July Issue 2000
Watauga County Arts Council in Boone, NC, Features New Exhibits for July
The Watauga County Arts Council in Boone, NC, is featuring the exhibit, Havana 2000: Images from Across the Straits and at the Mazie Jones gallery at the Jones House Community Center. This joint show by local artists Susan and Pac McLaurin will feature works of hand-made paper along with black and white photographs. This couple visited Cuba this year and the images in this show are a result of that experience. Featured in the Open Door Gallery will be A Burst of Color, recent works in watercolor by Martha Christian Brown. Both exhibit open July 5 and continue through the month.
Susan McLaurin has both undergraduate and graduate degrees in art, having received her MFA from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Her medium has been handmade paper from which she makes collages, weavings, and has more recently been producing some 3 dimensional works. She has exhibited in galleries in Richmond , Va., Washington, DC., Williamsburg, Va., Hampton, Va., and most recently in Raleigh, NC. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, the University of Virginia Hospitals, Charlottesville, and the City of Hampton, Va.
The brightly colored collages in this current show were inspired by the kindness and good humor shown by the Cuban people whose constant optimism brings some color to their drab lives. Starting from pulp, dyeing the pulp to make colored paper and then building this paper into a finished work of art becomes a paradigm for life in Cuba. Everything is saved, recycled, and in some way makes life a bit more pleasant and bearable.
The black and white photographs of Pac McLaurin are more documentary than "fine art." Each image contains at least one person in their indigenous environment. According to the photographer, the camera was a wonderful means of connecting with the Cuban people. It was a rare occurrence when they did not want their picture taken. Picture taking often lead to an invitation to come into their homes, have a drink of water or a cup of coffee, and a good conversation.
Pac McLaurin is a mostly self-taught photographer. A retired physician, he has been actively pursuing photography for the past five or six years. He has entered and won awards in several photography competitions. This past year one of his images took fourth place in the Second Annual Purveyor's of Art Community Art Competition. He also won Best in Show in a national competition at the Texas Artists Museum's Annual National Photography Show in Port Arthur, TX, this past year.
Most recently this couple has been working together using alternative processes such as cyanotype or kallitype to produce photographic images on handmade paper. A few examples of this marriage of mediums and skills are included in the current show.
Featured in the Open Door Gallery will be A Burst of Color, recent works in watercolor by Land Harbor resident Martha Christian Brown.
After the rigors of being an office manager for a Miami, FL, attorney, Brown's drive and energy made retirement impossible. Eight years ago she discovered a deep devotion to the magic of watercolor. A long-term interest in using colors to create decorating interest made the switch to painting a natural one for her. Brown approached watercolor painting as she starts everything-with enthusiasm and determination, plus she has invested in extensive training with successful artists that enjoy similar interests.
Brilliant and vibrant colors that bring alive the subject and a creativeness that stirs emotions, results in paintings that brighten every room where her art is displayed.
Maturing as a watercolorist, Brown is combining the individual creativity of her mentors and teachers into a unique style of her own. Living in both Florida and the mountains of North Carolina, she enjoys floral subjects and local scenery with colors that excite the eye.
Brown is an active member of the High Country Watermedia Society (HCWS), as well as the Vero Beach Art Club. Her artwork has been displayed in the HCWS annual members' exhibit, Lees-McRae College, the Vero Beach Art by the Sea show, and the Watauga County Arts Council's award-winning Artist Placement service. Her long-range goal is to continually evolve her approach with studies in France, Canada and within the USA.
Across the hall from the Open Door Gallery, the Senior Gallery contains works by area senior adult artists as well as an assortment of prints. And, throughout the building, one will find an assortment of works currently participating in the Arts Council's award- winning Arts Placement Service.
For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Arts Council at 828/264-1789.
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