Feature Articles

November Issue 2002

Charlotte Art League in Charlotte, NC, Features Exhibition by Four Members

Four women artists: Han Cashion, Marilyn Charlotte Dix, Mariann Reuss, and Terry Thirion will share their work in an exhibit entitled, Encounters, at the Charlotte Art League in Charlotte, NC, from Nov. 8 - 16, 2002.

As Charlotte gets more dynamic and diverse in cultural flavor, these four women, who are from Korea, the United States, Mexico/Germany, and Belgium were drawn together by the common thread of art. Being an artist often dictates a solo journey, yet these artists developed their friendship in nurturing and encouraging each other's visual expression, making their artistic journey richer and more meaningful.

Their first project was a collaborative chalk painting on Tryon Street sponsored by the Center City partners and curated by Gallery 237 to celebrate women artists in Charlotte. The experience prompted them to continue meeting monthly to critique support and encourage each other's creative process. In this exhibition, Encounters, the viewer has the opportunity to experience their diversity in visual language ranging from figurative to abstract.

A native of Korea, Han Cashion found her art in her late twenties soon after arriving in the US in 1990. She primarily paints in the abstract using acrylic on canvas. Her paintings convey a unique merging of culture, mystery and strength. Cashion has received numerous awards from her paintings in regional and national juried exhibitions including California Watercolor Association, Wyoming Watercolor Association and San Diego International Watercolor Society.

Cashion also received grant awards for a Regional Artist Project from the Art and Science Council in Charlotte in 2000 and for an Artist-in Residency program from the Vermont Studio Center in VT in 2001.

Marilyn Charlotte Dix, a Connecticut native, has been drawing since her childhood. People were and are her fascination and passion but in every instance, always, she has a story to tell. Defining her body of work might be to say that "the medium is the message," but it is more than that. Dix attempts to convey inner stories, to utilize art to observe human nature and the human condition. She describes herself as "an observer of life." "I like to get inside of the moment," she says "and illustrate the emotion I perceive the subjects of my work may be feeling. Once having seen my work, the viewer is free, in fact encouraged, to draw his or her own conclusion based on their own life experience. I consider myself a story teller."

The recipient of numerous awards and in many corporate and private collections, Dix currently has work in a juried exhibition, co-sponsored by the Mint Museum and the McColl Center, celebrating the legacy of Romare Bearden.

Marianne Reuss was born in Mexico City and grew up in a bicultural environment. Her first strong influence in her artistic education was through her German father, a painter and art teacher. Reuss holds a degree in History of Art from the University Anáhuac, Mexico City, graduated in Drawing & Grafic Art from the Institut fuer Lernsysteme GmbH, Germany and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art and Design, Freie Kunstschule Stuttgart, Germany. Her work has been exhibited internationally in various solo and group exhibitions.

Born in Belgium, Terry Thirion's life has been led by her passion for creativity. As a world traveler, she captures the scenery and people in different cultures through quick, loose watercolor sketches and photographs. When she returns to her studio, these studies allow her to explore several interpretations of what and whom she has seen using a variety of mediums. The subject of community and intimacy surface often in her work and marketplaces inspire and intrigue her. "Certain places and people have a strong energy that moves me and will be expressed in my next piece of art," says Thirion.

Thirion formally studied at the Arts Academie in Leuven Belgium and the Broward Community College in South Florida. She has shown in juried shows and was the recipient of numerous awards in the greater Charlotte area.

For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/376-2787 or on the web at (www.charlotteartleague.org).

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