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Will display newcomer\u2019s works\nEven with a map, life\u2019s journey sometimes brings about unexpected destinations, surroundings that offer surprising and fulfilling ends. So it was for Saralee Howard whose studies in theology complemented by work with expectant mothers opened a path to Clinton County Arts Council\u2019s Gallery, where she will be the featured artist Sunday October 9.
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Ms Howard, who describes herself as a \u201cvery new artist,\u201d began her artistic pursuit about two years ago, but has already gained recognition and selection for participation in important and respected settings.\nHer entry into the field began in 2009, inspired by her studies at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and her job helping women through unexpected pregnancies. The convergence of those two efforts stimulated her latent artistic bent, leading to this year\u2019s selection as a participating artist in the Grand Rapids 2011 Art Prize exhibition with a 3-D work entitled On the Seventh Day He Rested.
\nShe also has shown her works at the Lowell Area Art Gallery and the Clinton County Arts Council Gallery. A student of Kathleen Mooney of Lowell, Ms Howard uses acrylics and other materials such as scraps of text, photos, fabric, parchment and small found objects in her works, with which she tries to express an idea or words rather than realistically convey a scene or object.
\nCurrently she has close to three dozen paintings on display at the Arts Council Gallery, including her 26-piece series Playing Scrabble with God. Cards of her paintings are available for sale at the Gallery.
\nShe has resided in Clinton County for over thirty years, including the last decade in St. Johns. She and her husband, Jim Schultz, have two grown children, Emily and Graham.
\nThe Sunday Oct. 9 Gallery open house runs from 1p to 3p and includes refreshments. The Gallery is located at 215 N. Clinton Ave. in St. Johns.
\nThese monthly events and the many other activities of the Arts Council are made possible through a cooperative funding base involving direct sponsorships, membership dues, local contributions and support from the partnership of Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"