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May Issue 2006
Simply Irresistible Gallery in Tryon, NC, Features Works by Bob Neely
Simply Irresistible Gallery in Tryon, NC, is presenting the exhibit, 250,000 Dots, featuring works by Bob Neely which will be on view through May 18, 2006. The exhibit is made up of a quarter of a million dots, applied one at a time.
Neely's new paintings are extraordinary - consisting of thousands of tiny dots of color. When you look at one of his paintings from a distance, you see the blend of colors and the images. But on closer examination, you see that the dots form a circle or spiral pattern. On a typical 18" x 24" canvas, there are sometimes in excess of 20,000 dots of color, and each dot has been applied individually. Add up all the dots on all the paintings in this show and you will total approximately 250,000. One comment frequently heard about Neely's paintings is "how in the world does anyone have the patience to do that?"
You will find the work of this self taught artist extremely compelling. Neely has been showing his work at Simply Irresistible since the gallery opened nearly four years ago. His dots and patterns have adorned bird houses and walking sticks, he crafted fish from punched aluminum and created hanging planters from split bamboo. He seems to always be working on something.
Neely lived in Gastonia, NC, until the age of 16 when his family moved to Rutherfordton, NC. After graduating from R. S. Central High School in Rutherford County, he attended NC State University in Raleigh, NC, and received a degree in textile technology. From his graduation in 1961 until retiring in 1997, Neely spent most of those years working in the textile industry. In 1980 China Grove Cotton Mills Company hired him to manage Southern Mercerizing Company in Tryon, and he remained there until the plant closed in 1996. Neely retired from the parent company, Dixie Yarns, in 1997. He has served this community as a volunteer for many organizations and was a four term mayor of Tryon after serving on the Tryon Town Council.
While working in New York City in the 1960's
Neely had the opportunity to visit some of the finest museums
in the world including the New York Metropolitan Museum, the Guggenheim,
the Whitney and the Museum of Modern Art. His favorite artists
were the impressionists and the abstract expressionists. Pointillism
caught Neely's fancy, and has influenced his work considerably.
During his textile career, he spent time working in dye plants
and developed a good understanding of colors and their application.
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings,
call the gallery at 828/859-8316 or at (www.SimplyIrresistibleGallery.com).
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