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Prestigious painters

Madison area artists
to exhibit in the Hoosier Salon

Borden, Rudolech, Davis will show,
sell art work around state

By Laurel Sparks
Special to RoundAbout

MADISON, Ind. (August 2004) – Three Madison Art Club Gallery members – Bill Borden, Hal Davis, and Larry Rudolech – have been accepted into the Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibition, which opened to the public July 19 at the Indiana State Museum. This prestigious art show is a juried exhibit, with honorees selected through a rigorous statewide competition.

Bill Borden, Hal Davis, Larry Rudolech

Photo by Don Ward

Bill Borden, Hal Davis, and Larry Rudolech

All three artists are repeat exhibitors in the Salon. Their works will be displayed at the Indiana State Museum from July 19 to Sept. 19. Then the show will be divided into sections that will tour the state for several months.
At the opening reception, Borden’s watercolor painting, “The View From the Casa Rosa,” which he created while visiting Italy, received a merit (monetary) award for outstanding traditional watercolor. Both of Borden’s paintings were bought at the opening, earning them “purchase prizes” as well.
While these three artists’ paintings are on tour, residents of the Madison area will have a chance to view artwork inspired by local scenes. These include Davis’ “Hoffman Creek,” Rudolech’s depiction of Madison’s river walk, and Borden’s view of a back road in Jefferson County.
Recently, Davis agreed to use one of his son’s favorite spots as the location for a painting. When Davis’ son, Evan, was 12 years old, he and a friend would play on Hoffman Creek where it runs behind Wells Drive. This year, before Evan returned to the U.S. Marine Corps, he suggested that the area near Clifty Falls State Park be his father’s “next project.”
Davis’ “Hoffman Creek” is a large, bright oil painting alive with pastel highlights. Davis says he enjoys painting reflections in water. “I love to paint light,” he says. “I love to paint all the myriad of greens in nature.”
The Hoosier Salon also chose a second of Davis’ Madison scenes. “J.L.’s Secret Garden” depicts part of the late J.L. Webster’s gardens, which are in downtown Madison on Second Street. For many years, these gardens were featured in local spring garden tours. “I was especially intrigued with the beautiful arbor and how it concealed and framed one of the gardens,” Davis said.
Borden is becoming widely known for his plein air paintings, or those created outdoors on location. “If an unanticipated opportunity to get out and paint arises,” Borden says, “I can grab my gear and be there in short order.”
“Carney Creek Crossing” was painted on a back road in the southwest corner of Jefferson County, where the road crosses over a small stream. The time was early fall 2003. The day, according to Borden, was “perfect – one of those rare occasions when everything unexpectedly ‘clicks.’ “
Borden’s award-winning painting, “The View From the Casa Rosa,” represents an example of his work from a vacation he and his wife, Sharon, spent last summer in Umbria, Italy. Their home base was an old farmhouse, where Borden did a number of quarter-sheet, plein air paintings of the surrounding property. He was especially pleased with one of these small pieces and chose to do a larger version, which he titled, “The View from Casa Rosa.” Thus, the winning entry came about because Borden “got up early one morning and painted the view from our patio, across the valley with the mist still in the low areas.”
Rudolech, a Madison native, is exhibiting in the Hoosier Salon for the fourth consecutive year. His entry for 2002, an oil painting titled “3rd and Broadway,” received a special honor. It was given the Popular Choice Award, a one-of-a-kind award determined by the votes of visitors to the show during its two-month run in Indianapolis.
A graphic designer and illustrator by profession, Rudolech says he has managed to find more time for the fine arts since the Madison Art Club decided to open a gallery. In addition to chairing the Development Committee for the gallery, Rudolech has used his abilities to serve the community in several ways. Especially helpful has been his donation of artworks, including “3rd and Broadway,” to benefit local organizations.
Rudolech’s newest Hoosier Salon painting is “Madison River Walk.” The time is winter and the view is eastward from Elm Street, with the Ohio River Bridge in the background. Rudolech says the river “has always been a source of inner calm and relaxation” for him. This impressive winter view has whites and warm browns and grays but little contrast in comparison with his usual paintings. Contrast “incites excitement,” according to the artist.

• Works by all three Hoosier Salon artists may be viewed at the Madison Art Club Gallery, 301 E. Main St., Madison. Summer hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. For more information about the 80th Annual Exhibition in Indianapolis, contact the Hoosier Salon at (317) 253-5340.

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