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November Issue 2007
Fountainside Fine Art Gallery in Wilmington, NC, Offers Works by Mary Rountree Moore & MT McClanahan
Fountainside Fine Art Gallery in Wilmington, NC, will showcase new works by two of the gallery's favorite painters, Mary Rountree Moore and MT McClanahan. The exhibit will be on view from Nov. 3 - 30, 2007.
Mary Rountree Moore
Moore is a native of Greensboro, NC, and McClanahan hails from Clinton, NC; both artists still maintain their resident studios in their native state. Both are painters who use traditional landscape subjects, but with a contemporary treatment and impressionistic color. For Moore, the marshes figure into most of her paintings while McClanahan is drawn to boats, beaches and other marine subjects.
Moore graduated from the University of North
Carolina in Chapel Hill with a BA in Art Education and studied
painting at the National Academy School of Fine Arts in New York
City. Her work includes expressions in several media and is strongly
influenced by travels in the Caribbean, Europe, the southwestern
United States as well as the coastlines of North and South Carolina.
Thirty years in apparel and product design contribute to her strong
sense of color and composition. Bright, rich tones and expressive
brushwork are hallmarks of her style.
In describing her art, Moore says, "I strive to capture the
feeling of those fleeting moments of the sublime - the vast beauty
of nature which humbles us all. The images are derived from nature's
innate abstractions, allowing the mind's eye to gather its own
interpretations. It is the memory of those undeniable visual experiences
that gives me inspirations." Moore's work is included in
numerous private and corporate collections.
Marcus "MT" McClanahan
Marcus "MT" McClanahan received his
BFA from East Carolina University. He says of his formal education,
workshops attended, scholarships and awards, "All are valuable
experiences, but the journey to self-realization in art, as in
life, is a trail of thousands of feet of canvas behind."
For McClanahan, art and life are interchangeable, one is the other.
You could say he was born with brush in hand and not be far off
as he thinks he has always been an artist.
"It's something inside; you just know what you're here for
and eventually, hopefully you embrace it completely - that's when
things start to happen. Every painting I do is an expression of
the invisible; of something deep inside. It is interesting to
look at completed work and see meanings unfold that I had not
seen before. I'm not saying subject isn't important; I imagine
that what I paint is as much a reflection of my heart and soul
as anything," says McClanahan.
Beyond the technical concerns of light, shapes and visual contrast, McClanahan's conscious concern, first and foremost, is harmony; harmony of color and form. His passion for painting carries him through the struggles with the journey being its own reward. But, every now and then, he says, "A painting will just fall from the brush and all is right with the world." The marinas, solitary boats and coastal scenes that fall from McClanahan's brush have universal appeal. His work is also in numerous private and public collections.
For further information check our NC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 910/256-9956 or visit (www.fountainsidegallery.com).
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