• Guy Bell's "The Rise of Icharus"

Like Ketz Gallery (see previous post), the Thea Foundation will be hopping tonight with sculpture, paintings and performance. Bre and David Harris of Light and Time Design Studio, a foundry in Royal, and THEArtist Guy Bell will have work at Thea (401 Main St.) and Jacob Watson, the winner of a Thea Performing Arts scholarship, will perform.

• Harris sculpture, from Light and Time Design

The Harrises work in bronze, leather, aluminum, steel, wood and glass and are active in the Arkansas Sculptors Guild, which is readying for its annual show June 18-20 in Morrilton. They'll demonstrate technique at the 5-8 p.m. ArtWalk.

Bell is the newest addition to the group of artists whose studios are on the second floor of Thea's building.

• Dan Thornhill work from Toys in Abstract series

Lots going on at Ketz Gallery tonight: An exhibit of paintings by Dan Thornhill (including his Toys in Abstract series, see above) and student artists Joyce Hasse and London Farrar, along with jewelry by Coco Cohen. Vernon Oberle will give a demonstration in woodturning. Ketz is at 705 Main St., just past Argenta Bead, where you can make a wrap-around bracelet for $4. ArtWalk hours are 5-8 p.m.

• "Mama and Charlie Mae in the Garden"

Greg Thompson Fine Art opens his annual exhibit of works by known Southern artists, including Ed Rice, Walter Anderson, John Alexander, William Dunlap, Glennray Tutor, Carroll Cloar, Clementine Hunter, Donald Roller Wilson, Robert Rector, Kendall Stallings and Theora Hamblett. I would be happy with work by any of these folk, especially Anderson and Cloar.

The gallery has scheduled some big doings around the opening of the show tomorrow: A luncheon tomorrow with William Dunlap, who'll give a talk titled "Confessions of an Itinerant Painter," followed by the Argenta ArtWalk reception 5-8 p.m. On Saturday, Dr. Richard Gruber of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, Dunlap and Glennray Tutor will give a gallery talk at 1 p.m.; tickets are $10. I'll be out of town; any Candy fans who go and want to write something up, just comment below!

• Benini's "Glory Rose"

Benini, the former Hot Springs (by way of Italy) painter, is having a one-man show at Greg Thompson Gallery; there will be a reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight, the Argenta ArtWalk. Featured will be paintings from Benini's "Courting Kaos: Face of God" and "Riding Kaos: Truth and the Journey."

Painter Michael Lindas is showing at Ketz Gallery and Cathy Burns and Scinthya Edwards will collaborate on a mixed media encaustic collage in front of the Argenta branch of the Laman Library. Showing at Thea Foundation will be paintings and pastels by Diana Shearon. There will be bead making at Argenta Bead Co., and independent artists (the "Gathering") will show and sell work as well.

It's all on Main Street in Argenta.

• Benini painting at Greg Thompson Fine Art

Tonight's Third Friday ArtWalk in Argenta offers up a hugely eclectic showing of work, thanks to Greg Thompson's celebration of 15 years in the art biz, a focus on children at the Thea Foundation and a varied selection of media at Ketz Gallery.

Former Hot Springs artist and gallery owner Benini hasn't lived in Arkansas for some time — he's in the Texas hill country now — but his post-pop work will be at Thompson Fine Art, 429 Main St., along with photorealist work by Glenray Tutor, impressionism by Barry Thomas, surrealism by Gary Bolding, geometrical lightscapes by Al Allen and more. Post-post-pop artists Matthew Castellano and Sulac and jeweler Cliff Bernard will have work at Ketz, 705 Main St., as will Sharon Dawn Clark, who hand-paints gourds. Work by patients at Arkansas Children's Hospital is featured at Thea, 401 Main St., and artists-in-residence at Children's Hamid Ebrahimifar and Elizabeth Weber will be on hand to talk about their work with the children. Sharon Franke will give a demonstration of painting technique at Thea, and artists in TheArtists Studios on the second floor of the foundation building will open their studios for the evening.

Third Friday runs 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Make earrings like this one at Argenta Bead Co.

Ketz Gallery, Greg Thompson Gallery, Thea Foundation, the Laman Library Argenta Branch and Argenta Bead Co. will have their doors open tonight from 5-8 p.m. for the monthly ArtWalk festivities. At Ketz, NLRSD art teachers Charlotte DeRoche, Angie Shelton, Casey Gorman, Anna Wingfield, Mary Matthews, Lora Matthey, Kristen Malluns, Mona Brossett, Connie Willis and Camilla Landers are exhibiting their work and John Kushmaul's "Cityscapes" continues. At Greg Thompson, Rebecca Thompson's exhibit "Twice Told Tales" continues, and at Thea, there will be kids' activities, a demonstration by Kelly Hargis and an exhibit by the Arkansas League of Artists. Kids 18 and under can register to win a huge art kit as well. The bookworms of Laman Library — the staff, that is — are showing off their artistic side at the branch. And at Argenta Bead, you can make Christmas tree earrings for $3.

• Kushmaul's "Broadway Bridge"

What's on tap for the Argenta ArtWalk from 5-8 p.m. tonight? John Kushmaul, Ted Parkhurst, Rebecca Thompson, Bill Lewis, earring-making and the Argenta Artists group.

Kushmaul is showing his cityscapes in a show by that name at Ketz Gallery (705 Main St.); his show continues through December. Parkhurst is showing his sketchbooks from his month in Rome and France at the Thea Foundation (401 Main St.); Thea will also feature work by Robin Steves and "Blue Dog" painter George Rodrigue. Thompson, known for her gardening expertise, exhibits landscapes and figurative paintings in a show called "Twice Told Tales" at Greg Thompson Fine Art (429 Main St.). Watercolorist Lewis will be at the Argenta Branch of the Laman Library (506 Main St.) The Argenta Artists group of independent artists will be indoors at 301 Main St. Argenta Bead Co. is teaching patrons how to make glass bead earrings. There will be refreshments everywhere (served on Valerie Goetz's "upcycled" bottle trays at Ketz). Doug Norton will paint at Starving Artist Cafe; Stephanie Cox will perform live.

• Dombek's "Stick Figures" series work

Lots going on from 5-8 p.m. tonight in Argenta: Third Friday ArtWalk keeps things going late at Greg Thompson Fine Art, which is featuring a limited exhibit of new work by George Dombek along with paintings by Barry Thomas; Ketz Gallery, where work by Jennell Richards, Lois Davis and Rene Hein is featured in the "Fall Art Show" (beer and pretzels, too); and the Thea Foundation, where members of the Arkansas Pastel Society are throwing a "Party with Pastel," with demonstrations and family activities offered by artists whose work is in the society's first juried show there. There will be independent artists showing in tents along Main Street, and the Argenta Bead Shop will show folks how to make wire bangels. Bella Vita Jewelry (Brandy Thomason's work) will be available, and she'll also give two jewelry-making classes Saturday at Argenta Bead after the Race for the Cure.

Slideshow

Third Friday ArtWalk

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Shows by Barry Thomas and Rene Hein and a talk by "egg lady" Lynn Sudderth are among the offerings tonight on Argenta's Main Street for Third Friday ArtWalk from 5 to 8 p.m.

"Barry Thomas: Arkansas Landscapes" will feature oils by the Little Rock impressionist at Greg Thompson Fine Art (429 Main). Hein's paintings are at Ketz Gallery (705 Main), where there will also be pine needle basketry by Valerie Hanks Goetz. Sudderth and her whimsical ceramic eggs will be at the Argenta branch of the Laman Library (506 Main).

Thea Foundation (401 Main) is hosting Friends of Thea Fun Night, art activities for children, and will be selling raffle tickets for a signed silkscreen by George Rodrigue. TheArtists Studios above will be open.

A Gathering of Artists, Third Friday's name for the independents in tents along the street, will feature new faces Erin Lang and Liz Kemp. The Baker House (5th and Main) returns to the ArtWalk lineup with work by Elena Petroukhina, John Woodridge and Rhonda Reeves, who'll be set up in the courtyard. Impressionist Doug Norton will paint for Starving Artist Cafe patrons (411 Main) and Argenta Bead Co. will help walkers fashion earrings out of Czech glass beads.

Last, but not perhaps only in the last thing you'll do sober, is the Lombardi drinks tasting at Galaxy Furniture (304 Main).

Highpoints in Argenta's ArtWalk tonight: The dedication of the art park and its sculpture by Kevin Kresse, painting demonstrations, a birthday anniversary, watermelon mojitos and a new venue — lots of reasons to brave the heat.

At 6 p.m., an hour in to the monthly event, the CityGrove Townhome Art Park at Maple and Fifth will be dedicated. Kresse's Mother Earth and Father Moon sculptures bookend this park next to the residential development.

In the 700 block of Main, Ketz Gallery (705) will celebrate its first year in business with "Summertime Blues," a show and sale (portion of proceeds to KABF blues programming) by John Kushmaul, Rene Hein, Michael Lindas and others. There will be libations there and at Argenta Bead Company next door, which will offer mojitos and an ICE resin demonstration at 6:30 p.m. Join in for $3 and make a resin cross.

In the 500 block, Marlene Gremillion will give a watercolor demonstration in front of the Argenta branch of the Laman Library (506).

A block south, the Thea Foundation (401 Main) will feature the exhibit "Classroom to Canvas," work by art teachers Jenny Delgado (her work above), Lori Kirchner, Erica Jewell and Ashley Robinson. Devin Matthews will perform on classical guitar between 6 and 7:30 p.m. On Thea's second floor (entrance on Fourth Street), Robin Steves, Joel Boyd, Catherine Burton and Morgan Coven will have their studios open. Greg Thompson (429 Main) continues its exhibit of work by Roger Carlisle, "Light in the Landscape." One could hope the gallery owners' new baby would be on exhibit as well, at least for a little while.

There will also be the artists and crafters of "A Gathering of Artists," independents displaying their work in tents up and down Main.