South Main Street

Monica Penny & Carmien Penny

Room to Grow

Artist Bios: Carmien is a senior at UALR. She is a mom to three fur babies, enjoys arts, crafts, groovy times, and groovy people. She is also a huge fan of nature. 10/10 would recommend. Monica is a sophomore at UALR and an established dreamer. Distraught by her inability to live in a fantasy realm, she creates nature/ fantasy inspired art to fill the void. Fueled by hope and what little drives she can muster, Monica is a solid C+ artist.
 
Design Concept: Our piece, “Room to Grow,” is inspired by the flora and fauna of Fourche Creek, we’re hoping it will serve as a reminder of the beauty that needs protection.

Sarah Higgins

Great Wave

Artist Bios: My work is an inspiration of my fascination with German Expressionism and Japanese Prints. This particular piece is influenced by Hokusai’s, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa along with iconic locations in Little Rock that help raise awareness about storm drains in the city. My undergraduate degree is in Fine Arts from UCA and my master’s is in Education from UALR. I currently teach a talented group of Jr. and Sr. High Students who inspire me daily to push myself to create.
 
Design Concept: This design is a fusion of ideas. I was initially inspired by Hokusia, The Great Wave off Kanagawa. The design incorporates a silhouette of iconic features from the city of Little Rock: The Capitol, The USS Razorback, Over the Jumps Carousel, one of the 6 bridges, Pinnacle Mountain, and several buildings. The wave funnels down to the drain and in the center the piece reads, “Drains to Fourche Creek.”

Dondi Warren

Portrait Gallery

Artist Bio: As an artist, I love to explore the symbiosis of have and have not, highlighting and incorporating many themes form the South: place, heritage family, beliefs desires aspirations, fear, scarcity and resourcefulness. Rural landscapes of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee birthed something truly unique and quite amazing. While prosperous families moved in tight social circles bound by traditions and economic forces, those with humbler pedigrees: musicians, authors, artists, actors, and other creatives drew from their life experiences (frequently seasoned with personal hardships) to push beyond convention boundaries. In contrast, ordinary folk utilized regionally available resources and sweat to get through daily life, applying tenacious craftsmanship to generate priceless and cherished treasures.
 
Design Concept: I selected a rectangular drain in SoMa for this proposal, which incorporates concepts of history, community, and stewardship within a whimsical, vintage inspired portrait gallery of selected wildlife that may be exposed from drain flow to Fourche Creek. The SoMa area is rich with a charming and lively business district, beautiful old homes, and the influx of new families seeking to become a part of the thriving revitalization. Residents may appreciate the vintage/ antique inspired portrait gallery of this design. Everyone viewing this art will be reminded that what washes away through drains impacts our critical watershed and the creatures that call it home.

Melissa Conley

Raining on Tuesday

Artist Bios: Melissa Conley is a human living and working in Little Rock. Her hobbies include getting in bed at 9 pm and watching Vine videos until 11pm and greeting dogs instead of their owners. Caught doodling in her kindergarten class, she was constantly discouraged from exploring the depths of her imagination and forced to, like, pay attention in class and do math and stuff. It was horrible and she hated it. Many years and a B.A. degree from UCA later she still hates it, but at least she’s got a roof over her head so she can keep doodling in her spare time. The artist would also like to note that she hasn’t kept a New Year’s resolution since 2004 and she greatly attributes this to her wild and boundless success.
 
Design Concept: There’s a person holding an umbrella which is protecting them from the massive amount of water rushing down into the drain. This is a very straight-forward design in that it illustrates precisely what the drain is for—rainwater. Using a bright palette will help attract the eye of people using the crosswalk, including any children walking to school which might help engage the youth in not tossing their trash in the drain. A simple statement works best here, so on the side of the curb the design would incorporate the message “this drains to the creek.”

Emmanuel Rice

Grandpa Catfish

Artist Bio: I am an artist born and raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.  I am passionate about art. Ever since I can remember I have been surrounded by art. My father was a self-taught artist. Every day I would see paintings and drawings around, and as I got older, the gift of art was passed on to me and I too became a self-taught artist. I now work at the Arkansas Arts Center as an assistant manager over security. Working there keeps me in the world of art that I have come to love so much.
 
Design Concept: Since the theme of DrainSmart is about keeping our rivers and streams clean, I designed my piece to feature “Grandpa Catfish.” Whatever goes down the drain can pollute his home and we want to help him keep it clean. My location is in front of Booker T. Washington Elementary school, and I think this message will speak to the students.

Madeline Chandler

Drains to Wetlands

Artist Bio: Born and raised in the Little Rock area, Madeline Chandler has always loved being outdoors and has a deep appreciation and love for wildlife. Chandler is currently a senior at Maumelle High School and plans to attend the University of Central Arkansas’s Norbert O. Schedler Honor’s College in the fall. Last year, Chandler, with peer Kelsey Bell, created a mural for Drain Smart’s inaugural year on South Main. Chandler enjoyed work with Drain Smart and hopes to make more people aware of the error in littering and destroying our natural ecosystems through this year’s project.
 
Design Concept: This piece is of a beautiful wetland area with purple loosestrife flowers – native to Eurasia, but found in many Arkansas floodplains, and Bald Cypress trees – native to Fourche Creek. The words, “Drains to Wetlands: Keep Arkansas Beautiful,” will remind each passerby to not destroy natural beauty by littering down this drain.

Prinn Vandegrift

Have A Heart

Artist Bio: Prinn is an emerging multimedia artist who works from her attic studio (“happy place”) near downtown Little Rock. She grew up in the rural Arkansas community of Bauxite where her innate artistic outlook drove her to create using what was available and least likely to get her into trouble. Prinn’s experimental technique comes from her desire to take things that have been discarded and turn them into something of beauty. Raw material is everywhere, from trash bins to curbsides to thrift stores, but a perspective which sees hidden potential in the scraps of material is the key to recycled art.  Recent classes at National Park Community College and the Arkansas Arts Center have rekindled her love of sculpting while encouraging her ideas about using alternative media.
 
Design Concept:  I came up with the design from the sculptures I make from trash I collect from rivers and streams. I have been using recycled materials for as long as I can remember as art material! Finding a way to recycle styrofoam was important to me as well as for our environment. When I designed the art for the drain I decided to use the Kat Fish as a way to say, “Hey please help keep my home clean.”

John Van Horn

Artist Bio: A native of Louisiana, John spent most summers on the Arkansas side of the border at his grandparent’s tree farm, just a country kid who loved to get dirty when he played and found great joy in creating scrap-toys and clubhouses.  John moved to Little Rock in 2001; he graduated from University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a B.A. in Studio Art in 2005, and a M.A. in Secondary Education in 2010.  Since then, he’s produced and exhibited several steel sculptures and organized public art projects to encourage community connectedness.  His passion is teaching, and he strives to share his love of art with students as the Painting Instructor at Maumelle High School.
 
Design Concept: As a child, I grew up along the bayous of south Arkansas and Louisiana, playing in, hunting in, and observing the solemn stillness of the swampy waters.  Having rested against or scratched my back on many a Bald Cypress tree, I developed a special appreciation for the leggy gray beauties.  During one of my first visits to Little Rock, I drove through parts of the Fourche Creek watershed and felt myself at home again, at peace among the bottomlands.  When litter enters city drains and follows the flow to our local creeks and streams, the tree “knees,” those up-growing roots of the Bald Cypress, act like fingers and can cause a lot of litter to pile up quickly.  My concept asks a simple favor of my neighbors: Please Don’t Dirty Our Knees.

Perrion Hurd

Harmony

Artist Bio: Perrion Y. Hurd is a self-taught visual artist currently residing and working in Little Rock, Arkansas. His philosophy toward his artwork is to grow and learn through positive self-expression and artistic exploration. Perrion’s paintings are playful and inviting, and he often emphasizes the human figure in his work. His subject matter revolves around his love of music and geometric shapes, with strong lines and bold colors that reflect the influence of the Memphis’ Beale Street and New Orleans’ jazz and blues culture.
 
Design Concept: The title of the public mural is ‘Harmony.’ I feel that it communicates the idea of the interconnectedness that the whole of nature shares with water. All living things in the world, from plants to animals to humans require sources of clean water to survive and thrive, and that we, humans should try to be more aware of and responsible for the things that pollute the environment and the life-giving water that we all share.

Artist Bios: Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Kelsey Bell knew from a young age she loved the arts. Growing up in Arkansas provided the perfect natural landscape she desired. Outside of school at Maumelle High, she spends most of her afternoons at her local equestrian center with her horse Chewie. Some of her riding experiences have inspired some of her pieces and the environment of the barn. Born and raised in Little Rock, Madeline Chandler has always loved art and the environment. She grew up spending most of her time outside exploring the nature and wildlife in the river valley. Her love of the landscape and environment has inspired many of her pieces as well. When they are at school they spend time in their elective classes ranging from drawing, painting, and even an Advanced Placement art studio. All of these classes prepare them for the yearly statewide art competition held by the Arkansas Young Artists Association. Kelsey has attended for three consecutive years, Madeline for two, and at this year’s competition Kelsey won 2nd and 4th place awards for two different pieces.
Always enjoying making art, the pair is stepping outside of their comfort zone to create a public work of art. Never backing away from a challenge, this team is preparing to dazzle and inform the local community about environmental conservation and cleanliness.

Design Concept: ​Our piece is a classic silhouette of the Natural state of Arkansas. Along with our state we have the wonderful trout "jumping" out of the drain. We also have a piece of trash flowing down into the drain. We are using the fish and the trash in the same design to illustrate that these two things don't belong in the same environment. This allows us to convey the message of conservation and preservation.

Kelsey Bell & Chandler, Madeline

Don't Make the
Catfish Pout

Katy L. Kane

Surfing Frog

Artist Bio: Katy L. Kane is a creative person, not only known for her use of bright and happy colors but also for her versatility and ability to turn anything into art. Katy did not have formal art training and never considered and art degree but has always found solace and joy in the act of creating art. She never seriously considered becoming a professional artist until meeting her husband in 2009, at which point he became her biggest fan and supporter, urging her to delve deeper into her creative mind and spread her art around the world! Katy grew up in a beautiful “holler” in the rural hills outside of Gravette. Katy was free to explore the many acres of land her family owned and found inspiration in her long walks through the woods; the raw beauty of God's great creation never ceased to amaze her. She still draws upon this beauty for her many paintings and artistic creations. Katy holds a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She loves to travel. Her interest in other cultures gives her art depth and diversity. She believes art can help people in many ways, like in therapeutic ways for veterans and war victims. She wants to help people in this way and teach people art skills they can go out and teach to others. Katy has been on a couple of mission trips, the most recent to Honduras with her husband who is training to be a horticulturist, so they both support sustainability and cleaning up our good green earth!

Design Concept: Not only does my design incorporate a lot of vivid color, but the frog himself has a lot of personality which I believe is helpful in getting his important message out to the public. I hope it appeals to children and adults alike.

Heidi Pollan

Bear's Retreat

Artist Bio: Thirty-four year old artist, Heidi Elizabeth Pollan, enjoys a charmed life in Fayetteville. She lives there with the love of her life Justin, two handsome sons, Shepherd and Wallace, and two mischievous labs, Shooter and Trigger. She graduated from John Brown University with a B.S. in Sports Medicine and then obtained an M.A. in Higher Education from The University of Missouri in Kansas City. As an artist, Heidi is completely self-taught; she began to teach herself to draw around the age of 14. She recalls being motivated to really learn the skill by a picture of a flower that her mother drew. The drawing captured her. There was such dimension to the flower, with high-lights and low-lights even though the paper was flat.  Every time she viewed it her mind found itself in her mother's garden. From then on she made great efforts to recognize the lovely moments in life and to recreate them. Heidi's goal for any of her art is for the viewer to feel that same sense of transportation she felt as a child. Almost all of Heidi's art is given as gifts. For her, more satisfaction comes from creating something one person treasures versus what a crowd of people will momentarily take in. When Heidi does show her art, like in November of 2014, she does both. The Perk coffee shop in Fayetteville showcased a small collection of 15 pieces, everyone a beloved pet rendering given as a gift to a friend or family member. Heidi says she is rejuvenated by the joy her art brings others. "I plan to make it my lifelong hobby unless I lose the physical ability or I am no longer inspired. I currently see no chance for the latter. The world is too beautiful!"

Design Concept: Water has a wonderfully unique ability to calm and sooth. Simply listening to it can remove the stress from the afternoon and replace it with a renewed joy for life. There is also a movement to water that is fascinating. People will watch a fountain or stare at an aquarium for hours and not get bored. Water is such a beautiful part of nature. I wanted my piece to make other people feel the same way. I thought, if I could get an individual to see the water's movement, hear the little trickle noises, and get swept away a little bit by the picture, it could trigger something in them, namely a desire to protect what created that tranquil moment - our water. I named this picture for my son, Bear Daniel Pollan, who passed away August 2011. I feel him in all that I do, and that presence comforts my soul.

Amanda Heinbockel

​Protect Nature's Purse

Artist Bio: Amanda grew up in an old house in the Quapaw Quarter neighborhood of downtown Little Rock.  She loved the experience of living, playing, and making things in the quirky old Craftsman house that her parents renovated.  Amanda graduated from Little Rock Central High in 2006 and went on to study Studio Art and Chinese at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.  She practiced her language skills and explored the Beijing art scene while she studied abroad in China in 2008. Amanda started to explore her passion for environmental issues as a Wilderness Skills instructor in college.  She channeled this passion for the environment and nature into her senior art thesis project--a mobile salad cart she created to push around Nashville and invite community members to pick and enjoy a fresh salad. After college, Amanda took post-baccalaureate classes in metalsmithing and furniture design at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In 2011 Amanda explored art jewelry in Seattle, took an intensive jewelry course at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, and traveled through China, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In 2013, Amanda moved back to downtown Little Rock to rejoin old neighbors, to make lots of new friends, and to marvel at exciting new developments in the neighborhood. Amanda begun a Master’s program in Secondary Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in the spring of 2013.  In the fall of 2013, Amanda cheerfully accepted a job teaching art at her alma mater, Little Rock Central High.  Amanda has since completed her masters, and she continues to teach at LRCH today, where she loves her students, coworkers, and all of the opportunities she has to encourage creativity.

Design Concept: This red purse design ties in with the neighboring Esse Purse Museum while reminding viewers that any water or objects that enter the storm drain flow into Fourche Creek to join the fish.  A red purse lays on its side with its opening mostly unzipped.  The open zipper lines up with the opening of the storm drain.  Fish swim into the purse from the throat of the storm drain, playfully telling us that our natural spaces should be protected like the contents of a well-loved handbag.

​Meg Davies

​Groovy Fish

Artist Bio: Meg Davis Griffith is a mixed media artist, illustrator, and accomplished international musician. She began her studies in classical arts at The Art Academy of Cincinnati and completed her studies at The West Surrey College of Art and Design in Guildford, England, with additional achievements in Textiles and Art Conservation. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she has travelled extensively, living for many years in the west of England and Scotland. She enjoyed a rich, artistic life and an intensive music career until being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1993. Davis Griffith has been a resident of Maumelle since 2000 and has shown her art quilts in both the 2002 and 2007 Great Arkansas Quilt Shows held at the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock. Her 2007 art quilt "The Exile" was awarded "First Ladies Choice" by Mrs. Beebe and is now part of the Historic Arkansas Museum's permanent collection. Her smaller works in watercolor have been shown in two Twitter Exhibits, in 2013 in Los Angeles and 2015 in Moss, Norway. These works have been sold to raise funds for charity and are held in private collections. Her drawing and painting styles are influenced by the classical figures of the Pre-Raphaelites, the clean design of the Art Deco era and the illustrative works of cartoonists such as Walt Kelly. She states “My works are predominantly created with watercolor powders, solid inks and illustrators’ mediums. My goal is to free the observer to feel young again, to laugh and enjoy the whimsical or to find something of themselves hidden deep in my more serious pieces. I do not wish to be known as a "disabled" artist. I want to be thought of as an intensely creative person who is using art and music not merely to survive the challenges of Multiple Sclerosis, but to rise far above and beyond them.”

Design Concept: ​Arkansans love their fish and The Natural State provides 9,700 miles of fishable streams and rivers. The Groovy Fish is here to say, "All the fish you'd ever want are living here in the beautiful waters of Arkansas. The water that goes down storm drains doesn't get filtered, it doesn't go to a treatment plant, it flows straight into streams, creeks and rivers. So, if you want to catch a big fish like me you've got to keep the Water Clean! Be groovy and repeat after me... Nothing down the drain but rain.”