Feature Articles

October Issue 2002

Artspace in Raleigh, NC, Features Works by Rosemary Feit Covey

An exhibition of wood engravings by South African born artist, Rosemary Feit Covey is on view in Gallery 1 at Artspace, in Raleigh, NC. The exhibition entitled, Engravings, continues through Nov. 16, 2002.

Covey states, "Since childhood the desire to take an idea from my mind to paper has been my primarypassion. Every other life decision has been balanced against that driving need. In 25 years I have completed 304 prints, finding in the dark surface of the block a medium that mirrored my personal vision. During this period of intensive work, I have developed my own unique style, which continues to evolve, fusing modern elements with more traditional aspects of wood engraving."

Covey, educated at Cornell University and the Maryland Institute of Fine Art, is one of the most distinguished wood engravers of our time. Wood engraving is an extremely demanding printmaking process, derived from the woodcut process. Covey works in the tradition of early engravers of the 18th century, engraving her image into the hard end grain of a block of wood. She then hand prints the image by rubbing the inked block with the smooth back of a spoon.

Covey's most compelling engravings are her narratives, ranging in mood from playful and amusing to dark and bleak. Each image is emotionally and psychologically charged, as accomplished through Covey's expressive figures. In her "Vanitas, Vanitas Series, Covey created five prints dealing with the social and literary contexts of various reemerging and recalcitrant diseases. More recently, she has been working on prints for her "Porcupine Girl Series. Although somewhat ambiguous in meaning, the female figure, stitched together, with quills protruding from her spine, is an image of isolation, vulnerability and defensiveness.

Covey's engravings can be found in major museums and library collections around the world, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the New York Public Library Print Collection, the National Museum of American History, Harvard University, the National Library of Australia, and the Papyrus Institute in Cairo, Egypt. In 1998, Covey was a recipient of a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship. She has been commissioned to produce illustrations by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Xerox, General Electric, and Georgetown University, as well as many other institutions and individuals. Covey has exhibited her prints nationally and internationally, including in solo shows in New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, Buenos Aires, Zurich, and Geneva. Covey currently works in a studio at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria,VA.

For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call the center at 919/821-2787.

Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer 427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: info@carolinaarts.com
Subscriptions are available for $18 a year.

Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2002 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2002 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.