Greenville Public Library provides a treasure trove of rich resources for Darke County residents. Additions to that bounty were recently hung on the walls of the library’s second floor Reference Room–the lovely, interesting work of Arcanum-area artist Marilyn Banks. Marilyn’s path to becoming an artist was inspired by her heritage; she says that, although her mother’s creativity was influential to her life, she was motivated to do art because of her grandmother, whose watercolor paintings Marilyn still owns and treasures.
Marilyn taught art in Arcanum schools from 1976 till 2002, sharing her joy in creating with her students while her husband Leroy worked as an Industrial Arts instructor at Tri-County North. The creative couple had met while teaching at Trotwood, and after deciding they wanted to live “out in the country,” moved to Darke County where they raised their two children, Matthew, a professor and researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, and Heather, who teaches high school math in Tri-Village Local School District.
Marilyn says that the work on display at the library might have titles, but that she is not adept at memorably naming her work, so my simple descriptions will suffice as identifying factors. Two of the pieces—the first and the final works hanging–are obviously inspired by nature, offering abstract interpretations of woodlands; these are her reflections on scenes that Marilyn enjoys while driving through “just beautiful” West Virginia, a trip often taken in order to visit her son at VCU.
Although still life paintings are defined as “art picturing inanimate objects,” Marilyn inserts a vibrancy into her work that lifts her subjects to becoming living things rather than lifeless objects. A lovely still life featuring life-like yellow lemons and luscious purple grapes is really a portrait of the old lunch pail standing behind the fruit, a beloved remembrance of the artist’s uncle who had carried his lunch to school in that pail. A surprisingly striking yet simple picture of pinecones in a blue-lined yellow bowl was inspired when the artist saw the scene “shining in the light,” and instantly realized that it was “a painting waiting to happen.”
But my favorite of the paintings on display is a portrait of a white-faced heifer, wisely looking back at the viewer with a stoic all-knowing expression. Maybe because I grew up on a dairy farm, this painting evokes a sense of joy that is difficult to define; but I defy anyone to view this bovine beauty without smiling back at her. Marilyn says that her entire family has always loved and valued their livestock, with both her children being involved in 4-H clubs while growing up and her daughter still volunteering as a 4-H advisor today.
Never able to “stick to one thing because I loved it all,” Marilyn is now into mixed media. She loves paper and texture, “and mixed media uses all of those,” she says, especially enjoying creating abstract work mixed with “something tied to reality.” She loves birds and flowers; those natural subjects remain her main themes as she continues to pursue her attempt to capture the beauty that surrounds us all. Marilyn is still taking art classes, and is a student of local artist Michael Glass, who Marilyn says is a thoughtful, wonderful teacher.
Darke County Center for the Arts Director of Visual Arts Jennifer Overholser, who organized this exhibit along with Library staff, has this to say about Marilyn Banks and her talents: “Everybody who knows Marilyn knows her sense of joy, whimsy and humor; those characteristics can also be found in her artwork.”
So next time you go to the Greenville Public Library to look for reading material, take a moment to check out the joyous, whimsical, humorous paintings produced by Marilyn Banks; your day will become brighter, your spirits will be lifted by the encounter.