SPRINGVILLE — Five grandmothers who are all noted Utah County artists will display their artwork at the Springville Museum of Art beginning Jan. 5.

The exhibition, "People, Places and Things" shows the paintings of Marilee B. Campbell, Lou Jene Carter, Carol P. Harding, Mary Ann Free Smith and the sculptures of Carol Dunford.

Show hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 3 to 6 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and holidays.

Each artist uses her select media to express a unique vision of her love for her native Mountain West. Their themes are optimistic and biographical. Some create art to express an idea, experience or emotion, others to capture fleeting moments, to stop time.

"I have to. I need to paint what I experience. That is a joy to me. I paint what I love," Harding said.

"I want to hold on to what I see and feel in nature," Campbell said. "It's an expression of my love."

"When I work, I am immersed in the emotions of the painting, caught up in some ardent affair and compelled to define it," Carter said.

"I paint because I want to express an idea or because I have affection for something. When I'm not painting, I'm thinking about it. The process is profoundly rewarding," Smith said.

"I hope that my work portrays the joy I feel for life and for the creation of the work. I sculpt for the love of it," Jackman said.

Art is the process of self-discovery, Smith noted.

"None of these artists is neutral about their art. ... It doesn't come easily. It takes work. Combined, they believe they have painted football fields of paintings," she said.

Echoing world-famous artist Burton Silverman, who said at the opening of his recent show at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, "You can't paint in a vacuum," the five encourage each other, share similar struggles and have mutual views about art, Smith said.

On occasion they meet together for lunch, usually at Campbell's house.

"The conversation is lively, going from art talk to the daily requirements of living and family. At lunch recently, there was a consensus about not painting in a vacuum. This gave a silly symbolism to the conflicts presented by mixing art with the routine tasks of living," Smith said.

All have had formal art training, mostly at BYU, and have taken classes from top artists across the nation. They have exhibited in shows and venues from the East Coast to the West Coast and have won many awards. All have works in noted collections, Smith said.

If you go

What: "People, Places and Things"

Where: Springville Museum of Art, 126 E. 400 South

When: Jan. 5 through Feb. 4 (artists' reception 2-4 p.m. Jan. 6)

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E-mail: rodger@desnews.com