The youngest of eight children born on a 160-acre farm in rural Missouri, artist Ginny Blankenship started her career at 3 years old, drawing almost endlessly on a small blackboard.
"I am mostly self taught and believe in painting from my soul. One of the values in life I believe is learning to be true to who you are. Instead of following what other people do or don't do, I have learned it is the most rewarding to just paint from the depths of my inner knowing of things," she said. "I go by my feelings and intuitions mostly. For me it is very hard NOT to do this. I know with the subject matter that I often choose is not going to be the most popular to the general public, but again I am not painting to please others only to satisfy my own longing and recognition of what I know deep inside."
Blankenship said whenever she does art shows, which isn't as often as it used to be, many people will just walk right past her display. However there are those that just stop in their tracks, mouth open, and are drawn in to take a closer look.
"They are captivated for a spell and they learn and begin to think a little deeper," she said. "This is why I paint to connect to those who feel the same. It is beautiful!"
Blankenship will display her artwork at the Robert Woolery Sr. Memorial Powwow on July 19-21 in Sedalia, which is housed at the big fair building. She also decided this year to give 50 percent of all her sales to an organization called Native Hope, which helps the afflicted Native peoples in so many good ways.
"I especially like the storytelling aspect of this organization, which helps the people to get a sense of pride in who they are and a willingness to share their grief safely," Blankenship said.
She has always felt a deep longing to help the native peoples as she has learned so many good things from their culture, which she highly respects. Blankenship's website, Woodswalker7.com, shares her love for the Earth and all its creatures, the reason for the website's name.
"I have always been a 'woodswalker' and the No. 7 has always been a very lucky and deeply meaningful number for me even as a child," she added.
The first painting Blankenship shares with readers this week is entitled "Thinning Veils on the Katy Trail." This painting is of a girl on bike riding Katy Trail who stops to see the ghost of Indian girl waving to ghosts passing by in canoe.
"I did this painting because sometimes I hear and feel ghostly presence or perhaps enter-dimensional presences. I have especially experienced this often while doing energy healing work," she said. "Sometimes though, as in this painting, it will happen when least expecting it; in fact, no matter what I am doing, it always happens that way."
The second painting is entitled "Never Alone," which is one of Blankenship's favorites by far. She did this painting 15 years ago and has sold many prints from it over the years, but she will never sell the original.
"This was a photo I took of my daughter sitting on a boulder in the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming when she was only 15 years old. About 20 years later I did the painting," she said. "The Native Americans have a legend of truth about there being protectors of the land present in various sacred areas of this country. Sometimes I feel this presence and so depicted such a scene in this painting."
The third painting is entitled "Hidden Spirit Animals," which is a painting from a photo Blankenship took in the river right before crossing the Smoky Mountains near Cherokee, North Carolina. In the painting, there are five hidden spirit animals: a horse, turtle, wolf, bear and eagle.
"I like to do these kinds of paintings as people love trying to find the hidden beings," she said. "Plus, as in most of my paintings, I just cannot help but bring out my love for and connection to the natural world, both seen and unseen."
For more information, contact Blankenship at [email protected].
Mid-Missouri art exhibits, happenings
The Village Art Studio will host a variety of summer art camps for children ages 6 and older. Each sporting their own theme, the camps include "Lakeside Summer" from June 17-21 and July 22-26, "African Animal Safari" July 8-12, and a CreaTeen "Ole Mexico" art camp for children in middle and high school from June 24-28. All camps have two available sessions daily at 8:30-11:30 a.m. or 1-4 p.m. Village Arts Studio is located at 1502 E. High St., Suites 40 and 60. For more information, contact Ann DeRosier at 573-230-1414.
The Silver Smith's Design Company Tipton, designs and re-designs handmade clothes. They specialize in personalized jewelry, recently adding fork and spoon rings made of your antique silver or you may pick from their selection. SilverSmith's Design Company is located at 11272 U.S. 50 in Tipton and will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. the first Friday and Saturday each month, except June when they are on vacation. For more information, call 660-473-1750, email [email protected] or visit www.etsy.com/shop/THESILVERSMITHS, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSilverSmiths or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/the_silvermsiths.
The "Life's a Beach" exhibit will be through June 18 at Capital Arts Gallery, 1203 Missouri Blvd. This exhibit will feature people, places and things in and around bodies of water. There will be a reception from 1-4 p.m. today. For more information, call 573-635-8355 or visit www.capitalarts.org.
Rick Jey hosts two video programs, including "Spotlight On The Arts" that showcases a 30-minute, in-depth interview with one artist and "Mid-Missouri Art News" that presents two guests for 15 minutes each. Episodes are available on CenturyLink and Mediacom public access channels (check provider for broadcast times) or on YouTube by visiting the JCTVAccess channel.
The "Members Summer Open" exhibit is showing June 18-Aug. 9 featuring league members' artwork at Columbia Art League, 207 S. Ninth St. in Columbia. The exhibit gives the artists a chance to explore their feelings about iconology and idolatry in modern society. The gallery is open 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 573-443-8838 or visit columbiaartleague.org.
The Sedalia Visual Arts Association maintains a rotating art exhibit at The Sedalia City Hall in Sedalia Municipal Building, 200 S. Osage in Sedalia. They feature two new artists every two months, with the work of Gary Cadwallader and Faith Bemiss currently on display through June 15. Hours of operation are 8:30-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The association will have an exhibit Friday through Aug. 18 at Goddard Gallery in Daum Museum of Contemporary Art at State Fair College in Sedalia. A reception will be 6-8 p.m. June 27. The club meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the annex to Central Bank, 403 W. Broadway Blvd. in Sedalia. For more information, call Hoover at 660-238-6242 or email [email protected], association secretary and treasurer Glenda Miller at 660-458-6575 or email at [email protected], or visit sedaliavisualartassociation.org. The club meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday at the annex to the Central Bank building. They have different speakers each month except August when they are busy with the Missouri State Fair. Visitors are welcome.
Jimmy Mustion is a professional artist who is involved in area arts organizations and galleries.