December Issue 2001
Burroughs-Chapin Museum in Myrtle Beach, SC, Features Two New Exhibitions
The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, SC, is presenting two new exhibits on view through Dec. 23. Naturalist/Surrealist will feature the blown glasswork of John Nygren and the acrylic paintings of Mary LaRue Wells. Narrations of Change, is an exhibition of works in various media by Elizabeth Keller.
John Nygren
John Nygren's work and career embody western NC's glass tradition. The rural NC landscape inspires his work and fuels his passion for ecology and the environment, themes which are reflected in the 30 years of work represented in the exhibition. His glass works range from landscape vessels, classic vase forms with delicately wrought natural elements, to whimsical frogs. After earning an MFA degree from the Cranbook Academy of Art, Nygren first trained in the art of glassblowing at NC's Penland School of Crafts in 1968. After the three-week workshop, he left with finished glass pieces, two which were juried into important exhibitions and a third which was purchased by Charlotte's Mint Museum. A year later he moved to Walnut Cove, NC, where he built the studio in which he still works. Though living in NC, Nygren's successful art career was firmly launched when he became a member of New York's newly formed Contemporary Art Glass Group (now the Heller Gallery) in 1973. Nygren's glass resides in the collections of corporations, universities and museums throughout the country, including the Smithsonian.
Mary
LaRue Wells
Mary LaRue Wells' "very original work defies further description" according to the dean of the Corcoran School of Art. An interviewer several years ago wrote, "Don't be fooled; Mary LaRue Wells is not a nice person," He was writing jestingly of the possibility of Wells placing unwitting subjects in her surrealistic "dramas" - representational paintings about situations and conversations, but with a twist wherein the characters have rewritten their lines, even to the surprise of Wells. The "sets" surrounding her characters are scattered with unexpected symbols, such as dice and money. The resulting images are unusual insights into an artist's inner landscape. Wells, a graduate of the University of Washington, has participated in numerous juried art shows throughout the country. She is represented by galleries in New York City and Washington DC, as well as in VA, SC and GA.
Elizabeth
Keller
Elizabeth Keller's Narrations of Change illuminates her mastery of a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, including ceramics, intaglio prints and graphite drawings. Her prints and drawings are often the vehicle for birthing her three-dimensional sculptures, which then become altered by the realities of space and gravity. Keller's ceramic teapots, for which she has become noted, will be richly featured in the exhibition. She has been on the faculty of Coastal Carolina's School of Art since 1994 after earning an MFA in ceramics from Clemson University. She had received her BA in studio art at Furman University. Keller has exhibited, demonstrated and lectured throughout SC and other states. Her work has been featured in nationally recognized publications such as Ceramics Monthly, American Crafts, and Clay Times.
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