October 2013

Coker College in Hartsville, SC, Features Works by John Rise

Coker College in Hartsville, SC, will present an exhibit of works by Savannah, GA, painter and draftsman, John Rise, on view in the Cecelia Coker Bell Gallery, from Oct. 21 through Nov. 15, 2013. A reception will be held on Oct. 21, from 7-8pm.

Many in the art world know John Rise as the inventor of a stretcher bar system for painter’s canvases and beautifully designed hardwood painter’s easels. Students at Savannah College of Art and Design appreciate him as an award winning teacher of drawing. Many more know him as a painter and draftsman who values, in equal measure, finely honed artistic skills and intellectual depth. Painting from direct observation, John Rise typically offers complex compositions filled with a variety of discarded and repurposed objects. They include both the odd and the familiar; some are symbolic while others are mundane; some are valuable while others are valueless.

Of these challenging juxtaposition he says, “My work intends to call forward and question associations and relationships, both formal and literal, traditional and contemporary, universal and personal.” In short, while his composition are visually entertaining and engaging, they also engage our intellect as we puzzle out our assumption regarding the meaning and purpose in these fascinating and colorful paintings.

Rise, who will also be judging the art club’s annual competition, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing from Arizona State University, and his Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico. He started Best Artists Products, a company to design, manufacture and distribute Canvas Stretcher Bar systems, wood screenprint frames, and hardwood artist easels. He sold the company to the Jack Richeson Co. in 1995; taught drawing and painting classes at University of New Mexico, first as a graduate assistant and later as an adjunct professor.

Since 2005, Rise has taught drawing at Savannah College of Art and Design where he was awarded the 2010-11 Vulcan Materials Company Teaching Excellence Award for his outstanding contributions to undergraduate education, student learning and campus life.

The Cecelia Coker Bell Gallery is located in the Gladys C. Fort Art Building on the Coker College campus. Coker College upholds and defends the intellectual and artistic freedom of its faculty and students as they study and create art through which they explore the full spectrum of human experience. The college considers such pursuits central to the spirit of inquiry and thoughtful discussion, which are at the heart of a liberal arts education.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call Gallery Director and Assistant Professor of Art Larry Merriman at 843/383-8156 or visit (www.ceceliacokerbellgallery.com).

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