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October Issue
2009
Broomfields
Gallery in West Jefferson, NC, Features Works by Ramona Lampell
and Elliot Coatney
The Broomfields Gallery in West Jefferson, NC, will present the exhibit, Barn Quilts of the North Carolina Mountains: Two Distinct Visions, featuring works by Ramona Lampell and Elliot Coatney, on view from Oct. 9 through Nov. 7, 2009.
Ramona Lampell
When you see Ramona
Lampell and Elliot Coatney together, you might not pick them out
to be collaborators in a show of their artwork. Lampell is a delicate
woman in her early 70's; Coatney is 40 years her junior and stands
over a foot taller. Lampell's art is gentle and precise, done
painstakingly in the unusual medium of colored pencil. Coatney's
paintings are loose and vibrant and look as if they just fell
off the brush. But Lampell and Coatney get along very well, speaking
easily and frankly with one another about their show and often
cracking jokes between themselves. They share a love of the North
Carolina High Country and were excited to work together on a project
that is as much about a connection to their region as it is about
their art.
Elliot Coatney
As the name suggests, all of the artwork in Barn Quilts of the North Carolina Mountains: Two Distinct Visions depicts barns adorned with barn quilts - hand-painted squares with colorful, geometric designs reminiscent of traditional quilt blankets. These barn quilts are affixed to barns around the North Carolina High Country.
Julia Bishop, organizer
of the show and owner of Broomfields Gallery had the idea for
an exhibit that would showcase in an engaging way the beauty of
the barns, the quilts, and the surrounding landscape. "I
was intrigued by the idea of bringing together two very different
people and two very different styles. It has been rewarding to
see Lampell and Coatney weave their distinct visions together."
Lampell is a noted folk-art collector and co-author with her late
husband, singer and screen-writer Millard Lampell, of O Appalachia:
Artists of the Southern Mountains. Though she has traveled
the world over, Lampell calls herself a "mountain woman from
West Virginia." She owned art galleries in Los Angeles and
The Hamptons before making Jefferson, NC, her home. In Lampell's
artwork, one quickly senses her deep love and appreciation of
Appalachian folk art. Her compositions are simple, with a distinct
childlike quality about them.
Describing her style,
Lampell says, "Children make art without pretense, without
guile, and without ego - they create for the love of it. That's
where I wanted to go with my art. Ironically, I think some viewers
find this very challenging."
Speaking of his background and resume in the art world, Coatney
laughs and says, "I'm an emerging artist - that means I don't
have a resume." In reality, Coatney's resume is quickly growing.
He has participated in five juried art exhibitions around the
Southeast in the past twelve months. Though he started painting
and drawing when he was very young, Coatney didn't start painting
seriously until he landed in a workshop several years ago with
Canadian artist Brian Simons, whom Coatney credits with giving
him the tools to paint with confidence and determination.
"I paint pretty
loosely, with a lot of energy. I don't think about what a painting
is saying or meaning - I just like the unique effect that paint
on canvas can have on a viewer." Coatney moved to Boone,
NC, from Kentucky 15 years ago and graduated from Appalachian
State University in 2001.
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings,
call the gallery at 336/846-4141 or visit (www.broomfieldsgallery.com).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2009 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© 2009 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.