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July Issue 2008
Pickens County Museum of Art in Pickens,
SC, Offers New Exhibits
The Pickens County Cultural Commission is presenting three very special exhibitions at the Pickens County Museum of Art & History in Pickens, SC. The exhibitions: Natural Impressions: Drawings & Paintings by Victoria Blaker, Glenda Guion: Twenty Years of Ceramic Sculpture and Susan Lenz: Blues Chapel, will all continue through Aug. 21, 2008.
Victoria Blaker
In the exhibit, Natural Impressions, visitors will enjoy Victoria Blaker's collection of oil paintings and quill & ink drawings representing a variety of subject matter. Her personal perception of the subject matter takes priority over realistic rendering, thus presenting the viewer with an alternative impression.
Blaker, who holds the MFA degree in painting from George Washington University, Washington, DC, moved to the Greenville, SC, area in 1991. Before taking an extended break she exhibited in Washington, DC, and Virginia. She has been an adjunct faculty member in Furman University's Art Department in addition to teaching adult painting classes through continuing education programs at Furman and Virginia Tech.
About her work, Blaker says, "It is my hope that my paintings and drawings will create a sense of beauty and excitement, both through the subject matter and through execution of style. Energetic pen or brush strokes and movement of light direction often accompanied by thick paint is employed to help give each work a surface vitality that can further enhance the visual experience." She continues, "My goal is for every piece to pulsate with an artistic expression that is unique to my own intellect and perception."
Glenda Guion
Glenda Guion, living in Easley, SC, and teaching at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, for twenty years, had her last solo exhibition at the Pickens County Museum in 1988. Twenty years later we play host to her Twenty Years of Ceramic Sculpture exhibition.
Guion earned her BFA from Middle Tennessee State University and MFA from Clemson University. She has been chairperson for Greenville Open Studios since 2004.
Guion's work is included in numerous public collections including the South Carolina State Art Collection, the Pickens County Museum, Columbia College, Clemson University, Sumter County Museum of Art, and Middle Tennessee State University. Since her last one-woman exhibition at the Pickens County Museum, her work has been exhibited in over 100 regional shows, 19 national juried exhibitions, and 10 solo exhibitions. Two of her clay sculptures are reproduced in the book Handbuilt Ceramics and three others are published in 500 Teapots (Lark Books). In 2004 she published the article, Making an Ocean of Clay in the July/August issue of Pottery Making Illustrated Magazine.
About her work Guion says, "The metaphysical enigma of 'Spirit' continues to interest me, as does psychoanalyst Carl Jung's notion of the 'Shadow'. I hope to communicate in my work that which surrounds me both physically and mystically - from earth, gardens, and man-made forms to archetypal symbols and theories." She continues, "It is the contrast between the organic, the synthetic, and the psychological that interest me."
Susan Lenz
Now living in Columbia, SC, Susan Lenz received her BA in Medieval and Renaissance Studies from Ohio State University in 1980. Somewhere along the way she discovered a love of embroidery and has grown this, mixed with a variety of other media, into a profound outlet for her creativity. She has studied under British fiber artists Valerie Campbell-Harding, Jean Littlejohn, and Jan Beaney. Lenz is a juried member of the Embroiderer's Guild of America Fiber Forum and is listed on the South Carolina Arts Commission roster of approved artists.
Speaking of her Blues Chapel installation Lenz states, "Early female Blues singers lived in a male dominated society, in a segregated country, and worked in an industry that took advantage of their lack of education and opportunity. Physical abuse, drug and alcohol dependence, and poverty plagued most. They struggled, made sacrifices, and sang of their woes. They were exploited, mistreated, or simply neglected but their music is still played. The Blues helped change the world for today's young, black, female vocalists."
A centerpiece of the installation, Tapestry in Blue, honors twenty-four early female blues singers, depicted as saintly martyrs. The mixed media grouping takes the form of a traditional block pattern quilt with heavy ornamentation reminiscent of the lavish attire worn by Blues singers on the touring circuit. Music, candles, drapery, church pews, and a floral altar transform the space into a chapel like setting. Viewers are invited to pay their respects.
For further information check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings, call the Museum at 864/898-5963 or visit (www.co.pickens.sc.us/culturalcommission).
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