February Issue 2002
Somerhill Gallery in Chapel Hill, NC, Presents Works by Barbara Fisher, Norbert Irvine, & David Van Noppen
Somerhill Gallery, in Chapel Hill, NC, announces a three-person exhibition of recent works by artists Barbara Fisher, Norbert Irvine, and David Van Noppen. Paintings on canvas by Fisher, paintings on paper by Irvine, and blown glass sculpture by Van Noppen will be on display through Feb. 22. Somerhill Gallery director Joseph Rowand says of the show: "Our first exhibit of 2002 is guaranteed to excite the eye with each artists' strength lying in exploration of heightened color, texture, and shape."
Barbara Fisher describes her own work as "combining both representational and abstract elements, hinting at a narrative, somewhat illusionistic, yet in a way 'none of the above.'" Drawing from her personal visual vocabulary, Fisher depicts a wide array of thought-provoking elements which she arranges on the canvas in a compartmental fashion, juxtaposing multiple images and seemingly dissonant components in a mysterious set of relationships. All the while, she embraces the physicality of paint, and the rich textures and varied surface characteristics Fisher employs result in work that is all the more stimulating.
Fisher earned her BFA in painting at the University of Colorado, and later chose San Francisco State University for graduate work. She has participated in many group and solo exhibitions across the country, including exhibitions at the Asheville Art Museum in NC, the Seaside Institute in FL, the Kennedy Art Center in CA, the Soho Myriad in Atlanta, and many others. She has been awarded residencies across the US as well as in Spain. Fisher lives and works in Asheville, NC.
Also residing in Asheville, Norbert Irvine exhibits his distinctive work on paper, as well as paper on canvas. Known for years as a printmaker and serigrapher of brightly patterned graphic aesthetics, Irvine has become engrossed in works of art with elaborate surface treatments. Beginning with thin transparent layers of color, Irvine builds up his pieces with brilliant, saturated hues and glittering materials such as sequins, prismatic dots, and textural paint as he continues adding media to the surface of his work. His result is a very tactile painting, brightly colored and sparkling with iridescent luster. He seeks brilliance and reflectivity, and his paintings achieve both as he creates pieces that present the viewer with a mosaic of glittering texture.
Irvine studied at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, and earned an MA at Claremont Graduate School in California. He took a subsequent MFA at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. He has a long history of service to the scholastic arts in NC, including terms as president of the NC Arts Education Association, and as a professor at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, NC. His work has been exhibited in numerous venues across the country, including the Corcoran in Washington, the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, and the UNC-Wilmington, NC. Pieces by Irvine are included in collections at Johns Hopkins Center for International Study in Washington DC, Westinghouse Corporation of America in New York, Duke University Hospital in NC, and many others.
The fantasy formed glass sculptures of David Van Noppen are products of a rich aesthetic sense and masterful craftsmanship. Whether the graceful curves of his varicolored vegetative forms, the sweeping rim of a vase, or delicate glass flowers, Van Noppen's pieces exemplify the glassmaker's art. In his own words, he tells us, "My work has never been laden with meaning or metaphor. I create work that is pleasing to look at, gaze into, or feel. The visual subtleties and luminous color of Van Noppen's glass pieces make this same declaration.
Since 1986, Van Noppen has owned and operated his own studio, Van Noppen Glass, Inc. in Providence, Rhode Island. His work in both blown and hand formed glass is exhibited in many galleries across the United States. Van Noppen's history shows a purposeful movement toward his present endeavors; he obtained a BS in art marketing and production from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and later studied at The Pilchuck School in Seattle, WA. Later, Van Noppen attended the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC. The Somerhill Gallery has represented Van Noppen for many years.
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