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November Issue
2008
Charlotte Art League in Charlotte,
NC, Features Works by Mike Watson and Wil Bosbyshell
The Charlotte Art League in Charlotte, NC, will present the exhibit, Elements: Defined Through Art, where Mike Watson and Wil Bosbyshell explore the basic building blocks of art in a painting. The exhibit will be on view from Nov. 1 - 15, 2008.
The exhibition focuses on the concept of elemental building blocks on multiple levels. First, both artists explore the basic elements of design: line, shape and color. Second, the artists incorporated the natural elements - earth, fire, wind and, water - into their work. Last, the historical artistic elements of figure, landscape, and abstract feature strongly in the artists' efforts. However, each artist has his own style.
Mike Watson
Mike Watson believes that the figure is a central element in the history of art. In his first series of paintings, apparel-body-construct, he explores how individuals perceive the world around them. How does the viewer see the figure within the context in which it is viewed? Watson asked five people to view the same original photograph. He then constructed paintings based on the different individual perceptions, accurate or not. The figures, background, and foreground interact in different ways according to these perceptions or misperceptions. These paintings show why Watson is known for a strong use of color and expressive brushstrokes. Figures also appear in his landscapes, becoming a part of the elements portrayed.
Wil Bosbyshell
Wil Bosbyshell focused on two elements in his paintings. In his fire series, executed in both watercolor and acrylic, he explores the intense light created by fire. In some, a hint of light reflects primitive petroglyphs in the background. The paintings crackle with energy and color, giving this normally realistic artist an abstract subject.
Bosbyshell's second focus is the cityscape at night, based on Charlotte's SouthEnd. The basic element of line, in this case, telephone lines, defines the series. The cityscapes are full of color divided and organized by utility poles and wires, which Bosbyshell finds inescapable in today's urban landscape. Tony Pressley of MECCA properties says of Bosbyshell, "Even though Wil has not been named as such, he is the unofficial artist of South End. He has spent so much time in the area, studying it, and it shows. You can see his observant eye in how he memorializes the architectural and human aspects of the South End area."
Watson and Bosbyshell have several things in common. Both maintain studios at the Charlotte Art League on the Trolley Line in Charlotte's Southend Cultural District. Both are also instructors at The Art Institute of Charlotte, where Bosbyshell teaches in the graphic design department, and Watson teaches in the fashion merchandising and marketing department. Both have taught courses in color theory, life drawing, and fundamentals of design.
Bosbyshell is represented by Redsky Gallery in Charlotte, has exhibited internationally, and throughout the Southeastern US. His paintings are included in the collections of EnPro Industries and The Vendue Inn in Charleston. Watson is represented by Edge Gallery in Philadelphia, PA, and has exhibited widely. His paintings are collected nationally and are included in the private collection of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
For further info check our NC Institutional
Gallery listings, call the art league at 704/376-2787 or visit
(www.charlotteartleague.org).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2008 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© 2008 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.