Imagine walking into a room that feels like it’s breathing. At the Emerald Art Center, the 20th Annual Emerald Spring Exhibition offers exactly that. Out of over three hundred national entries, juror Leslie Tejada has curated a space that feels surprisingly light, defined by vast horizons and big, quiet skies.
In the piece Sanctuary by Heather Jacks, the Pacific Northwest cloudscape isn't just painted; it’s captured in a moment of pure emotional release. You can almost feel the damp air moving through the charcoal shadows and pearlescent light.
As you move deeper into the gallery, the landscapes give way to a piercing confrontation. In Brendan McCullough’s Lorax, you are met by the unblinking, liquid-amber eye of a Great Horned Owl—a gaze so singular and silent it demands a halt. But turn your head to the right, and you’ll find that circular intensity echoed in Allison McClay’s Spiral. Here, the eye is architectural—a winding staircase that pulls your vision upward into a swirl of lavender brick and solitude.
The show is a conversation between extremes. You can practically smell the dust and honey in the "Old Master" richness of Arena Shawn’s still life, where plums and grapes glow with a 19th-century intimacy. Then, pivot to the high-energy, sun-drenched abstraction of Aimee Hertog’s Yellow Floral, a riotous tangle of Forsythia-bright pigments.
The exhibition runs through May 29th at the center’s downtown Springfield gallery. There is a festive Art Walk reception on Friday, May 8th, from 5:00 to 7:30 PM.
Amy Albrecht of Eugene, Oregon, says this about this acrylic painting, "This painting is the first in a series of artworks exploring the loss of my mother(s), a desire to be mothered, the experience of self-parenting, and healing. The composition blends a photograph taken in the mid-80s with a childhood memory of my mother setting the kitchen on fire, along with a dreamscape of the few moments I have “seen” her over the years. The image encompasses physical spaces found in objects like photographs, journals, and books I inherited after her passing, but also places like memories and dreams that are real, but not tangible."
