North Little Rock

Allison Tucker

Bottled Nature

Artist Bio:  I am a visual artist and former art teacher living and working in Sherwood. I attended the Memphis College of Art and in 2008 and received my BFA in Design Arts with a focus in illustration. I have worked with a plethora of media but have spent the last few years fixated on graphite pencil and watercolors. I am currently working and experimenting with new media such as India inks, acrylic paints, gouache, and colored pencils. My current goal is to incorporate more mixed media into my art to create a more dynamic body of work.
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Design Concept: Nature gives us what we put into it. If we keep it clean then it returns that cleanness back to us. When we pollute it then we receive trash in return. If we could bottle nature itself just as we do water, what would we get? The quality of the world around us is dependent on how we treat and care for it. We will benefit from our careful actions as much as nature will.

Kristen Macchi

Love Birds

Artist Bio:  Kristen Macchi is an artist from Bryant, and a Donaghey Scholar at UA Little Rock. She currently studies biology while practicing art in her free time. In high school she took many courses where she honed her skills working with acrylic paint, watercolor, pen, and mixed media art. Her art mainly features portraits and landscapes, which usually contain both natural and supernatural subjects. She practices painting both realistic and stylized art. She was a Drain Smart artist in 2019, where she painted a drain on the Bryant High School campus. Kristen believes in the impact science and art can create together locally and globally.
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Design Concept: For this painting, I was inspired by a pink sunset I saw driving home from work close to Valentine’s Day. My brain was centered on the idea of loving our environment the way we love others. Swans symbolize love, beauty, and purity, so I painted two swans with their necks craning to imitate the shape of a heart in front of a pink sunset over a lake. Trumpeter Swans are native to Arkansas, spending the winters here away from the cold of the North.

Catherine Burton

​The Transformative Magic of Clean Water

Artist Bio: Catherine Wood Burton is a studio artist specializing in large abstracts, figurative works on paper/canvas, and pet portraits. She has been in several art shows over the past ten years and has loyal collectors across the United States. She is passionate about the Drain Smart project and making a difference through this public art installation. When she is not creating art, Catherine is a 500-hr. certified yoga teacher, an avid digger of quartz crystal, and adores doing fun stuff with her family. 
 
Design Concept: The top features a large Mandela-esque sun with a colorful rainbow center, extending sun rays outward and down that magically transform into four multicolored sunfish. Graphic water swirls below, and raindrops and stars surround the transformed fish and rays. The quote is by renowned naturalist/anthropologist Loren Eiseley.

Liz Conti

​Bayou Meto Art Drain

​Artist Bio: Artist, mother, beekeeper, lover of nature & all things beautiful. Graduate of Mt. St. Mary Academy & UA Little Rock, with a BA in Studio Art. Motivated to create art that will facilitate an awareness of respect toward nature.
 
Design Concept: An iris leaf wraps around a stop sign with “don't pollute.” Trash at the bottom with flowers pair with a Great Egret. “Drains to creek” is the border, including Bayou Meto, which is where this drain flows.

Artist Bio: I live in Springdale with my husband. I am 38 years old and have lived half of my life in the beautiful state of Arkansas. It is hard to imagine a better place to live. We have 3 businesses that we run, two labs to snuggle on, and two little boys that love to have painting parties with mommy. I attended college at John Brown University and the University of Missouri-KC where I received degrees in Sports Medicine and Higher Education. Since, then I have added many hats to the pile on my head. My favorite hat is my artist hat. I am self-taught. I am constantly trying new things and learning to use different subject matter and mediums to create things that spark joy for me and others. It is a hobby that I do completely for the joy of it, on my own time, and for things that I believe are important. This painting is dedicated to my mother, Dianne Gliedt. She is the best!

Design Concept: This is a Roseate Spoonbill. This beautiful bird likes the Delta and the southern portions of Arkansas. If the proper awareness is brought to protecting our streams, creeks, and rivers, then the “cherry on top” will be seeing lovely animals like this one for years to come

Heidi Pollan

​The Cherry On Top

Becca Robinson

​Keep Our Plants Alive

Artist Bio: Art has always been a part of my life. My love for creating was sparked as a child, and developed as I grew older. In 2017, I graduated from UCA with a BFA in Studio Arts with an emphasis in painting. I then went to New York to intern for artists Diana Cooper and Natalie Baxter. I'm currently a graphic designer and social media manager. I like to spend my free time painting, taking art classes, doing yoga, cooking, and hanging out with my dogs and husband.
 
Design Concept: For this piece I researched native plants to Arkansas. Featured plants include sassafras, beauty berry, dogwood, allspice, and buckeye. I used varying colors of blue to represent the layers seen in deep water. I wanted to create a design that contains elements found in my regular practice.

April Smith

​Love All Creatures

Artist Bio: April Smith is an art teacher at Maumelle High School. She teaches kids every day to appreciate art and take time to stop and really see the world around them. She wants her students to really understand the color, line, and form of things in their everyday lives. With an interior design and fine arts degree, April has transferred her technical knowledge and love for the arts to countless students over the years.
 
Design Concept: I want to bring attention to the wildlife that can be affected by pollution in our creeks. Arkansas is home to such diverse wildlife, and they all depend on water sources to survive. I really want people to know that the candy wrapper or chip bag they leave on the ground can end up harming the environment and all these creatures.

Artist Bio: Casie Starr is a 26-year-old freelance illustrator born and raised in central Arkansas. She currently works at the Little Rock Museum of Discovery in a multi-faceted role as both an animal care technician and a visual merchandiser for the Explore Store. Art and creative expression have always had an incredible influence on her, which she uses as a conduit to express her passion for the natural world. Growing up, when she was not drawing, she was exploring the woods, mountains, and creeks in search of inspiration. Countless hours spent swimming, hiking, fishing, and camping have fostered an intense adoration for her home state. Through her art and career, she hopes to inspire others; to learn, to create, and to appreciate.

Design Concept: Big Blue depicts a large, vibrant image of a blue catfish swimming in the depths of the Arkansas River. As an artist and an animal caretaker, I am especially passionate about the way our state's wildlife is affected by our everyday actions. Big Blue is a reflection of the natural beauty found in our waterways; a beauty that deserves to be protected and preserved. Additional representation of my work can be found at https://www.behance.net/casiedraws.

Casie Starr

​Big Blue