January 2011

Caldwell Arts Council in Lenoir, NC, Offers Group Exhibit Focused on Color

The Caldwell Arts Council in Lenoir, NC, will present the exhibit, What Color Is Your Reality?, featuring works by Nathaniel Miller (Lenoir, NC), Mark Poteat (Morganton, NC), Susan Simone (Carrboro, NC) and Jerry D. Stanford (Charlotte, NC), on view in the Arts Council’s gallery from Jan. 6 - 27, 2012. A reception will be held on Jan. 6, from 5-7:30pm.

Nathaniel Miller says “My paintings express my deep appreciation for the natural world’s beauty and complexity which is all too often forgotten or disregarded. I am aware of the life that is swirling around our heads and under our feet. I try to capture the intricacies, the magic, and beauty of living things in hope of inspiring others to preserve these wonders, not destroy them. I believe that all living things are connected like a huge complex puzzle. My work re-examines these puzzle pieces using unique perspectives. If my work to some appears “weird,” that is because they fail to recognize the natural wonders on our magical marble, which are stranger than my depictions.”

Mark Poteat’s artwork draws upon the social and economic issues caused by the closing of many plants and factories due to outsourcing, which has turned many factories into modern day ruins that are an all too familiar sight across the Carolinas and the nation. Poteat says, “In the Factory Paintings series I want to capture two contradictory feelings. I want to show that the structure is on the verge of collapsing, and second that it is holding on, staying together, and beaming with life. These paintings, to me, pay homage to factory workers - the economic backbone in the Carolinas during and since the post-World War II era.

Susan Simone calls her work “Doc-u-Art” or “Memoryscapes”. Each work is a story that binds the elements of a visual collection. The story may be obvious and clearly tied to a social issue, or it may be more subtle: her reaction to a place or an event. In this sense, the work is like a set of clues. It is up to the viewer to find a story.

Simone says, “Recently I have become interested in playing with the surface or ‘paper’ I use for my prints. In this show I have work printed on archival papers, rice paper, silk fabric, and metal roof flashing. For example, the work from India feels different depending on the surface. Silk is fine and elegant like a sari. Roof flashing mounted on a board is rougher and reminds me of the mix of gorgeous color and dust, sacred water and pollution, the wealth of the Taj Mahal and the poverty of the city of Agra.”

Sequential (comic) artist Jerry D. Stanford says “I love black ink. Leaving paper blank just makes a drawing seem incomplete to me. It may seem like a terrible shortcut to just lay down large patches of black ink, but dark areas can serve to direct a viewer’s eye where I want it to go.”

For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Council at 828/754-2486 or visit (www.caldwellarts.com).

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