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February Issue 2005
Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, Features Works by Eleanor McCain, John Skau, and from Penland's Studio Iron Program
Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, will
present several exhibitions including: Eleanor McCain Contemporary
Quilts and John Skau Sculptural Basketry in the Rutledge
Gallery from Feb. 14 through Mar. 25, 2005; and Iron: A New
Vocabulary The Penland School of Crafts in the Elizabeth Dunlap
Patrick Gallery from Feb. 14 through Mar. 25, 2005.
Eleanor McCain
Eleanor McCain is a practicing internal medicine
physician in Fort Walton Beach, FL, and has been practicing art
textiles for more than ten years. Her work has been shown in exhibitions
and galleries internationally, including the Columbus Museum of
Art and the Museum of American Folk Art. She currently has a piece
on permanent display at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte,
NC.
McCain is represented in collections throughout the United States
and Germany. "I am interested in the texture achieved by
the use of hand-dyed fabrics and stitching. The quilts are machine
pieced from hand-dyed cotton fabric and cut in an improvisational
fashion. I then use machine quilting to overlay a grid of different
colored threads on the color fields of the quilt, intrigued as
the grid recedes, comes forward or vanishes. All machine stitching
is done without marking the quilt, using a single needle and two
or three threads of medium-to-light weight cotton," says
McCain.
Also on display in Rutledge Gallery is the exhibit, John Skau Sculptural Basketry. Here is what Skau had to say about his work, "I am a contemporary basket maker who creates seamless, monumental forms that are truly elegant, minimal expressions. These forms echo some of the language and figures from basic math such as cones, parabolas, circles, triangles, and squares. Each of my baskets is one-of-a-kind, intricately woven from painted and natural wooden strips. Being a natural material, the hardwoods used provide the forms with an appealing warmth. When light and dark sequencing of the wooden strips are incorporated with complex twill and satin weave structures, striking patterns result."
Skau continues, "These baskets become radiant, intoning ancient patterns - bold, pre-language patterns that speak to all. Much of the drama present in this work is due to the way the materials accommodate themselves to the form and how the intricate patterns on the surface of the form's compound curves flow so naturally. These baskets are timeless works, joyous works to create and behold."
Sean
Calyer
On view in the Elizabeth Dunlap Patrick Gallery
is Iron: A New Vocabulary The Penland School of Crafts.
The exhibition has a mission to feature artists who are bringing
a new aesthetic and vocabulary to the field of studio iron, through
both the ideas and tools. While many artists continue to honor
and employ traditional methods of working with iron, they are
also being embraced and influenced by the sculptural dialog going
on in contemporary art and craft fields.
The work in this exhibit ranges from narrative, decorative, historical
influences, to minimalist pure form - but throughout the work
a thread transforms the material in a deeply personal way. Twenty-three
artists have been invited to participate in this exhibit each
clearly illustrating the range of expression and technique throughout
the field. Each also has a strong connection to the Penland School
through their teaching, the resident artist program and the core
program.
For further information check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings, call Tom Stanley at 803/323-2493, e-mail (stanleyt@winthrop.edu)
or at (www.winthrop.edu/arts).
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