WAC Gallery Information for February 2009
Two diverse artists will be exhibiting their work this month in the Watauga Arts Council galleries at the Jones House Community & Cultural Center in downtown Boone during February.
In the Mazie Jones Gallery, Elvin Hatch is exhibiting “Formation.” The title of this exhibit has a double meaning. First, it reflects the fact that these pictures sample the artist’s developing interest in art—the earliest print on display here is based on a silkscreen image that he made in 1957. Second, it reflects a principle underlying his art, which is the playful manipulation of form.
“I am especially drawn toward compositions that express tension or energy, such as by organized chaos, the juxtaposition of color, and asymmetry,” he said.
In this current work, the artist is playing with what for him is a new genre of collage. In his past work in collage, he has cut up brochures and clippings from magazines. But now, he begins with digital images, typically ones that were produced by others. These are manipulated in Photoshop to achieve the effects he wants. They are then printed on a desktop printer, and then cut and pasted.
“I was an art major when I began college in 1955, but I soon discovered another field that had even greater resonance for me. I went on for a PhD in that field, and taught anthropology at the University of California at Santa Barbara from 1967 to 2004, when I retired,” he said. “I have never lost interest in art, however, and continued to produce in my spare time. And now, in retirement, I have been able to make this a major focus of my life.”
In the Open Door Gallery Judy Humphrey presents, “Personal Refuge” a selection of works from her series, Human Pestilence that she has been working on for quite some time. “It utilizes a number of differing subjects, styles, and media to examine a broad range of social issues--environmental, physical, viral, psychological, prejudicial, and political--and our attempts to superficially combat these often self-inflicted problems,” she said.
In 2005, she received a grant from Appalachian State University, which enabled her to use Polaroid transfer technology in a number of experimental and innovative ways. Some of her most recent images from this grant are included in this exhibit which fall into the following categories within her on-going Human Pestilence series:
“Mixed Messages” investigates the subtle ways in which the human presence both intrudes upon and coexists with nature. Polaroid transfers depict odd juxtapositions of artificial color and/or text within the natural environment. This series also examines how “Opposites Distract” within this constantly changing relationship.
“Emotional Remnants and Debris” utilizes Polaroid transfers taken with a handmade pinhole camera to create self-portraits that reflect personal episodes of psychological and hormonal turmoil.
“Nowhere to Hide” celebrates the quiet beauty of nature as a welcome respite from our increasingly chaotic and distressing economic environment.
“The eclectic, decorative, and obsessive manipulation of interior and exterior spaces have dominated my life and my art. My ancestors were South Carolina architects, farmers, and gardeners who all influenced a profound interest in my visual environment,” Humphrey said. “My art is personal, autobiographical, and ritualistic as it reveals the subtle overlapping of visual time, space, and experience.
“My work often references social issues, art history, and critical theory, while also seeking to entertain and excite the eye. I work in a variety of single and mixed print media--etching, relief, lithography, monotype, and photography--as well as with appropriated, mass-produced, and recycled images and materials from the popular culture. I also draw with both pencils and paint,” she said.
The artist points out the irony that her “Personal Refuge“ was created with Polaroid film, a technology that is now completely obsolete and no longer available to the public.
Both exhibits are on display from Tuesday, February 3 until Friday, February 27 from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays. The Arts Council galleries are also open Thursdays from 7:30 to 11 p.m. during the acoustic jams at the Jones House.
The gallery reception to welcome these exhibits is Friday, February 6 from 6:30-8 p.m. and is held in conjunction with downtown Boone’s First Friday Art Crawl.
Free food and beverage will be served and the public is invited and encouraged to attend.
The Watauga Arts Council galleries are sponsored in part by Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff and Grassroots Funds of the North Carolina Arts Council. The WAC’s offices and galleries are located in downtown Boone at the Jones House Community & Cultural Center, owned by the town of Boone.