WEST POINT — The works of nine artists from the east Alabama-west Georgia region were on display at West Point Depot Tuesday evening as West Point Fine Arts presented its second annual eARThworks showing. A variety of exquisite artworks ranging from some most impressive photography to some amazing creations in the form of ink prints, graphite, watercolor and acrylic mediums were on view.

Artists whose works were on display included Leah Watts of LaGrange, Sean Burnley of Auburn, Lori Harrell of West Point, Dwayne Holmes of Valley, Jennifer Emery of LaGrange, June Bird of West Point, Desiree Downs of West Point, and Becky and David Guinn of Lanett.

Mrs. Guinn is a retired art teacher from the Chambers County School District. She taught for years at Valley High before facing a personal crisis that jeopardized her continuing as an artist. She lost her hands and her feet due to a rare illness. With some grit, fortitude and a genuine love for self-expression, she overcame that and now produces beautiful images with the aid of prosthetic limbs.

Her husband, David Guinn, is a gifted artist as well. He had on display some stunning likenesses of interesting people he’s met over the years. They include “Babushka, the Grandmother of Hope,” “The Birdman of Notre Dame” and a man who’s coming From the Shadows. These museum-worthy graphite works are 22 by 48 inches in size.

West Point Fine Arts Director Thea McElvy thanked the City of West Point for being very supportive of the arts organization. 

“They’ve provided us a room for storage and to teach classes here at the Depot,” she said. “We can use the Depot for exhibitions.”

Members of West Point Fine Arts pay a one-year membership fee. This covers the costs of setting up and providing refreshments for the exhibitions. 

“We have updates on what we are doing on our Facebook page, and I am in contact with our members via e-mail,” McElvy said. 

“I want our organization to be something that serves artists. In LaGrange and Auburn-Opelika we are surrounded by communities that have very strong art programs. We would like to have that here in West Point and the Valley area.”

According to McElvy, there’s a difference between art and crafts. 

“Art is for human consumption and crafts are for personal use,” she said.

She thanked Artistic Director Bill Nixon of the New Horizon Community Theatre for allowing the theatre lobby to be used as a venue for local artists when crowds are there for their productions. 

“There’s a local dance troupe that would like to be part of our local arts movement,” she said.

McElvy credits Steve Sorrels of The House of Flowers, Valley, for coming up with the eARThworks name.