May 2013

The West Main Artists Co-op in Spartanburg, SC, Features Works by Claudia McAninch and Garry Turpin

The West Main Artists Co-op in Spartanburg, SC, will present Tector: Crafted Sculptures, featuring 3 dimensional works by Claudia McAninch and The Circle of Life, featuring paintings by Garry Turpin. Both exhibits will be on view from May 16 through June 15, 2013. A reception will be held on May 16, from 5-9pm.

Garry Turpin and Claudia McAninch have been members of the West Main Artists Co-op in Spartanburg for a number of years. The two artists work in entirely different mediums: McAninch is a 3 dimensional artist, and Turpin is a 2 dimensional artist. The art seen in this exhibit is memorable and impressive.

McAninch’s show, Tector: Crafted Sculptures, showcases architectural sculptures constructed of paper, cardboard, felt, fiber, and wood. The sculptures are studies of forms and modules, and repeating patterns that are mirrored and rotated. Her work is refreshingly modern.

McAninch studied architecture at the Bauhaus University in Weimer, Germany. She has been living in Spartanburg since 2003 with her husband who is a Spartanburg native. She works as an architect at the McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture firm.

Her work on exhibit in this show ranges from small to wall size. In the future McAninch says she would like to work on large scale art projects, bringing art and architecture together into the same space. She likes to work with materials such as felt and cardboard because they are cheap and easily accessible.

McAninch truly transforms the nature of each material in her sculptures. She is inspired by patterns and textures that she finds in nature and in built surroundings. She says she carries her sketchbook with her everywhere so that she can sketch an idea as soon as it comes to her, to later make the sketches into sculptural works. The term “tectour” is a combination of the syllables “TEC” which stand for “archiTECture and TECtonics. McAninch hopes viewers will travel through many different textural worlds when viewing this exhibition.

Garry Turpin’s show, The Circle of Life, is a chronology of his art from the 1970s until the present day. His paintings show personal experiences throughout his life. The subject matter moves seamlessly from portrait studies to clouds. His paintings delight all viewers.

Turpin has a BFA in studio art from Mars Hill College. A former business owner of a graphic design firm, he has 25 years of experience in computer graphics and illustration. Turpin’s preferred medium is oil paint, although he sometimes experiments in pottery and printmaking. He says in the past year he has “experienced new and wonderful friendships and has seen unrelenting examples of aging and declining health in older family and friends.”

Turpin has been moved by these experiences, which can be seen in the newer pieces of this exhibit. As he continues to paint over the years, he looks forward to seeing the progression and changes in his pieces from subject matter to level of skill. He is sure that viewers will also enjoy seeing this movement in his art.

The West Main Artist Co-op provides affordable studio space and exhibition space for local artists. Locally made art is for sale in the Gallery Shop and the galleries. The Co-op also participates in Spartanburg Art Walk. West Main Artists Co-op is a nonprofit organization, funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Co-op at 864/804-6501 or visit (www.westmainartists.org).

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