In years past, Alicia Farris and her family have golfed the Ozarks and volunteered for the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper.
So when commissioned to paint the official artwork of the PCCC, the local award-winning artist stepped up to the tee box immediately – partly because children’s charities stand to benefit and partly because of the terrific lineup of past artists, many well-known in the Springfield arts community.
What Farris delivered is an artistic keepsake – a golfer sinking a winning put. This for a tournament which gifted almost $13 million to Ozarks children’s charities in the past 26 years and is affiliated with the PGA’s Web.com Tour.
“It was an honor to be asked,” Farris said. “(The tournament’s) a wonderful fundraiser for so many different charities. We can be proud that Springfield houses such a wonderful event.”
The piece will be up for bid during the Golf Ball & Charity Auction presented by Copy Products, Inc. and University Plaza on Tuesday night, August 9. The event starts at 6 p.m. at University Plaza Convention Center in downtown Springfield and features almost 400 items in silent and live auctions – including an Arctic Wild Cat ATV donated by Bass Pro Shops.
Farris teaches and shows her artwork throughout the Midwest. But you’ll find her teaching locally at The Springfield Regional Arts Council at the Creamery Arts Center near Hammons Field, and the Splatter Art Studio near Galloway Grill in southeast Springfield. Her work is exhibited locally at Fresh Gallery in downtown Springfield, where she is the gallery coordinator and one of the founding artist members.
She has been painting professionally for about a dozen years and teaching the past nine years, with an emphasis on watercolor, acrylic and oil. She tries to recreate not just an image but mood, light and colors that capture the imagination.
Fortunately, inspiration for the PCCC found her canvas, and the original will be offered at the Golf Ball & Charity Auction presented by Copy Products, Inc., and University Plaza on Aug. 9 at the University Plaza Convention Center. Signed prints will be on display throughout the PCCC and distributed to sponsors.
Golf runs in the Farris family DNA, as Farris took inspiration from her husband Brad, son Victor and daughter Marisa. Brad and Victor play golf regularly, and Marisa played in grade school. The family also had a role in volunteering in recent years for the PCCC, including serving as a host family for one of the Web.com Tour golfers.
Truth is, Farris isn’t a golfer. But, like a true professional, she did her homework in crafting a winner. Questions were asked. Pictures of her husband playing golf, with an eye for his swings, were taken. She even turned to her TV recently to the U.S. Open and took more notes.
Beyond that, Farris stopped by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, whose auditorium displays framed prints of past PCCC artwork. Those were inspiration themselves, Farris explained, given prior work was done by such artists as drawn by Brad Noble, Susan Sommer-Luarca, Robert E. Smith and many others.
Ultimately, Farris chose to create an image of a drawing of a golfer sinking a putt.
“The putt at the end, it encompasses the whole game,” Farris said. “If you can’t putt, nothing else really matters.”
Farris certainly delivered a keepsake.
“I’m just really happy to be able to contribute and be asked to do this,” Farris said. “Even though I’m not a golfer, the tournament is a part of my family.”