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October Issue 2004
Summit One Gallery in Highlands, NC, Features Reprise Exhibition
Summit One Gallery in Highlands, NC, will present
the exhibition, Epic Spirit II, featuring works by Betty
Foy Botts, Mase Lucas and Libby Mathews from Oct. 9 through Nov.
22, 2004. Epic Spirit in 2002 featured works by the same
three artists. The exhibition is appropriately titled because
all three artists paint in a very large format and their spirits
are as large as their canvases.
Betty Foy Botts (Atlanta, GA) is an abstract artist. She says,
"As an artist, I sometimes feel a little like a mad scientist
as I pour, scrape, sand and draw into my surfaces. There is a
child-like excitement in the sense of discovery as the painting
begins to take form. I become a vessel in the hands of a creative
God as I immerse myself in the process. The push and pull of the
painting direct me as it becomes. It is not surprising that my
paintings are complex."
Botts goes on to add, "As individuals we are complex, layer
upon layer, yet an essence, a spirit, a mind, a will and emotion.
My paintings are the end result of putting on materials, removing
materials, covering and uncovering, stripping and gouging until
at last it becomes what it is - a revolution, a kindred spirit
to my spirit and the spirit of God."
Mase Lucas
Mase Lucas (Scaly Mountain, NC) is well known
across the country for her equine paintings. She captures the
soul and synergy of her subjects. She says of her work, "My
paintings generally address two artistic interests: one is the
sense of restrained energy that seems to be an integral part of
stillness and repose; the other is the unrevealed narrative suggested
by enigmatic, and often unlikely, relationships. For me, the trick
is to explore and relay these smudgy observations without unwittingly
releasing the energy or trivializing the relationships."
Lucas' studio is in a converted hayloft above her horse barn.
At night she can hear the horses below her in their stalls; during
the day she's able to observe them in the fields. The windows,
high and bright, overlook a pastoral landscape that never fails
to fill her with the most sustaining awe and gratitude. Lucas
is also known for her figures studies. Her studies of women are
as genteel as her horses are powerful. Once again, she captures
the mood and energy of her subjects.
Libby Mathews (Lakemont, GA) at early dawn is drawn to her lakeside
studio to paint the sun's first light as it touches the mountains
and slowly moves across the land setting everything in its path
ablaze with vibrant colors and ever-changing views. Whether the
day is brilliant with the sun's glow or shrouded in the gray values
from fog or rain, the landforms shift, transform and renew at
the edges of each day.
Mathews offers the following about her work, "I am in constant
motion - choreographing compositions as my internal vision of
the landscape speaks of change, tension, boundaries, shadows (similar
to everyday internal dialogues). This 'dance' captures moments
of beauty, color, and clarity."
Mathews' early experience was filled with years
of printmaking, teaching with the Fulton Council for the Arts
and the Georgia Arts Council and dancing with Mary Staton Dance
Ensemble. Once she began painting, nothing else held her interest
quite as strongly. Mathews created her own course of study with
painters whose work she most admired. Marc Chatov and his uncle,
Roman, were her first instructors. Their traditional Russian pallet
and disciplinary techniques gave her structure, information and
inspiration to look deeply in the shadow, to "see" color
and value in figure studies.
Artist Alice Edgar Williams took Mathews outside to paint en
plein air and the spark ignited. She discovered her intent.
Her Gestalt love of landscape has taken her to Wyoming, California,
Central America and Italy to paint the land and capture the qualities
of light and shadow. The beautiful, verdant Southern Appalachians
are now her home. Mathews says, "I cherish each day spent
translating my vision of the natural world to canvas; capturing
the fleeting moment when earth, water, and air glowvibrating with
oneness."
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 828/526-2673, e-mail at (summitonegallery@aol.com) or at (www.summitonegallery.com).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.