Inspiring patrons in black and white

May 13—Jocelyn Robinson said she found artistic inspiration at Thursday evening's Black and White Bash.

"Man, everything, all the different mediums, black and white, watercolor and acrylics, I want to learn all if it," she said. "I know how to do some of it, but I haven't been in school since 1998, so I want to brush up on it."

The Black and White Bash drew several hundred people, packing Muskogee Art Guild to find inspiration and buy art created by guild members.

"I was talking with somebody and someone else said 'would you please move so we can see the art,'" Guild President Becky Lucht said. "It was that crowded."

Lucht said visitors bought 35 art works — about one third of those displayed.

Elizabeth Bautista Boyd's guitar painting "Carried Away" won a People's Choice award after Bash visitors voted with paper ballots.

"She just joined, so I was excited to see her win something," Lucht said, adding that the guild gained many new members over the past few months.

"It really seemed like we were slow coming off COVID, but after winter people started joining like crazy," she said. "There's just a lot of new energy in the club, and I'm just thrilled that people are coming back and getting excited about it again."

Cindy McNicholas said she joined in April after retiring from her job.

"I was just looking for a creative outlet," she said. "I had done banners for years, but I worked so much I never had time to join."

She said she has taken several classes at the guild. She displayed some of her acrylics and mixed media at the Bash and even prepared some sweet and savory appetizers served on Thursday.

Mary White, a member for four years, said she loved Thursday evening's crowd.

"For an artist, the whole thing is 'I love your painting,' you want people to see it," she said.

White entered some pan pastel digital paintings in the show.

"I take a photo and manipulate it digitally, then I get a print of it in black and white, and I add media called pan pastel," she said. "What's funny is that I never saw it on YouTube or anything, I feel like I kind of invented it."

Robinson said she'd like to get involved with the Guild. She said has painted portraits.

"I had a stroke a few years ago, and I thought I lost my ability to do it," Robinson said. "I wanted to continue doing it, I didn't know how. My hands were numb and I didn't think it would ever come back, so I'm trying to reverse it."