Barbara Smock
Barbara Hobday Smock is an award-winning artist from the United Kingdom. While art and painting have always been a big part of her life, she pursued a career outside of the art world. Barbara’s artistic journey began as a child. One of nine brothers and sisters, her mother often entertained the children with rolls of butcher paper, crayons, watercolor paints, and salt blocks to carve. During weekends and summer holidays Barbara would go to the local riding school and spend her time grooming and riding the ponies there. Her early obsession with horses grew to a deep love and respect for them. Consequently, horses quickly became her favorite subjects to draw and paint.
Frequent visits to racetracks in Arkansas, Kentucky and Indiana have been consequential in the development of horses in motion in Barbara’s photography and paintings.
Barbara uses a camera to record ideas, downloading photos into her computer for later sketch work. Concentrating on eye appeal and occasionally humor, she gives her subjects a personal twist.
Barbara lives in beautiful Hardy Arkansas, on a small farm with an assortment of livestock and a very tolerant supportive husband. The animals on the farm often become subjects of her paintings. She adds a twist of humor to these subjects, a rooster with wild eyes running straight at you, or a rabbit carrying a purse.
Artists Statement
My love for animals and desire to capture their personality and special uniqueness has given me a sense of purpose. A desire to share my images in an affordable artwork, and to appeal to humans of all ages. My artistic objective is to cause viewers to smile and wonder where they’ve seen that critter before.
243 E. Main, Batesville, AR 72501
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.