September Issue 2001
Davidson County Community College in Lexington, NC, Features Fall Exhibit
In Lexington, NC, artistic expressions in nine media by artists from three states will be featured in Davidson County Community College's fall art exhibit, Expressions. The exhibit, to be housed in the Mendenhall Building on the Davidson Campus, will remain up through Dec. 14, 2001.
Shannon S. Bueker
The featured artists are Greg Arens of Stuart,
VA, watercolor and oil; Shannon S. Bueker of Pittsboro, acrylic
and clay; Joe Zak Garner of Reidsville, oil and acrylic; Delores
E. Lewis of Lexington, watercolor; Jennifer Mathews of Winston-Salem,
mixed media sculpture; Lia Rose Newman of High Point, color photography;
Pat Pilkington of Boone, oil and pastels; and Teresa Prater of
Pacolet, SC, charcoal.
In addition, Osmosis, a six-member artist group from SC, will
display their woodcut designs in the exhibit. Members of the group
are Eileen Blyth, Eleanor Craig, Charles Dillingham, Jeffrey Donovan,
Tom Ogburn and Laura Spong. Ogburn is from Bethune, SC, and all
other Osmosis members are from Columbia, SC.
Greg Arens paints because "it's still an amazing world out there, full of wondrous things, if we'd ever stop and notice." His watercolors and oil paintings are "more about life than about art, and more about external situations than internal emotions." He tries to be true to both the scene present and his personal reaction to that scene.
"My work is about conveying the full essence of an animal in pithy strokes," says Shannon S. Bueker. She is fascinated by gesture and is challenged to see how much shape and power she can express with the simplest of lines. Asian brushstroke is one of her influences; watercolor, ink, and fluid acrylic are her media of choice. "I see reflections of my own life, memories, and dreams in the resulting shades and blurs," she states.
Joe Zak Garner chooses to paint a variety of subjects using different media and techniques. Inspiration comes from many sources, and even though his work is wide in scope, Garner sees storytelling as his common thread. He considers his work to be successful when it conveys a sense of emotion, time, or place. Art is a "joyful journey" to Garner; when once asked why he painted, he answered without thinking, "because I don't have to."
Vivid colored flowers from her Lexington garden, sea shells, NC seascapes, and memories of special places are all inspirations for Delores Lewis' watercolors. "A good composition should communicate my ideas to the viewer," says Lewis. She uses both photographs and numerous sketches to create her artwork.
The wood and copper sculptures by Jennifer Mathews are based on the essence of the machine, primarily the press. She utilizes a minimalist approach that emphasizes line and repetition as she explores the machine's pressure and compression. "These two components represent for me the ability of the machine to manipulate and create our world," states the artist. She considers the contradiction of materials an important aspect to her work.
Lia Rose Newman photographed the landscapes and people across the West African country of Niger during the summer of 1999. In contrast to the typically negative focus of news stories about Africa, her photos celebrate the beautiful, yet varied landscape of this sub-Saharan country. "There is evident solidarity and a certain generosity in the people and families we met and stayed with unlike any I have ever known," relates Newman. The artist will donate 10% to 15% from the sale of each photograph directly to the Nigerian families. Each color photograph was personally developed by the artist.
Osmosis was formed in the belief that creative support can refine and elevate artistic expression. Following that line of thought, this group of six non-traditional painters from SC banded together to strengthen their individual endeavors. Their first collaborative effort, a show of woodcuts entitled "Against the Grain", was presented in March of 1999. "These exhibits were created to stretch our boundaries as artists, to expand our visibility, and to make our work more accessible to a larger region and audience," says the group. Woodcut, a relief printing process, is the oldest known form of printmaking.
"Lively color, texture, light, and movement are what draw me to paint mostly en plein air (outside)," says Boone, NC artist Pat Pilkington. She "loves the way each new day is a different painting as the atmosphere and seasons change so dramatically here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC." Painting the landscape either in oils or pastels has "become my voice - my way of expressing my gratitude and enthusiasm for life," she explains.
The universal concept of family, personal experiences, and today's relevant social issues are all sources of inspiration for the charcoal drawings of Teresa Prater. "Drawing from both old and new photographs, family members of several generations are brought together to represent the layers of happiness, fear, tension, and potential found in the family structure," explains the artist. The drawings become a complex narrative with multiple layers of meaning. The "richness of the (charcoal) medium combined with narrative implications come together to portray scenarios that explore the human consciousness."
For further information check our NC Institutional
Gallery listings or call the gallery at 336/249-8186.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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