The August exhibit at Justus Fine Art Gallery, 827-A Central Ave., will mark the 21st anniversary of the gallery and will feature a wide selection of work by artists including Michael Ashley, Mark Blaney, Donnie Copeland, Adrian Deckbar, Matthew Hasty, Robyn Horn, Dolores Justus, John Lasater, Dennis McCann, Linda Palmer, Sammy Peters, Tony Saladino, Sandra Sell, Gary Simmons, Gene Sparling, Rebecca Thompson, Michael Warrick and others.
The August 2025 opening reception will be held from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1 as part of the monthly Hot Springs Gallery Walk, which is celebrating its 36th year, and runs through Aug. 31.
Respected local artists Linda Palmer and Gary Simmons were early active participants in the organization of the monthly Gallery Walk and the development of the arts in Hot Springs. A selection of work by those artists will be included in the August Exhibit at the gallery.
Palmer’s love and appreciation of trees began in childhood and has continued through her life and in her art.
“I have always been drawn to nature and the landscape — emotionally, spiritually, and artistically. Trees weave their way through much of my art. Some so personal, they could be portraits,” she said in a news release.
Palmer began her Champion Tree series in 2007, when she found the list of the largest of each species of tree as determined by the Arkansas Forestry Commission. She traveled over 20,000 miles, took hundreds of documentary photographs, and researched the history and science of the trees in preparation to create the tree series. Palmer’s Champion Trees series has been featured in over 28 solo exhibits, along with inclusion in additional group shows. She has given numerous presentations to civic groups and university students highlighting the beauty of Arkansas and its people through her art.
Her Champion Tree series inspired an Arkansas Education Television Network documentary “Champion Trees” that has won state, national and international awards. The documentary now shows on PBS stations throughout the United States. Palmer’s book, “The Champion Trees of Arkansas: An Artist’s Journey” published by the University of Arkansas Press, is now in its second printing. Along with reproductions of Palmer’s intricate Prismacolor drawings of the trees, the book contains excerpts of the oral histories of the trees, along with their role in the families and communities that love them. Since the Champion Tree series, Palmer has continued to create work highlighting the beauty and intricacies of trees.
Palmer came to Hot Springs as a respected artist and gallery owner, who was instrumental in the development of Hot Springs as an arts destination. She operated Palmer Galley for many years before devoting her time to the full time pursuit of her own work.
Gary Simmons is a multifaceted artist who works in a wide variety of mediums. A master of pen and ink drawing, he is the author of The Technical Pen, considered a “must have” for anyone interesting in learning more about pen and ink techniques. Originally published by Watson-Guptill in 1992, the book has been republished by Echo Point Books. Along with an extensive exhibition history and long list of both public and private collectors, Simmons also served as a respected art professor at Henderson State University from 1991 until he retired in 2013 with the designation of Professor Emeritus. Simmons shared his expertise with others teaching pen-and-ink workshops for Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph throughout the nation at venues including the Dallas Arts and Crafts Association, the National Art Materials Trade Association in Philadelphia and in Arlington, Virginia, the Flushing Art League in Queens, New York, Allegheny Highland Arts in Clifton Forge, Virginia, Woodlands Workshop in Vancouver, Washington, the Visual Arts Center of NW Florida in Panama City, Rapid City Arts Council in Rapid City, South Dakota, Artist and Display in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Barnwell Art Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, the Naperville Art League in Naperville, Illinois, the Arkansas Fine Art Museum (formerly the Arkansas Arts Center) in Little Rock, Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, the Daytona Beach Art League in Daytona Beach, Florida, Camp Brook Comer Gallery in Bethel, Vermont, and many others. He has also conducted a variety of workshops with friend and fellow artist Richard Stephens aimed at helping artists create more successful paintings.
Simmons was honored with the Arkansas Arts Council’s Governor’s Art Award in 2001 for his accomplishments as an Individual Artist. He has also played an integral role in the development of the arts community in Hot Springs and continues to be an active artist and mentor.
Gene Sparling is another member of the Hot Springs arts community who has been recognized for artistic excellence. He began learning to work with wood as a child, from his father, and has continued learning and working with the medium, throughout his life.
Sparling began pursuing his artistic vision in wood in 2008 and by 2011 was receiving notoriety for his elegant wood pieces. His work was selected for inclusion in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s museum store offerings of original work by contemporary artists, as well as the Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, and the Arkansas Craft Guild and the Ozark Folk Center, in Mountain View.
Sparling seeks to highlight the unique beauty of each piece, while creating vessels, sculptures, and furniture that complement their natural roots. Exhibitions of Sparling’s work include the 59th Annual Delta Exhibition (2017), Arkansas Fine Art Museum, Little Rock, Materials: Hard + Soft International Contemporary Craft Competition and Exhibition (2018, 2017), Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton, Texas, Aspects of Abstraction in the Trinity Gallery of the Historic Arkansas Museum (2010), Tree/Cycle: An Exploration of Art & Design by Arkansas Trees featuring work by Linda Williams Palmer and Gene Sparling, Mid-America Science Museum, Hot Springs (2023); Into the Woods: Arkansas Champion Trees by Linda Williams Palmer & Turned-Wood Vessels by Gene Sparling, Concordia Gallery, Galleries at Library Square, Little Rock (2020), 2012 Arkansas Sculpture Invitational Show and Sale, Argenta Community Theater, North Little Rock, Sculpture at the River Market, Show and Sale, Little Rock (2016, 2013, 2011), among others. His work was also curated into Studio Visit Magazine (Volume 42, 2018). In addition to his art, Sparling has been involved in important conservation efforts within the state and beyond.
Owned by artist Dolores Justus, Justus Fine Art Gallery offers a wide range of original art including sculpture, paintings, ceramics, photography, and more by recognized artists. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment. For more information, call 501-321-2335 or visit online at justusfineart.com.
