'Best Of Missouri Painters' Exhibit At Missouri Botanical Garden | Arts & Culture

Kodner Gallery has been selected by the Missouri Botanical Garden and the annual Best of Missouri Market to curate an exhibit using the state’s finest painters. The exhibit will be on display Sept. 9 through Nov. 13 in the Ridgway Visitor Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of MOBOT’s ever-popular Best of Missouri Market, the first-ever “Best of Missouri Painters” exhibit features large-scale paintings of such celebrated artists as Billyo O'Donnell, Bryan Haynes, Joseph Orr, James Godwin Scott, Catherine Mahoney and more. The exhibit is included with admission to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of these pieces will go to the Garden.

As one of the most respected names in fine art in the Midwest, Kodner Gallery is the perfect curator for this landmark event. For two generations, the Kodner family has discovered and nurtured some of the most nationally recognized Missouri artists.

Kodner Gallery handpicked the group of artists featured for this exhibit, all of which have ties to the Show-Me State.

Billyo O’Donnell is recognized as one of America’s leading landscape painters in the plein air movement. Born and raised in Warren County near the Missouri River, his artwork is a reflection of his childhood where he grew up roaming the forests and streams, fishing, hunting and creating art. His book Painting Missouri by Karen Glines, received the Governors Book Award in 2009.

Internationally acclaimed artist Bryan Haynes of St. Albans, Mo. draws on the legacy of 1930s regionalist painters in his imaginative works. Haynes has been represented by the very best galleries from New York to San Francisco and for many years at Kodner Gallery in St. Louis. He recently had a mural commissioned and installed in the Jefferson Memorial Expansion Museum at the Gateway Arch, and his commercial work has graced the pages of national magazines, international advertising campaigns, posters and book covers. 

Fellow Missourian Joseph Orr has been painting professionally since 1972, with much of his work depicting the landscape near his home in Osage Beach. In true plein air style, Orr believes it is important to capture the environment around him. Rivers, forests and farms dominate his work, carrying the essence of the hour and placidity of the scene.

James Godwin Scott has painted life along the Mississippi River for more than 25 years, and his documentation and contribution has been widely recognized. In 1982, a photographic exhibition of “Life Along the Mississippi River” was sent to China, which included eight slides of Scott’s watercolors.

Catherine Mahoney began her career as an artist in 1966, although she admits having an interest in art since she was just four years old. A lifelong Missouri resident, Catherine is published in Best of Watercolor: Painting Texture, and is a Best of Missouri Hands artist.

“The Best of Missouri Painters” is on display at the Missouri Botanical Garden from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Sept. 9 through Nov. 13. A special reception for the artists is set during the Best of Missouri Market's “First Look Friday” from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 30. The Best of Missouri Market features more than 120 outstanding Missouri food producers and artisans, live music provided by Colonel Ford, attendance prizes and an auction featuring a donated piece by Joseph Orr, with all proceeds benefitting the Garden.

Admission for First Look Friday and the Best of Missouri Market is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (ages 65 and over), $5 for children (ages 3 to 12) and $5 for Garden members. The Best of Missouri Market is held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2. Daily admission to the exhibit is included with regular Garden admission of $8 for adults and free for children ages 12 and under. St. Louis City and County residents enjoy discounted  general admission of $4.

Visit www.kodnergallery.com, www.mobot.org or call 314-993-4477, 314-577-5100 or 1-800-642-8842 for more information.