A sixty-six inch in circumference painted gourd will be featured in an upcoming gallery show, “With These Missouri Hands”, to be held July 7th through August 28th at the Lillian Yahn Gallery in O’fallon, Missouri. This work, entitled “Alphabet Gourd”, is covered with sign language, numbers, pictures and the alphabet. The Columbia Missouri artist, Melynda Lotven of Enchanted Gourd Art, took over 4 years to complete the piece, working on it off and on.

Painting and crafting gourds since 1993, Melynda Lotven is an artist, wife, mother of three, founder and first president of the Show Me Gourd Society and a juried member of the Best of Missouri Hands. She has been featured in magazines, books, videos, on HGTV, on DIY Network, and is an annual visiting artist at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.

Melynda will join 14 other artists in the exhibition who come from across Missouri, from Garden City in Western Missouri to Cape Girardeau in Southeast Missouri. A wide variety of artistic mediums will be in the show including Photography, Jewelry, Glass, Metal, Ceramics, Painting, Fiber, and Mixed Media.

A free & open to the public reception will be held on Friday, July 31st, from 6 – 9 pm at the Lillian Yahn Gallery, located at 7443 Village Center Drive in O’Fallon, MO 63368 636-561-0028.

July 7th  Exhibit Opens, 11 am – 4 pm at the Lillian Yahn Gallery. Hours:  Tues – Fri 11am-4pm,  Sat 11am-2pm

July 31st Artists Reception at Lillian Yahn Gallery, 6 pm – 9 pm

Closing Reception to be held August 28th at Lillian Yahn Gallery, 6 pm – 9 pm

“With These Missouri Hands” was developed by The Best of Missouri Hands, and St. Charles County Arts Council to provide a forum to demonstrate the creativity and diversity of the artists and artisans of Missouri and the Midwest region. Both non-profit organizations receive financial assistance from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. Juror for the show was Bruce Howard, glass artist and President of the St. Charles County Arts Council.

The St. Charles County Arts Council is an advocacy organization focused on support for, and providing information about, the arts and artists in St. Charles County, Missouri. More information about the organization may be found at http://www.stcharlesart.org. The Missouri Artists Association d.b.a. The Best of Missouri Hands, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and recognition of Missouri’s artists and artisans.Their website is http://www.bestofmissourihands.org