Stone County Art, a new member of the Arkansas Craft Guild, will debut at the Guild's 23^rd Annual Christmas Showcase Extravaganza at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock December 7-9.

The creation of Lee Cowan of Fox, the debut will feature Snakes and Woman as Giver. A psychotherapist in Little Rock for many years before moving to Stone County four years ago, Cowan combines psychological and metaphysical humor with the primitive elements of the outdoors in her contemporary sculptures.

"Want Fries with That?", for example, is an interactive piece in three stages depicting Woman as Giver throughout the ages. The first stage of the work is a simple torso of a strong, powerful woman who gives simply through who she is. An open basket can then be set atop the woman's shoulders, adding a second, simple stage of giving. Finally, an orange plastic carton of bright yellow French fries can be placed in the basket to signify the over-giving that is at times expected from today's "super woman." The owner of the sculpture can decide daily at which stage to display the piece.

Other sculptures include "Super Man Thinking" (without a head), "After the Coyote" (a dismembered road runner), and "High Maintenance Women" (be careful).

In addition to sculpture, Cowan will introduce her hand-cast outdoor furniture made from cement products, clay and mixed media. She has planted several varieties of blooming hippeastrum and narcissus to brighten the display of her large herb planters and hypertufa. She has added unique candles to the elaborate trays and holders she will offer.

And the snakes?

"Because our place in Stone County has both a river and a creek running through it, we have an incredible number of poisonous snakes," Cowan explains. "Learning to coexist with them when possible and learning to kill them when I have to has dominated a large part of my consciousness since moving here. And this preoccupation has come out in my art."

In fact, one of her favorites pieces to be shown at the Extravaganza is called "Snake Sky." It is a piece set in concrete bordered by rusting barbed wire which features an actual snake skin dividing the natural rocks and arrowhead below from the silver stars and black plastic moon above.

Another recurring theme features wine and grapes, as Cowan and her husband have planted a small vineyard with six varieties of wine grapes and began making wine for themselves.

Stone County Art will be in booth 88 at the show. Admission to the Extravaganza is $3. The Arkansas Craft Guild is a statewide organization based in Mountain View that specializes in quality traditional and contemporary handmade fine arts and crafts.