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October Issue 2007
Artspace in Raleigh, NC, Offers New Exhibits for the Fall Season
Artspace in Raleigh, NC, is offering the following exhibits, including: Beyond Neverland, featuring works by Lauren Van Hemert in the Lobby Gallery, from Oct. 5 - 27, 2007, and The Nebulous Dream, featuring works by Anna Podris in the Upfront Gallery, from Oct. 5 - 27, 2007
Since its first performance at the Duke of York's theatre in Dec., 1904, Sir James Matthew Barrie's story of Peter Pan and Neverland has been a part of childhood. In 1929, Barrie gave the rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. Barrie's gift has provided a vital source of income to the hospital and has helped provide fairy tale endings to many of the sick children treated there. Last summer the hospital granted Lauren Van Hemert the permission to use some of J.M. Barrie's original manuscripts in her work.
Lauren Van Hemert
As an artist Van Hemert notes that she is often confronted with the question, "What inspires an artist to create?" Is it the muse of a child's innocent play or a chance meeting in the park? Barrie himself noted that the character of Peter Pan was a combination of the personalities of the five sons of his neighbors, Arthur and Sylvia Davies. What Van Hemert attempts to achieve through this exhibition and the story of J.M. Barrie and the Davies children, is that, for most of us, we need not look further than in our own backyards for inspiration.
Van Hemert's jewelry explores the transitory treasures of everyday items often taken for granted, such as postage stamps, labels, posters, and advertisements - fleeting bits of a vanished or vanishing time - and reinvents them into a piece of wearable art. Van Hemert moved to Raleigh from Miami 6 years ago with her family. Her work has been featured in Ornament, Southern Living, American Style and on HGTV. She is an exhibiting member of Piedmont Craftsmen and the current President of the Artspace Artists Association.
Anna Podris
Using encaustic, an ancient wax medium that
allows for the build up of translucent layers of wax, Anna Podris
is able to incorporate collage elements such as fabric and drawings
into her work. Podris began working with encaustic in the hope
that the medium would provide a depth to work painted in oils
- allowing the paint to appear to float upon the surface. Her
new body of work is laden with mystic forestry and archaic buildings
that bespeak a light-hearted narrative. As always, what Podris
leaves hidden in these paintings is just as important as what
she chooses to reveal.
Podris expresses her artistic vision in oils, drawings, prints,
and encaustic mixed media works. Her work is known for its lush
color harmonies and poetic surrealism. Podris' paintings have
been exhibited throughout the Triangle area as well as in VA,
FL, and NYC. Podris received her BFA degree from the Savannah
College of Art and Design Savannah, GA. Her work is inspired by
architecture, woodland life, and the personalities of her favorite
animals and people.
This exhibition was made possible through a grant from the United
Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, awarded directly to artist
Anna Podris.
For further information check our NC Institutional
Gallery listings, call the center at 919/821-2787 or visit (www.artspacenc.org).
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