OzSBI to feature work of Cindy Temple

 

WEST PLAINS, MO – The West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) and Ozarks Small Business Incubator (OzSBI) have partnered to bring quarterly art displays to the incubator throughout 2020. Local artist Cindy Temple’s work will be featured inside OzSBI’s first floor March 27 through June 25. Visitors may view the display at the incubator during OzSBI’s business hours, anytime between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.  

Advertisement
Bridal Expo

“Cindy Temple’s work is reflective of the things she loves – family, friends and places she’s seen,” WPCA Coordinator Janey Hale said. “Her work is fresh and invites the viewer to take a closer look; to explore all the details.” 

A Meet-the-Artist event will be held on Thursday, April 2, from 2-4 p.m. in OzSBI’s lobby at 408 Washington Ave. in West Plains. The public is invited to attend, meet Temple, view and discuss pieces on display. 

About the Artist 

Temple began painting seriously and with a vengeance out of desperation. Five years ago, her mother passed, her grandchildren were both in school, she had a foot injury, and the house felt empty. She found her mind wandering and the need to be viable was overwhelming. Temple felt God lead her back to her original passion — art.

As a little girl, growing up in Kansas City, Temple’s favorite pastime was riding a city bus down to Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where she would spend hours. She was intrigued by the beauty of the art and her imagination would run wild. She especially liked the portrait room, where she would sit in the middle of the room and invent her own story about each face. 

Like most artists, as a child, Temple’s gifts of choice were crayons, pencils, paint and paper. She would draw on anything and enrolled in every art class offered in high school. Temple continued as a self-taught artist throughout periods of her adult life, and mostly learned from books. Eventually, she took drawing classes from Audrey Bottrell and painting classes from Regina Willard. As her passion and skill grew, she found other professional artists she admired; and through classes studied with Derek Penix, Michael McClure, Kevin Beilfus, Anne Blair Brown, and Chantel Barber. Oil is her medium of choice and she is inspired by things she loves the most: family, friends, people, and nature. Temple prefers to paint people or animals– things with eyes or a mother, she likes to say.  Her works have been exhibited in juried and non-juried shows in the area, winning several awards.

“I’m actively seeking to do better and learn new skills,” Temple said. “I enjoy painting, sharing ideas, and learning with other artists in our local art groups. Being a self-taught artist and learning as I go, breaking rules didn’t seem to matter and has given me freedom to find my own style. Honestly, I believe all artists, educated or not, are all self-taught. We retain and choose what we want to learn. Subsequently, we go with our gut and what moves and stirs our souls.”

For more information about the exhibit, contact OzSBI Program Administrator Brittany Simers at brittanysimers@ozsbi.com or WPCA Coordinator Janey Hale at jhale2129@gmail.com.

Advertisement
Wood & Huston – 2025 Annual