Beginning her artistic journey early in life, Rhonda Laurent was inspired by the beauty in nature, the color spectrum, historical artwork and most importantly by the Spirit. This Michigan born middle child of five, moved several times with her family during the 1960s, finally settling in Indiana in 1973. She graduated from Scecina Memorial High School and began her college education at IUPUI pursuing a degree in nursing. But fate was to have a hand in changing all that. In 1984, a life-altering experience unexpectedly changed her direction. She bravely re-focused her life resurrecting her artistic talents. She began drawing colored wildlife sketches, mostly birds. After completing enough pieces for a small portfolio, she applied for admittance to the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis and was delighted to be accepted into their program.
This educational experience was instrumental in encouraging her to investigate other mediums for expressing her emotions artistically. Sculpture and drawing reached the top of her list. Her biggest thrill came when she began sculpting with hand made paper. Expressions created in this fiber medium were so successful she was offered an opportunity to display her work in two separate one-person exhibits at the Artistic Designs Gallery of Brownsburg, Indiana. As time passed, Rhonda itched to experiment with mediums that allowed her to make greater use of scintillating color. With acrylic paints she could express her emotion and sensitivity in just an instant. 
No time was wasted waiting for paper to dry. With the acrylic medium she could freely work in her basement studio or sitting on the beach in Florida. Sometimes this acrylic freedom would translate into a serene and finished piece and other times the process would require more time and thought back in her studio. Either way she enjoyed the spontaneity. Rhonda is pleased to display a variety of work encompassing several years of conceptual, landscape and "just plain fun" abstract pieces that she hopes others will enjoy seeing as much as she enjoyed creating them. Rhonda Laurent's BRUSHED WITH COLOR exhibit speaks for itself.Our three Display Cases are overflowing with the hand-made WOOD CARVINGS EXTRAORDINAIRE by artist, Dave Harvey. Crawfordsville's own, artist David Harvey, started carving wood as a hobby in 1990.
He now uses every free moment he has to indulge his wood carving passion. Never having had any formal classes, David is basically self taught. He learned about and perfected his craft by reading books, listening to videos, watching others carve, and most importantly through trial and error. The woods he most enjoys using are cottonwood bark, driftwood, basswood and any other wood his wife will let him drag home. Today he mainly focuses on carving Santa faces, wood sprites, mountain men and Indians in relief. He carves caricature (cartoon) characters of Santa, hillbillies, old and military men, Vikings, Indians, cowboys, and farmers in the round. He also carves spoons and hand hewn bowls. His smallest caricature was one inch tall, his largest three feet tall. Dave belongs to the Montgomery County Woodcarvers. They gather twice a month to help one another learn and to promote the art of wood carving. In 2003, Dave began participating and competing in carving shows. He has shown and demonstrated at Crawfordsville's Strawberry Festival, and has had the opportunity to teach at the Montgomery County Woodcarvers Club and person to person in his studio. In November's loveliness the Library's Gallery beckons you to visit and enjoy what Dave has accomplished and perhaps spark an interest in taking a few lessons from Crawfordsville's own WOOD CARVINGS EXTRAORDINAIRE expert! Wouldn't it be fun to learn a new hobby and practice it in the hibernation of a Crawfordsville winter?
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