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November Issue 2005
Somerhill Gallery in Chapel Hill, NC, Features Works by Eric Lawing, Neal Drobnis and David Van Noppen
Somerhill Gallery in Chapel Hill, NC, announces an exciting three-person exhibition featuring abstract paintings by Eric Lawing, sand cast and blown glass by Neal Drobnis, and blown glass by David Van Noppen. The exhibition will be on display through Nov. 12, 2005.
Eric Lawing
In his most recent series, Eric Lawing's expressionist, highly textured paintings explore the concert of the pathway. The artist captures the essential elements of his subject matter through abstract techniques; these include ambiguously recognizable subjects, strong contrast, and an energetic application of paint. Lawing forms richly textured surfaces that have the ability to hypnotize and draw his audience down magical pathways. A sense of objective presence is given to the works by mounting the paper-borne art onto wood panel. As with previous bodies of work, the artist explores a given image by depicting it multiple times, altering in some way from the previous.
Lawing has been a participant in numerous one-person and group exhibitions including: St. John's Museum of Art in Wilmington, NC; The North Carolina Artists Exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art; the 24th Competition for North Carolina Artists at the Fayetteville Museum of Art; the 1995 Art on Paper exhibit at the Weatherspoon Museum of Art at UNC-Greensboro; a one-person exhibit at the Durham Arts Council; Black and Light, and the Texas National at Stephen F. Austin University. Lawing is also the recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council Artists Fellowship.
Neal Drobnis
Inspired by nature and ancient artifacts, Neal Drobnis creates glass sculpture in an exciting combination of the cast and blown glass techniques. He reinterprets a tradition of glass forming used by the Romans over three thousand years ago. Drobnis carves and assembles templates, which he then presses into sand to create a mold. Molten glass is next blown into the mold. The piece is cooled and the loose sand is removed leaving a wonderful granular texture. Drobnis completes the process by reshaping the piece from the original mold with additional blowing to produce a contrast between the smooth shiny finish on the upper portion of the finished work with the sand cast base.
Drobnis received his BFA from Massachusetts College of Fine Art and an MFA from Rhode Island School of design. He has exhibited in many group and solo exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His work is present in numerous public and private collections and is shown in galleries throughout the world.
David Van Noppen
The fantasy formed glass sculptures of David Van Noppen are products of a rich aesthetic sense and masterful craftsmanship. Whether the graceful curves of his varicolored vegetative forms, the sweeping rim of a vase, or delicate glass flowers, Van Noppen's pieces exemplify the glassmaker's art. In his own words, he tells us, "My work has never been laden with meaning or metaphor. I create work that is pleasing to look at, gaze into, or feel." The visual subtleties and luminous color of Van Noppen's glass pieces make this same declaration.
Since 1986, Van Noppen has owned and operated his own studio, Van Noppen Glass, Inc. in Providence, RI. His work in both blown and hand formed glass is exhibited in many galleries across the US. Van Noppen's history shows a purposeful movement toward his present endeavors; he obtained a BS in art marketing and production from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and later studied at The Pilchuck School in Seattle, WA. Later Van Noppen attended the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC.
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 919/968-8868 or at (www.somerhill.com).
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