Origins by Jerry Wray & Randy Hedgcock Retrospective

SHREVEPORT, La. — The Louisiana State Exhibit Museum will host a display of two prominent women artists titled, “Origins and Retrospective: A Celebration of Color” from August 29 through September 24.  There will be an opening reception on Sunday, August 29, 2021 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The public is invited to view the exhibit during regular museum hours Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Origins by Jerry Wray” will feature works in watercolor and acrylic on paper, canvas, and driftwood by Shreveport artist Jerry Wray (1925-2018).  The focus of the exhibit is on one of her favorite series inspired by a visit to the prehistoric caves of Lascaux in France.  Mary Virginia Hill, the artist’s daughter as well as a talented watercolor artist, will curate the exhibit.

Entering college at Randolph-Mason Women’s College in Lynchberg Virginia, Wray knew she would be an artist after her first art class.  “I fell in love with it and I knew – this is it,” remembered Wray, who won an award for her progress in class.  She then transferred to the prestigious art department at Newcomb College in New Orleans, where her senior project was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Wray held membership in the National Watercolors Society, the National Association of Women Artists and the International Association of International Artists.  Wray loved the outdoors and painted, “to express my love for nature and the beauty in the world.”  As a teacher, she also generously shared her knowledge and experiences and her joyful enthusiasm with many artists.

Randy Hedgcock (1951-2020) graduated from C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport and received a Bachelor of Arts from University of the South at Sewanee and MFA from Northwestern State University.

As an artist, Hedgcock is a modernist and the quintessential colorist, according to JoAnne Harris, art critic for the Shreveport Times. Her still lifes and interior scenes were influenced by Henri Matisse’s use of bold color. “Hedgcock’s Retrospective” celebrates her passion and joy for creating colorful art from nature and is curated by her sister, Ivy Frierson.  Randy worked in oil, acrylic and water media.