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May Issue 2004
The Life and Art of Addie James on exhibit at the Wilkes Art Gallery in North Wilkesboro, NC
Throughout May, the Wilkes Art Gallery in North Wilkesboro, NC, will be featuring a one-woman show of works by Addie James of Statesville, NC. The Life and Art of Addie James will be on exhibit May 7 to May 29, 2004.
This unique exhibit of paintings and mixed media pieces by James is presented at the Gallery in cooperation wit Merrill-Jennings Galleries of Davidson, NC. The exhibit is sponsored by Carolina Realty of Wilkes, Inc. and made possible in part through grassroots funding from the North Carolina Arts Council as disbursed through the Cultural Arts Council of Wilke
Addie James was born in South Carolina in 1943. She moved to Statesville as an infant and has remained there since.
She has been painting for as long as she can remember. She uses watercolors, acrylics and all forms of mixed-media to create he unique style of work. She paints on whatever is available from boards to the broken bindings on books.
In her book, Miss Addle's Gift: Portrait of an American Folk Artist, Biographer Kate Merrill writes the following about James:
"Miss Addie writes poetry and songs. She adorns quilts, chairs, gourds, and handmade fans with her art. If painting has been a lifelong passion, it became a necessity when her husband died in the early nineties: 'I use drawing as a stress reliever. It brings me fun and joy.' Indeed, all Addle's work reflects her natural joy in everyday living. Much of her subject matter can be catalogued as the five "F's": fun, fashion, friends, family and faith. Colorful children scamper outdoors on the farm, or in the playground, or grow in fanciful decorations on trees. Her Hallelujah Girls celebrate with arms raised to Heaven...at parties, in church, or out on the town and vivid Heebie-jeebies haunt night skies alive with moon and stars.
While living the African-American experience in Statesville cannot have been easy for Miss Addie, her art speaks with a positive voice. Even her large painting The Cotton Patch, with adults and children picking cotton balls (actual cotton glued or taken from Q-tips) evoke only harmony under a clear, blue sky. If Addie has a dark side, it seldom shows in her art. Even her powerful social statements like Peace and United Men, both painted in response to September 11, 2001 are spiritually uplifting. However, her paintings In Money We Trust, Brothers Killing Brothers, and The Hate Club reveal the artist's acute awareness of our imperfect world. At the same time, we sense that Addle's interpretations may make that world a whole lot better.
There is much debate about what constitutes Primitive, NOW or Outsider Art... and how they differ. Miss Addle is self-taught, to be sure, but to lump her creations into any of these categories would be naïve indeed. Her style is unique, authentic, and quite sophisticated in its own right. When asked why people buy her art, Addie says "to jazz things up a bit."
The Wilkes Art Gallery exhibit will feature over 75 pieces of work by Addie James including 4 pieces of painted furniture, framed and unframed paintings, a quilt and some small sculptural pieces. All work will be available for sale.
For more information
about this or any Wilkes Art Gallery exhibit, please contact the
Gallery at 336/667-2841 or email to (wilkesartgal@wilkes.net).
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