One of the first paintings seen as you enter the Lakeland Art Gallery is a print of an acrylic painting of an elephant, "Red Bull," by Kelby Love, Elkhart. His rendition of the elephant's tough, rough skin is so realistic that it closely resembles a photo. Two bold prints follow of a man and a woman titled, "Out of the Dark," "Into the Light." Love, who started painting at age 3, does freelance work for several magazines and has won awards locally and nationally.

The remainder of the "Celebrate Black America" art exhibit is just as impressive. The art exhibit and artists' reception Sunday featured flutist Marna Renteria playing jazz arrangements, and included special additions to the exhibit from the personal collections of Pat Outlaw, Lynn Pulliam and Don Moffett.

Outlaw's contribution consisted of figurines and prints. Black and white drawings depicting African-American children were on loan from Pulliam. Moffett displayed his collection of Black Heritage stamps, which included Scott Joplin; Jackie Robinson; Martin Luther King; abolitionist, nurse and escaped slave Harriet Tubman; and many other greats from black history.

Terry Armstrong displayed a watercolor in muted tones called, "Kiantay." Armstrong teaches watercolor painting in his home studio and at Lakeland Art Gallery. His work also can be seen at the Park Avenue Gallery in the Village at Winona.

Malcolm Landis' lifelong love of jazz is obvious in his colorful, impressionistic paintings of jazz musicians. He plays trombone for the Lakeland Community Orchestra and has performed in concerts throughout the area.

Michael Johnson discovered his artistic skills as a young boy in Fort Wayne. He honed those skills through elementary, junior high and high school, and went on to attend the American College for the Applied Arts for two years. He transferred to Clark, in Atlanta, to study fashion design and has since returned to Fort Wayne. His display in Celebrate Black America includes several highly textured paintings, ranging from bright to muted shades.

Alvon Abbott has taught workshops, exhibited and won awards for his art. His specialty is sculpture, but he also paints with watercolor, oils and acrylics. At the Lakeland exhibit, he displays "African Warrior," a sculpture made of papier mach.

Mary Anderson, Warsaw, specializes in fabrics, sewing and jewelry in a variety of materials. She said, "Art expresses who I am and how I feel about myself and my culture." Anderson received her associate's degree from Cohoma Junior College and her bachelor's degree from Delta State University in Mississippi, majoring in criminal justice, with a minor in home economics. She was 2002 Woman of the Year in Fort Wayne. In the fall, she will attend Grace Seminary to work on her master's degree. Her display at Lakeland includes different pieces of clothing in basic African colors and designs and a selection of jewelry.

The exhibit was made possible by the following contributors: DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., Kosciusko County Republican Committee, Warsaw Community Foundation for Public Education, Committee to Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., Grace Brethren North American Missions Inc., Grace Brethren Investment Foundation Inc., Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw Noon Optimist Club, The Lakeland Art Association Inc., Charles Niemier and Jerry Opperud.

The exhibit continues through Feb. 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call Bonnie Gore, executive director of Lakeland Art Gallery, 267-4040, Wednesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., e-mail [email protected] or visit www.lakelandart.org [[In-content Ad]]