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April Issue 2004
Gallery 5 in Rock Hill, SC, Features Group Exhibition
Gallery 5 in Rock Hill, SC, will present an exhibition, 5 Artists, showing new work by Chris Clamp, David Hooker, Paul Matheny, Tom Stanley and Brad Thomas. The exhibition will open May 7 and continue through June 30, 2004.
Chris Clamp's paintings are spare and thought provoking, and strongly influenced by the wisdom and parables of his grandfather. He often chooses a common household object as the subject, elevates it to a lofty state and imbues it with an indefinable aura. Of his art, Clamp said he is inspired by the simple life and values that he was raised with. His work exemplifies his memories of uncomplicated objects presented in an arcane way. Clamp lives in Charlotte, NC, and works at the Jerald Melberg Gallery.
David Hooker's works in clay reflect his search for honesty in his vision, his material and himself. He is fascinated by South Carolina face jugs and said he finds them haunting, often scary and sometimes prophetic. Rather than re-creating the face jug, he uses it as a reference point to make observations on his experience as an artist, potter and Southerner. To Hooker, the clay process is profound, meditative, almost sacred. His finished work reflects the juxtaposition between the slow, deliberate process and the energetic frenzy of modern life. Hooker lives in Woodruff, SC, where he owns Oldest Professions Pottery. He is also Exhibitions Preparator/Assistant Program Director: 3-D Studios of the Greenville (SC) County Museum of Art.
Paul Matheny draws his imagery from the Southern landscape and significant regional cultural treasures, like roadside icons, religion, kudzu, fireworks and produce stands - all in the search for truth and honesty in his work. He refers to his current work as "journal paintings" where his interest in the aesthetics of the journal's written word is integrated with the imagery of his paintings. Matheny lives in Columbia, SC, and is the Chief Curator of Art at the South Carolina State Museum.
Tom
Stanley
Tom Stanley's new body of work, Floating, is a continuation of an earlier series, Across the River, which was inspired, in part, by research of his grandfather's mysterious Mississippi River drowning in 1920 New Orleans. The Floating series relies on the process of mechanical drawing as part of his technique, with the combination of traditional nautical symbols and other objects on the vessels. Stanley lives in Rock Hill, where he is Director of Winthrop University Galleries and teaches classes in gallery management.
Brad Thomas's new paintings are derived from the journals many people associate with his name. The journals began as a daily exercise to brainstorm concepts for paintings, and as the books became more organic, autobiographical and raw, they took on a new life as intriguing pieces of art themselves, and have been widely exhibited. The inspiration of the new series of large-scale works on canvas goes back to the journals, and he's used various processes to exploit the cryptic autobiographical journal imagery. Thomas lives in Charlotte, NC, and is Director and Curator of the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College in Davidson, NC.
For more information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 803/985-5000.
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