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May Issue 2003
Transylvania County Arts Council in Brevard, NC, Freatures Works by Sue Russell
Transylvania County Arts Council will present the exhibition, Rhythm and Reminiscence, featuring 30 paintings by Sue Russell of Cedar Mountain, NC. The exhibition open May 1 and continuing through June 4, 2003, at the Community Arts Center in Brevard, SC.
Russell's paintings are divided into three divisions: Artist/Artisan watercolors; Blue Notes acrylics, oils and watercolors; and Vignettes in mixed media and collage.
The Artist/Artisan series profiles Jule, a creator of musical instruments whom Russell grew to know while living in Germany. She sketched him for several weeks, and then a few years later created a painted documentary of Jule.
"Surrounded by honey-colored light, Jule shapes his dulcimers, drehleiers and chimes, transforming wooden blocks into pieces of perfection," says Russell. "I sketch everything rather than relying on photographs. Subjects often become annoyed when being photographed but seem to enjoy being sketched. I can catch their gestures and movement better that way."
Russell's Blue Notes paintings bring to life musicians whom she has enjoyed sketching for 20 years all over the world, including right in Brevard at impromptu Silvermont concerts and the Brevard Music Center. She has drawn them on the street, in the subway, at a spontaneous gig, in the concert hall, or inside an Irish pub.
"Musicians bring joy and color to the rhythm of life, moving and swaying with foot-tapping grins, or striking chords on heartstrings," Russell says. "I watch for the moment when music, instrument and player magically fuse, capturing it as the performer feels it."
During the summer you may see Russell out and about in a local café, on a bench in the park, or at the Brevard Music Center, watching, musing and sketching. Her admirers say a trademark of Russell's art is her extraordinary ability to capture the passion of a moment in a bold descriptive style.
Vignettes in mixed media or collage portray "glimpses of joy, query, pain and promise animated by a small instant . . . a belly-laugh in the midst of tears, an old face on a young boy, the taste of warm sun in a cool drink, a twist of fresh black pepper on summer red tomatoes."
Russell is represented by Tempo Gallery in Greenville, SC, The Circle 10 Gallery in Oriental, NC, Art & Materials in New Bern, NC, and Arts & Things in Morehead City, NC. She recently won major awards in the juried shows of the South Carolina Watercolor Society and the Watercolor Society of North Carolina.
She has a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia and an MA in Art/Art Education from Arizona State University. She teaches and exhibits in the United States and Europe and directs Hemlocks Studio, a summer art school in Cedar Mountain, NC.
"Classes will be given there at my studio from June through Sept. I will also teach a drawing class 10am-1pm May 2 at the Community Arts Center. It's called "Learning to See and Discover" and is all about looking, observing. Beginners are welcome. "We will start at the Arts Center and wander about through the streets, sketching," said Russell.
For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Center at 828-884-2787.
Transylvania County Arts Council will present the exhibition, Rhythm and Reminiscence, featuring 30 paintings by Sue Russell of Cedar Mountain, NC. The exhibition open May 1 and continuing through June 4, 2003, at the Community Arts Center in Brevard, SC.
Russell's paintings are divided into three divisions: Artist/Artisan watercolors; Blue Notes acrylics, oils and watercolors; and Vignettes in mixed media and collage.
The Artist/Artisan series profiles Jule, a creator of musical instruments whom Russell grew to know while living in Germany. She sketched him for several weeks, and then a few years later created a painted documentary of Jule.
"Surrounded by honey-colored light, Jule shapes his dulcimers, drehleiers and chimes, transforming wooden blocks into pieces of perfection," says Russell. "I sketch everything rather than relying on photographs. Subjects often become annoyed when being photographed but seem to enjoy being sketched. I can catch their gestures and movement better that way."
Russell's Blue Notes paintings bring to life musicians whom she has enjoyed sketching for 20 years all over the world, including right in Brevard at impromptu Silvermont concerts and the Brevard Music Center. She has drawn them on the street, in the subway, at a spontaneous gig, in the concert hall, or inside an Irish pub.
"Musicians bring joy and color to the rhythm of life, moving and swaying with foot-tapping grins, or striking chords on heartstrings," Russell says. "I watch for the moment when music, instrument and player magically fuse, capturing it as the performer feels it."
During the summer you may see Russell out and about in a local café, on a bench in the park, or at the Brevard Music Center, watching, musing and sketching. Her admirers say a trademark of Russell's art is her extraordinary ability to capture the passion of a moment in a bold descriptive style.
Vignettes in mixed media or collage portray "glimpses of joy, query, pain and promise animated by a small instant . . . a belly-laugh in the midst of tears, an old face on a young boy, the taste of warm sun in a cool drink, a twist of fresh black pepper on summer red tomatoes."
Russell is represented by Tempo Gallery in Greenville, SC, The Circle 10 Gallery in Oriental, NC, Art & Materials in New Bern, NC, and Arts & Things in Morehead City, NC. She recently won major awards in the juried shows of the South Carolina Watercolor Society and the Watercolor Society of North Carolina.
She has a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia and an MA in Art/Art Education from Arizona State University. She teaches and exhibits in the United States and Europe and directs Hemlocks Studio, a summer art school in Cedar Mountain, NC.
"Classes will be given there at my studio from June through Sept. I will also teach a drawing class 10am-1pm May 2 at the Community Arts Center. It's called "Learning to See and Discover" and is all about looking, observing. Beginners are welcome. "We will start at the Arts Center and wander about through the streets, sketching," said Russell.
For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Center at 828-884-2787.
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