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.
Artwork by Elvin Hatch
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,” Hatch 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 Adobe 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.
A native of South Carolina, Humphrey received a Bachelor of Fine
Arts in Art Education and a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking
from the University of Georgia in Athens. She also studied art
for four months in Cortona, Italy and worked as a graphic designer
in Columbia for one year. She moved to Boone in 1973 and taught
at ASU for 34 years in the art department.
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, Feb. 3, until Friday,
Feb. 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, Feb.
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.
Get Firefox