Don Turner
Special to the Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
River City Art Association member Deborah Anderson’s world of art began as a student at Woodrow Wilson, at an after-school art club.
Her art teacher, Don Hadley, encouraged her to join because she had a talent at drawing.
Her teaching degree at Indiana State was in physical education and she earned a minor in art education. She is a physical educator at Lost Creek Elementary and considers the students and staff as her second family.
Through the years Anderson took continuing art education classes exploring an array of different mediums.
In 1999 she fell in love with the medium of wood. She gives credit to several wood art classes with professor Jack Gates, and her inlaid artist friend, Charley Girton of Brazil.
In 2000 her passion for woodworking became part of her evenings and weekends.
Through her drawings she began designing and planning artwork. Anderson expressed the importance of knowing about the element of art and the principals of design to create a variety of eye-catching finished work. Freedom from choosing different designs records impressions of people, places and events.
There is also the choice of using an array of styles such as realistic, abstract and nonobjective. She is a member of seven art organizations.
Inlaid wood is an exact art and for each piece to fit together there is no room for error.
Anderson says she enjoys that challenge.
She also stated her finished art product must feel land look like satin, which requires a good deal of steel wool and several coats of polyurethane.
Anderson has designed an array of several hundred pieces using a variety of about 27 different woods.
She has displayed her art in more than 40 shows around the state, including exhibitions and art demonstrations.
Her display at the Vigo County Library this month consists of three pieces donated to families, and dedicated to remembering Dale Griffin, “Died for his Country,” Brent Long “Walking a Beat in Heaven,” and Morgan Johnson, “Morgan is Missing.”
Also featured is “Remember is to Honor” in memory of the 947 firemen who died during 911.
