"Devices," 2018, by Warren Criswell
Painter, sculptor and videographer
Warren Criswell, one of the state's greatest talents, has won
the 2021 Arkansas Governor's Award for individual artist. The
awards program of the Arkansas Arts Council, begun in 1991, recognizes
artists and businesses for their contributions to the arts in
Arkansas. The public nominates the individuals; an independent
panel of professional artists in all fields make the selections.
Arkansas got really lucky when Criswell's
bus broke down here and he decided to take up the pen and
paintbrush rather than finish the tome he'd been working on. He
lives near Benton with his wife, Janet.
Criswell was the subject, along with David Bailin and Sammy Peters,
of an Arkansas Times article on the three masters
and their long association, meeting for lunch to talk about both
the erudite and the absurd.
Full disclosure: I was among the those who nominated Criswell,
in which I saId in part:
I have had the privilege of writing about art for the Arkansas
Times for more than 20 years, and in that time I have come to
be familiar with some of the state's greatest talents. They are
artists whose work is honest, inspired and non-derivative, who
are capable of creating beautifully wrought art that will intrigue,
challenge and be of lasting worth. The best works stir in me a
visceral response to their line, stroke and color. The skill and
beauty of Warren Criswell's work makes my chest ache.
Criswell's wry commentary on man's condition draws from a deep
well of knowledge of myth, literature and rchetype. His painterly
depictions of rain-slicked highways (such as "Flash Flood," of a dejected man carrying
his Superman suit down a road illuminated by lightning) and landscapes
(such as "El Dorado,"
in which a stork-riding conquistador seeks directions amid a scene
of destruction spring from a self-awareness that is not conceited
but Criswell's means of expressing universal truth. …
Criswell is also an animator, and it is this medium - because
we don't have to possess it to view it - that I can turn to again
and again. He makes his signature crows fly, his nudes vamp and
a whale turn into Mobius strips in these terrific pieces set to
music. Criswell's
hand-drawn animations, the longest of which is a bit over
4 minutes, the shortest mere seconds, are singularly wonderful,
thanks to the Criswellian chalk line and wit. Criswell is also
a printmaker and is represented by M2 Gallery.. A book of his
drawings,
Lenny and the Black Riders, has also been published.
Other Governor's Arts Awards went to:
Pat Qualls-Taylor of Jonesboro, the Arts Community Development
Award. Among her many achievements, she founded a music performance
program for musicians with disabilities.
Kai Coggin of Hot Springs, the Arts in Education Award. Coggins,
the host of Wednesday Night Poetry, is a teacher and has published
three collections of poetry, "Periscope Heart," "Wingspan"
and "Incandescent."
Bylites, the Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award. The event
rental and production company has provided assistance to art organizations
and festivals, such as ACANSA.
Joe Doster of Huntsville, the Folklife Award. The woodworker and
retired teacher is a founding president of the board of the Arkansas
Craft School and is both furniture maker and blacksmith.
The Bob Bogle Family of Bentonville, the Patron Award. Bogle and
his late wife, Marilyn, have been longtime supporters of the arts
in Northwest Arkansas, including Crystal Bridges Museum of American
Art, The Walton Arts Center, TheatreSquared and more.
Elmer Beard of Hot Springs, Judges Recognition Award. Beard is
a poet, author and community activist and was an educator for
more than 40 years. He's participated in Hot Springs' Wednesday
Night Poetry for 30 years.
Trout Fishing in America of West Fork, the Lifetime Achievement
Award. Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet have been play and recording
music together for 41 years and have released 26 albums, including
the children's album "Big Trouble," with such memorable
tunes as "When I Was A Dinosaur," "What I Want
Is A Proper Cup of Coffee" and "Pico de Gallo."
copyright 2020 Arkansas Times
