March Issue 2001
McCoy-Hatfield Feud Revived at The Gallery in Beaufort, SC
The Gallery at Old Bay Marketplace in Beaufort, SC, is pleased to announce its next exhibition, The Art of the Feud, on view from Mar. 24 through Apr. 7. The show will feature the work of Shelia "McCoy" Hamilton and Rodney Hatfield aka Art Snake. Both artists are descendants of the original feuding families from the Appalachian Mountains.
Hamilton was born in Matewan, WV, and attended public schools in Freeburn, KY. Her drawing and painting ability was unveiled at a early age. As a self-taught artist, she has mastered her gift. Her paintings, endowed with color, rich patterns and shaded hues, reflect the mingle of authentic artistry in a unique expression. Each canvas, heavily textured, is alive with extravagant color. As an impressionist, Hamilton expresses through figural interpretation filled with emotion. The influence of Mary Cassatt is readily detected in her work. Currently living in Beaufort, she is surrounded by natural beauty, and her passion to paint life has been stirred as never before. Her work is said to indeed be "the real McCoy".
Rodney Hatfield came out of the hills of KY just as soon as he was able. Hatfield, growing up in a coal mining area, was surrounded by the raw energies of faith healers, religious mystics, musicians, and animals. When he finally began to put it all down on canvas, people instantly recognized his art as the real thing. He was too hip for the folk art purists and too primitive for the critics, but normal folks and sophisticated collectors understood his imagery with no trouble. Hatfield took no art courses in college, but he had been painting and making things since childhood. Twenty years ago he took a deep breath and put some of his artwork on a restaurant wall. Before long he was exhibiting his work in galleries and making a name for himself. Hatfield, known as a musician, decided to sign his work as Art Snake, a play on the old saying "art for art's sake".
Hatfield is as fearless with color and materials as he is with subject matter. Working in oil and acrylic, he piles on the texture and scratches through layers of paint with a dull steak knife, a technique called sgraffito. Enormous distances are conveyed with color, such as deep red and cobalt. Although his visual world is far beyond the one that society has agreed upon, it is not so mysterious after all. He simply paints the way we appear to ourselves, from the inside looking out.
The Art of the Feud promises to be an exciting, entertaining, and beautiful display of differences in expression. Each artist presents differing views of life, but the resulting artistry makes one wish all feuds produced such beauty.
For more info check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or call 843/470-9994.
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