Theresa Cates’ soulful ladies can be seen dancing in downtown North Little Rock and along JFK Boulevard in the city’s Park Hill neighborhood ... and now they can add joy to your holiday tree. Cates recently expanded her work to include platters, boxes and now ornaments. Her church ladies are painted boldly in acrylics, and though Cates has had no formal training, she found her calling five years ago when she decided to paint full time. “I started painting to relieve stress. I just picked up the brush and they [the church ladies] came out,” Cates said. Her love for color and the creative process began as a child. In her bio, she writes: “At the early age of 5, I began rearranging my ‘Paint by Numbers’ paint sets. It was also a very important task for me to stay within the lines of my ‘Winnie the Pooh’ coloring book. The act of creating would light up my soul.” That’s just what she hopes her paintings will do. “I choose vivid colors, because they are bold. Most of my clients say my church ladies inspire happiness,” Cates said. “My goal is to give a feeling of movement, and I want them to move you.” Cates decided to add her spirited ladies to platters and ornaments to create affordable art. The ceramic ornaments are each hand painted, depict church scenes, musicians, ladies in white and angelic beings, and cost just $30. Cates’ work is carried exclusively at the Red Door Art Gallery, 3715 JFK Blvd., North Little Rock, AR, (501) 753-5227; reddoorgalleryonline.com.
Thy candles shine so brightly!
James Hayes is well known for his glass artwork. Whether it’s a paperweight, a bottle stopper, a chandelier, bowl or vase, the words “It’s a James Hayes” are met with an awe-inspired “oh.” Hayes began glassblowing in 1988 shortly after graduating from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. The immediacy of the artform drew him in. “You get a sense of nearly-immediate gratification. It’s like Christmas every time, you open the oven door,” Hayes said. The first piece he sold was a paperweight. He still creates the weights, however, the smallest items he fashions are rings and key rings, which typically sell for $20; the largest are chandeliers. The largest he’s created to date is in the Psychiatric Research Institute on the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) campus. The lighting features are functional artwork, that Hayes calls “a dialogue of design,” and consists of cathedrals, spindles, spots, splashes and mini-swirls that he works to “invoke images of the painting ‘Starry Night.’” Ornaments are one of Hayes favorite pieces to create. “My mother collected ornaments, and they were one of the first things I learned to blow,” Hayes said. His ornaments are each a unique work of art, and while many are spherical or teardrop shapes, others are formed into brightly-colored Christmas trees and Santa Clauses; however, his favorite color is gray. “Each year, I create a few ‘odd duck’ ornaments … something in gray or black. They remind me of my favorite character growing up — Eeyore.” James Hayes Art Glass Company, 2900 Ridgway Road, Pine Bluff, AR, (870) 879-6615; hayesartglass.com.
Afforded me the greatest glee!
Ellen Hobgood’s Santas have been bringing Christmas cheer for seven years. Hobgood began her “career” in high school. “I designed homeroom door decorations and bulletin boards for teachers who didn’t want to or who didn’t have time. One year, I decorated six doors,” Hobgood said. However, she didn’t pursue a professional career for a number of years. “I painted the first Santa while working at Salon Art [in Heber Springs]. We were trying to come up with a design for Christmas cards. I completed the painting and it sold in less than an hour.” The cards never materialized; however, Hobgood had a chance meeting with John Bel, president of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) Foundation. She submitted a Santa for the ACH Christmas card … and the rest, as they say, is history. Hobgood soon began painting her own Santas, which coincidentally share the same nose and eyes as another iconic figure she was painting— clowns. Hobgood often commissions Santa paintings; customers request the ironic figures be modeled after fathers, brothers, husbands and other men. She historically has sold as many as 80 of the paintings annually. Since opening the Ellen Hobgood Gallery and Studio, she’s expanded to include the Santas on sweatshirts, greeting cards and smaller paintings. Hobgood began painting ornaments a few years back. They began as gifts for student athletes and soon requests came flooding in. When, AY spoke with her at the beginning of November, she’d painted and sold about 60. The ornaments are available in two sizes and start at just $12 each. Ellen Hobgood Galley and Studio, 101 S. Third, Heber Springs, AR, (501) 362-1672; iasgallery.com.
