Girl Scouts learn about art
On Wednesday I was invited to accompany my granddaughter's Girl Scout troop to visit an art exhibit by Professor Hal Shunk at Wilmington (OH) College. Shunk's colorful, gestural encaustics and oil pastels filled the Harcum Art Gallery space, along with fellow faculty member Terry Inlow's large format digital photographs.
Shunk welcomed the girls, then suggested they look at all his paintings and think about what they liked best. When the group settled on benches for his talk, he explained the encaustic process and how he had come up with the quirky titles for his works. The artist is as good a teacher as he is an artist; he held their attention and several asked questions about his work.
I first met Hal more than 20 years ago when I asked him to contribute art to The Creative Artist. I haven't seen him since then, but my daughter met him at her church and learned of our connection. He invited the Girl Scouts to join another group that had scheduled a gallery visit. I appreciated this opportunity to see his colorful work and I'm sure the visit to the gallery was a great experience for the girls.
The faculty show runs through October 21. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and by appointment. The gallery is in the Boyd Cultural Arts Center at the corner of Withrow Circle and College Street on the Wilmington College campus. For more information, email hal_shunk@wilmington.edu .