| For more information about this article or gallery, please call the gallery phone number listed in the last line of the article, "For more info..." |
July Issue 2007
Artspace in Raleigh, NC, Features Works by Garrett Scales, Eric McRay, and Ann Marie Kennedy
Artspace in Raleigh, NC, is presenting several exhibitions including: Under the Influence, featuring works by Garrett Scales, on view in the Artspace Lobby, from July 6 - 28, 2007; Redemption & Temptation, featuring works by Eric McRay, on view in the Upfront Gallery, from July 6 - 28, 2007; and Summer Artist-in-Residence, featuring works by Ann Marie Kennedy, in Gallery 1, from July 6 - Aug. 3, 2007.
Garrett Scales
The works in Garrett Scales' exhibition
Under the Influence represent a combination of ideas and thoughts
in Scales' day-to-day dealings. While some of his works are comical,
others tend to depict life as he sees it. According to Scales,
"these are a direct manifestation of the random thoughts
and comedies of my life." His subject matter ranges from
the realistic to surrealistic - and is sometimes an interesting
combination of both. When he is not spraying on canvas, Scales
experiments with T-shirts. This medium allows him to explore ideas
and feelings canvas can't capture. "The appeal of T-shirts
is that they don't last as long as canvas, eventually fading and
deteriorating with every wash."
Scales utilizes spray paint to achieve luminous, but simple, "nebula
effects" in his art, often creating interesting nuances.
Starting with an idea, Scales seeks out images which he then manipulates
and traces onto stencil material. The image is then hand cut with
a utility blade and set aside for layout. After each piece has
been cut, he then arranges them and sprays them onto a workable
surface resulting in unique works of art.
Scales is a recent graduate from North Carolina State University
earning a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. He is a self-taught
artist primarily using stenciling techniques to create his works
of art.
Eric McRay
In the body of work presented in Redemption & Temptation, Eric McRay has used the medium of collage (papier collé) to proclaim his appreciation of the African-American experience. McRay notes that collage is how he inserts pieces of the real world into a constructed one. He has adopted impromptu invention in the construction of his collages, using painted papers, photographic reproductions, snippets of photographs, scraps of fabric, elements from magazines, cut and torn paper, water media, and acrylic paints.
McRay aims to edit materials of everyday existence,
slicing and reassembling them into new images on paper, board,
or canvas. These constructed worlds pull the viewer into a new
reality. McRay believes that the medium of collage empowers him
to push the boundaries, allowing the real world to infiltrate
a painting, dissolving the conventions that separate art and life,
as well as high art and popular culture.
McRay received a BFA degree at the Maryland Institute, College
of Art, where he earned a four-year scholarship for his artistic
talent. A native of Washington, DC, he moved to North Carolina
where he has become a major force in the NC art community. He
has been exhibiting in North Carolina since 1987, and McRay was
juried into Artspace in 1998. McRay has been featured on TV and
radio shows, and in numerous newspapers and magazines. The News
& Observer named McRay one of the "Artists to Watch"
for 2001. He was featured in the June 2002 issue of Southern
Living Magazine, "Carolina Living - People & Places"
edition. McRay's work can be found in numerous collections including
Central Carolina Bank, Duke University Medical Center, NC State
University, SAS Institute, UNC - Chapel Hill, and Western Wake
Hospital.
Ann Marie Kennedy
Artspace is pleased to announce our Summer 2007 Artist-In-Residence, Ann Marie Kennedy. Kennedy works with handmade paper to create both wall-sized works of art and large-scale sculptural environments.
Kennedy's Artspace residency will begin with the July 6 First Friday Gallery Walk during which she invites the Artspace community to visit her new studio (Artspace's Gallery 1) to learn about her residency plans. During the month of July, visitors will be welcomed to the gallery space to see an installation taking shape. Kennedy will be creating a series of architectural spaces within the gallery utilizing simple construction techniques and accessible materials such as paper, cardboard, fabric, and wood. The structures will evolve organically, culminating in one large installation. Kennedy aims to create a somewhat disorienting experience for visitors, as they attempt to navigate the newly built environment. As in her previous installations, Kennedy hopes that this piece will allow viewers to consider their own relationship to place.
For further information check our NC Institutional
Gallery listings, call the center at 919/821-2787 or visit (www.artspacenc.org).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing
Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2007 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts
from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts
Online, Copyright© 2007 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved
by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use
without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina
Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.