The public is invited to view a special collection by local artist Danny Helms at the 1894 Art Gallery in downtown Texarkana. The show, "Led by The Spirit: Visions of the Old Testament" will run through Sept. 30.
The show consists of 39 paintings depicting each of the books of the Old Testament as imagined by Danny. Starting over a year ago, he has worked more than 1,500 hours on the collection.
As a child in grade school, he recalled an artist once came to his school to demonstrate charcoal drawing. That inspired Danny to practice his art, and he eventually received formal training at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, graduating with a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1970.
"God led me to do this it's His timing," said Danny, who is the associate pastor of Arkansas Boulevard Church of Christ.
"It's so needed right now, with all the unrest in the world" said Georgia Hubnik, who manages the gallery. "You walk into the viewing room and the peace is tangible." A book of the paintings will be available at the gallery. A 22-minute audio tour will also be available by scanning a QR code with your phone. During the tour, Danny explains the scriptural inspiration for each of the paintings.
"God has given me this talent," Danny said. "I don't care if people remember my name, as long as they remember His."
"We are really proud that the recreation of this building has coincided with Danny completing his collection," said owner David Peavy. "It's transformed into the perfect setting for a show of this caliber."
(Operating hours for 1894 Art Gallery are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.)