Feature Articles


April Issue 2001

Here's a Carolina Arts Update! 7/22/05

erl originals gallery in Winston-Salem, NC, is now closed. The following is no reflection on the artist(s) mentioned in this article. They still deserve the historical fact that this exhibition happened.

Here is an excerpt from an article in the Winston-Salem Journal's Dec. 10, 2004, edition: "In late September, (2004) erl's owners, Peter and Lee Swenson, and the company they operate, Bogart Management Group, were foreclosed on by their bank. They were barred from their gallery at 480 West End Blvd. for being months in arrears on rent and utilities. Peter Swenson is facing numerous tax-fraud charges, as well as a growing number of civil lawsuits filed by creditors seeking to collect payments they say are long overdue".

 

erl originals in Winston-Salem, NC, Features Works in Glass, Watercolors, and Collage

Spirit vessels, sculptural goblets, figurative sculptures, and multi-media shadow boxes by internationally known glass artist Shane Fero will be on display in the main gallery at elr originals, in Winston-Salem, NC, through May 9, 2001. In addition, dynamic watercolors of New York by Alamance County native Rodney Moser will be on exhibit. At the same time, collages by North Carolina artist Elizabeth Darrow will be featured in elr's Gallery G.

Shane Fero

Among the most respected and talented contemporary artists working in glass today, Fero draws upon his interests in alchemy, philosophy, ancient history, and surrealism to create works that are thought-provoking and evocative. His imagery drifts between dreams and reality in a strange fusion of human and animal; worldly and other worldly; sexual and asexual.

Fero began flameworking at the age of 15 as an apprentice for Jerry Coker at Cypress Gardens in Florida. He worked for and learned from Coker, and later Roger Smith, before attending college at Plattsburg State University, where he majored in philosophy. At the same time he was exposed to the art of ancient Egypt and Sumeria, he began to paint and discovered a fascination with Salvador Dali. He also developed an interest in astrology and tarot.

Fero's fascination with these subjects is evidenced in his remarkable glassworks. He focuses his attention on the surface of his objects and sculptures, and frequently adds color to freestanding sculptures as well as sandblasting some surfaces. He lines the interior of his shadow boxes with paper images which he collects or he paints the interior; the glass objects or figures he places within the box reflect those depicted on the lining.

A flameworker for more than 30 years, Fero's works have been shown in more than 200 exhibitions worldwide since 1985 and can be found in many public and private collections. Also an educator, he has taught extensively at such institutions as Penland, Urban Glass, The Studio at The Corning Museum, the Pratt Institute, and the University of Michigan, and last Nov., held classes in Niijima, Japan.

Rodney Moser

Rodney Moser, a descendant of many of the earliest settlers in the Piedmont region, received his BFA in fine art from UNC-Chapel Hill and his MA in medical illustration from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. Post-graduate work while living in California included art directorships in computer graphics, printwear and fine art publishing.

Moser's works can be seen in private and public collections across the United States, among them BellSouth, BB&T, Smith, Kline & French Pharmaceuticals, and the State of North Carolina. Locally, Moser produced the official Centennial Print as well as the Centennial Historical Murals housed in the Railroad Depot in Burlington, NC. Currently, he accepts commissions in watercolor for portraiture, still life, and landscape. He is a member of the North Carolina Watercolor Society, the Southern Watercolor Society and a past member of the Board of Directors of the Alamance County Arts Council. In 1999, Moser was inducted into the National Watercolor Society as a Signature Member. Last year, he was one of eight regional artists chosen to open at New York's Lincoln Center at an exhibit, sponsored by the Asolare Fine Arts Academy, that showcases emerging American artists.

Collages by North Carolina artist Elizabeth Darrow will be on exhibit in Gallery G. Darrow's works have been featured in numerous publications, such as Southern Living and Southern Accents. She has also participated in many invitationals as well as solo, two-person and juried group exhibitions across the state.

Darrow's artwork is part of a number of collections, among them Mr. And Mrs. David Rockefeller, Jr.; St. John's Museum of Art in Wilmington, NC; Duke Hospital; R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.; Bank America; and BB&T. A graduate of Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, Darrow also has done independent study at The Barnstone Studios in Coplay, PA.

elr originals is an art gallery specializing in a wide variety of original art and crafts, offering a diverse collection of more than 1,200 paintings as well as glass, hand-crafted pottery, jewelry and sculpture plus an extensive library of images. Founded in Winston-Salem in 1981, elr originals has grown steadily and today has a staff of eight professionals. The gallery provides clients -- ranging from individual collectors to small businesses, corporations and designers throughout the Southeast -- with personalized art consulting services, art placement and commissioned works.

For more information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 336/760-4373 or at (http://www.erloriginals.com).

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