Community Arts Base (C.A.B.) has been around since 1996. Originally started to promote the Art on the Kinni art fair, C.A.B. is made up of dedicated artists and people who support the arts in the River Falls community. So, when there is a call for artists from C.A.B to participate in an annual show, a person might expect the art to come from lifetime artists, people with art degrees and advanced degrees and people who are passionate about art. So, plan on going to this exhibit fully expecting to be wowed. The 25 works included in this show are very eclectic. Hanging it artfully is a credit to the Art’s House curators Leslie Batt-Lutz and Petra Guenthner-Johnson. The art says a lot about the artist and their own reflection on reality. Some of those reflections are gentle and beautiful like these three paintings. Carol Pruchnofski’s oil painting captures a countryside theme on Highway 29 in “Fall Reflections.” One of the benefits of volunteering in the gallery is getting feedback from the public. There were lots of requests for prints of this original. Zawislak-Brandt captured the countryside near Prescott in an acrylic painting called “Early Summer.” Diane Foster’s oil of a decaying barn entitled “Imposing Presence” grabbed a lot of second looks from many gallery visitors. Painted like Van Gogh in plein air these first paintings came from within 10 miles of River Falls. All three women claim to remain tic free. Hannah Freeman returns from the Southwest with an oil and oil pastel painting on a wood panel called “I‘m With You, Hebrews 4:15.” Titles are often a personal key to the essence of the artwork. Reflecting on gathering dusk and gathering snow, Cathy O’Connel simply named her oil painting “Gathering.” John Grancorvitz, who teaches watercolor at C.A.B.’s Art’s House Gallery, gives us “Northern Birch.” Heidi Van Ausdal demonstrates some magical marbling in her acrylic “Whispering Birch.” Gayle Brunner paints a gentle watercolor study of the life of a morning glory bloom in “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” Lee Ann Wilkins gives us “Oh Peonies!” a watercolor for meditation. Poet Paul White’s gouache painting called “Sitting on it” reminds me of Kandinsky and is pure visual poetry. “Prayers Over Gaza” by Marg Downing gives us more to think about than look at while Johnny Diablo’s acrylic, “A Whale of a Painting” gives us something to laugh about. Vicki Steven’s thoughtful photograph of an old boarded-up store front called “County Trunk Hwy S Maiden Rock WI” captures the peace and mood of this historical spot. Then, there are these two photographers who make me look twice and say, well now, what was that image before it became a photograph? Charles Radar’s “Vortex Im Breisgau” really is a photo of a vortex, but the title made me Google it to understand it better. Ken Krautbauer’s photograph “Entropy” causes me to review the definition of entropy which defined is lack of order or predictability, gradual decline into disorder. The photo is fascinating and well named. Art of course is about the artist’s reflection on their environment and their reality. Roy Annet brings an eye-grabbing untitled work in mixed media which combines timeless with modern, and chaos with order. The piece looks emotionally charged. Cheryl Maplethorpe continues on a sustainability roll with a bell weather jar entitled “ Who Owns the Earth?” The jar is full of intricate paper animals with numbers running up the insides of the glass jar signifying power and wealth. Batt-Lutz has created a serene human ceramic image called “Superior Waters” which needs to be seen to be appreciated. Brian and Susan Johnson of Red Sled Studio contributed “Dragon Scale Bowl” which is a steal at $70. Pauly Cudd contibutes one of his stellar hand blown glass vases called “Copper and Laguna.” In the center of the gallery hangs a linen teal and white tie-dyed jacket by Kay Fritz. (Which I would like to wear home). Made of glass and bone beads, River Urke’s dream catcher “Spider Kiss” has a good corner spot with a great shadow. Petra Guenthner-Johnson’s weaving “Convergence” demonstrates what happens when things converge. Petra said that she rattled this concept around in her mind two years before she wove it. Todd Johnson gives us a real look at set design in “Set Design for Goblin Market media” in colored pencil on board. The youngest artist in the show, Josh Wilkens, represented himself well with a colored pencil drawing called “Wolf.” It was good to see the next generation exhibiting at Art’s House Gallery. Don’t miss the lovely stained glass art piece called “Iris” by Carolina Downs featured in the gallery’s front window at 127 N. Main in downtown River Falls. Gallery Hours are 2-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The well attended Meet the Artist Event for the First Annual Member’s Show was held June 27. The lowest price tag in the show is $30 and the highest price is $2,000. The show includes a fair number of NFS (Not for Sale) tags which tells me the art is very close to the artist’s heart. Jim Ehlers provided lively guitar music at the opening of the First Annual C.A.B show. The show runs through Aug. 2 and is a great opportunity to get inspired.