An ArtTalk and Artists’ Reception at the Johnson Center for the Arts Thursday night honored Elana Hagler, Debra Riffe and Belinda Harrison.

Vicki Pritchett, JCA executive director, said the event was well attended by the community and by Troy University students.

“We are always excited to have university students attend our events,” Pritchett said. “At the Johnson Center we strongly support the ‘town and gown’ partnership and look forward to more events like the ArtTalk and Artists’ Reception.

Pritchett said Hagler, from Pike Road, Riffe from Birmingham, and Harrison from Troy are all unique as individuals and as artists. She wanted them to have an opportunity to share their crafts, their stories and their processes with the extended Troy community.

“Belinda gave much of the credit for her Variations exhibit to her mentor Pam Smith,” Pritchett said. “She was excited to have her first exhibit in her hometown. Belinda never imagined that she would have an opportunity to show her work. But this is not the first time we’ll she Belinda’s work.”

Debra Riff shared the fact that she stated as a needlepoint artist but needlepoint took so long that she could never get enough pieces together for a show.

“Debra liked the idea of block printing and realized that she could transfer the images that she used for her needlepoint art to the block,” Pritchett said. “She is now a highly acclaimed block print artist. Her work is incredible.”

Hagler was born in Israel and comes from a long line of scribes. She attributes her attention to detail to her lineage, Pritchett said.

“Elana’s work is beautiful and meticulous,” she said. “She shared with us that if the scribes made a single mistake, their work had to be thrown away and they had to start over again. It’s much the same with her, especially with her charcoal drawings. Elana said erasing helps her with the development of the process.

“The title of Elana’s exhibit is ‘The Ephemeral and the Concrete.’ It is her belief that there are things that are ephemeral that should be ‘concrete.’

The artwork of these artist will be long lasting.”

The exhibits of Hagler, Riffe and Harrison will hang at the Johnson Center for the Arts through February 27. The JCA is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and until 3 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free.