JRB ART at The Elms Presents “Origins”
Just in time for the Paseo Arts Festival on Memorial Day Weekend, JRB Art at The Elms has organized three spectacular shows featuring several outstanding Oklahoma artists. The work, which will be exhibited through June 28, 2025, includes abstract paintings of all sizes, portraits, large ceramic sculptures, and paintings of Oklahoma landscapes. This exhibition brings together four distinctive Oklahoma artists: Beth Hammack, Larry Hefner, Reian Williams, and Gayle Singer, each presenting new work that explores identity, place, imagination, and material through painting and sculpture.
Beth Hammack, a longtime Gallery favorite, has created 33 new and distinctive paintings that speak to “origins” of all kinds. Embedded in some of Beth’s popular and colorful abstract paintings are skilled facial portraits. The combination is unexpected and riveting, reminding us that we have all been created by a higher being. Which came first? The color, the shape, the person? Beth leaves it to you, the viewer, to decide.
Larry Hefner, a seasoned Oklahoma artist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Central Oklahoma, unveils a new series that reimagines the Oklahoma landscape through layered screen-printed imagery. These works combine his background in design and photography with a fresh visual approach, creating richly detailed paintings that feel both familiar and elevated. Each piece is finished with hand-built frames of Larry’s own design, widely used by regional artists for their quality and craftsmanship. This new direction marks a bold evolution in his career, blending technique and place into a refined and distinctly Oklahoma body of work.
Reian Williams returns with a new series that blurs the line between imagination and reality. His latest portraits depict fictional characters, many inspired by superheroes, staged as if they’ve paused for a photograph. With masterful technique and emotional nuance, Reian brings these imagined figures to life, infusing each with a sense of presence and story. Alongside these portraits are playful cinematic scenes, including a woman cradling a bird and a girl holding a laser gun straight from a comic book. In one of the series’ quieter moments, Reian’s empathy shines through a gentle painting of a woman embracing her dog, a tender human reminder that even in fantasy, connection remains central.
Gayle Singer, Professor Emeritus of Art at the University of Central Oklahoma, brings decades of expertise and a deep reverence for clay to her sculptural ceramic work. A full-time studio artist, Gayle’s pieces are refined yet expressive, reflecting a lifetime of technical mastery and creative exploration. Her forms often feel like quiet meditations, balancing gesture, texture, and structure in ways that speak to both tradition and contemporary craft. With a career that includes features in Ceramics Monthly and Studio Potter, as well as placement in major museum collections, Gayle’s work continues to resonate with collectors and viewers for its elegance and timeless artistry. In this exhibition, she will debut two new sculptures that further explore her signature blend of form and presence.
