ENMRSH celebrates artists with show

CLOVIS — An art show three years in the making debuted last week with the first "Celebrate the Art, Celebrate the Artist" event held at the Recreation Education Development Building across from ENMRSH offices in Clovis.

Several ENMRSH (Eastern New Mexico Rehabilitation Services for the Handicapped) clients had their work featured as a part of the program, which was bursting with color.

Local artist Patsy Delk said for three years she has been leading classes with the artists for four hours each month, working on concepts like balance, composition and mixing colors.

Delk said she's been working with about 28 students, half of whom had their work showcased Thursday while the other half will be featured during next year's art show.

Working with a wide range of ages — from 18 to late 80s — and limitations — Delk said some artists can't see or hear, others can't hold a paint brush so they use their fingers — Delk said it has been rewarding to help show the artists how to express themselves through acrylic and water color painting.

"Art opens up their inner self," Delk said. "They're shy so you have to find a way to pull it out of them."

The students worked together on several group projects. One piece, titled "Horses of a Different Color," features nine individual paintings with the same outline of a horse in the middle but varying background colors, each designed by a different artist.

"Each one has their favorite colors," Delk said. "They communicate with color. They'll sit and talk about color while they paint. It seems to excite them."

Another group project, titled "The Painters Palette," features nearly 40 empty paint cans of various sizes and a few used paintbrushes screwed into a board and decorated in a splatter paint style.

"What can you do with leftover paint cans?" Delk asked. "Now you know. You can make some art with it."

The artists were really able to express themselves through the individual pieces on display, of which they each had about a half dozen.

Phyllis Parrett, mother of JJ Jeffries, one of the artists featured during Thursday's show, said she could tell right away that the hearts in one painting was down by her daughter because it is her favorite shape.

"It expresses themselves, it let's people know who they are," Parrett said, noting that if you knew the artists personally, it was not tough to tell who designed which pieces.

Parrett said she just appreciated how working on art is able to lift the spirits of her daughter and the other artists.

"When you see the gleam in their eye of how proud they are, that's what I look for," Parrett said.