Arnest Fest

Cottonwood Center for the Arts is honored to present the work of locally and nationally acclaimed artist, Bernard Arnest for the month of September. This installation will be the final opportunity for arts patrons to add an original piece of Arnest to their collections.

Arnest’s success as an artist came from his understanding of not only the formal, but the innate emotional experience of creating art. While taught to separate the self from “picture making,” he acknowledged that there was no true way to remove the pleasure and self-satisfaction that transforms picture making into painting. He felt that the subjects he was drawn to – landscapes, portraits, and city-scapes – were simply appreciations and representations but he also understood the freedom and joy experienced by the painter. He recognized how relationships formed between artist and subject and how the interpretation of hidden signs and messages are impossible to remove. Ultimately, Arnest was a storyteller, taking reality and objective subject matter and translating it into a valuable experience for both himself and viewers.

Please join us as we celebrate the life and career of Bernard Arnest and experience the stories only he knew how to tell. Enjoy two floors of open studios + galleries this First Friday and all month during normal business hours.