For three days, September 28th, 29th, and 30th, twenty-one Eureka Springs' artists will open their studios to the public. They will discuss their work, conduct demonstrations, and have wonderful art available for purchase each day from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

The event is a free, self-guided tour that will allow attendees to explore the creative processes involved in making fine art from its place of origin. See works in progress in a wide array of styles and mediums from jewelry, pottery, weaving, to painting.

One of several artists showing at the Art Colony on North Main is Jack Miller.

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Ever energetic and often controversial, Charlotte Buchanan can't be hushed when it comes to promoting the arts in Eureka Springs.

Whether it is the art of the pen, the cinema, or the visual arts, Buchanan never wavers in her determination to keep creativity alive and in the forefront of her adopted hometown.

One of Charlotte's greatest achievements is «taking a parking lot and turning it into paradise». She achieved this by installing an eye popping open air gallery in what was a downtown eyesore. A collection of 25 four by eight foot paintings known collectively as the Artery, cover an unsightly and crumbling concrete wall at the rear of a parking lot on North Main Street. Each panel stands as an individual work created by local artists.

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Creating art for the most part is a solitary endeavor. An artist spends many hours in a studio working alone except for the company of an invisible muse. Social interaction with other creative beings takes place on rare occasions usually at receptions, art shows, or encounters in coffee shops and bars.

For a change of pace I consented to be involved in a group project working with two of Eureka Springs' finest artists, Valerie Damon and Larry Mansker.

Our greatest challenge was to merge three very different styles of work into a cohesive conclusion.

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Ohio born artist Cynthia Re Robbins journeyed on a long and exciting path before reaching her present destination of Eureka Springs.

As is true of all artists, her experiences are reflected in her work and in Robbin's case they have transcended into mystical and stunning images rendered in oil and pen & ink.

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If one wonders whether or not Eureka Springs is truly an art colony they need only to visit the Eureka Springs Artist Registry for proof. The registry, www.eurekaspringsartists.com, lists over one hundred local artists, shows samples of their work, and is a valuable link to area galleries and events. Participants can register free and for many it is an easy way to get on the web. The site allows art lovers to view work, receive contact information, and learn in what galleries their favorite artists are displayed.

The registry is the brainchild of Steve Schmidt who works constantly and with great expertise promoting area artisans. Besides the registry, Schmidt also sponsors the Eureka Springs Fall Art Fair held in the Inn of the Ozarks Convention Center the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving. For the past two years the fair has featured more Eureka Springs' artists showing at any time in one location.

In addition, Steve working with the Crescent Hotel arranges art showings during the hotel's monthly wine tasting event. He has also arranged numerous displays and receptions in the Community First Bank with the help of his wife Tracey, an employee of the bank. Due to the Schmidt's involvement, Community First now has a permanent collection of locally produced paintings hanging throughout their building.

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The Gay News roving pack of bons vivants left Eureka Springs this afternoon. We didn't get too far in cartographic terms--a mere eleven miles down the road--but, according to the soothing, limited viewpoints we enjoy in the upper left-hand corner of NW Arkansas, we might as well have launched off planet Earth for a dangerous, daring trip to a distant galaxy.

Local Gay News readers know exactly what we mean. Yes, that's right. We went to Berryville. Distant Gay News readers will require a slightly longer explanation for this shocking development but, not to worry, here it is:

The county that contains Eureka Springs is divided in two parts by a wild and beautiful river known as «the Kings.» Back in the old days, before the Mini Cooper was invented, the Kings River often made it impossible for county residents to do government business. So the county is divided into two county seats, one on the eastern side of the river (Berryville), the other on the west bank (Eureka Springs.)

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Photography is Art. There I said it. When I attended The Memphis College of Art, I along with fellow painters would never have uttered those words. John Rankine and Al Hooks are two of Eureka Springs' many fine photographers who prove that snapped images rightly deserve the label of «fine art.»

Toronto native John Rankine came to Eureka Springs via Key West ten years ago. With his partner, Billy King, and friend Mary Pat Boian they started a newspaper, «The Lovely County Citizen.» John became the staff photographer. Almost immediately he worked magic with his camera documenting events and people for the publication.

Despite a hectic work schedule, Rankine finds time to work on themed shows with tremendous success. The «Doll Series» contained images of discarded toy dolls carefully placed in still life and environmental settings. His highly acclaimed artist portrait series featured sixty photos of seventy-five local artists and strongly captured the essence of each individual. The show sold out.

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