Mary Storms / AJ Fletcher Foundation

Artist Statement

I express my artistic vision through abstract mixed-media landscapes.  I am intrigued and inspired by the natural environment.  My intent is to provide the viewer with a sense of the symbiotic relationship between the primeval elements - stone, soil, water and sky - and the lifeforms these elements nurture.    

I love experimenting with color, be it bold and vibrant or quiet and subdued.  No matter what palette I use, my mixed media canvases and many of my acrylic-only canvases are usually textured.   For mixed media, I layer torn or cut handmade paper and/or recycled magazine paper with acrylic paint, sculpting paste and an occasional found object.   To add additional depth and texture, portions of some layers are literally scrubbed off with water before the paint, glue or sculpting paste has completely set.  Some of these scrubbed portions are left “raw”, while others are repainted and/or papered over.   For my acrylic-only canvases, I apply thick layers of paint with brushes, palette knives and my hands. 

Artist Bio

I was born and raised outside of Boston.  My family was fortunate to spend our summers at my grandmother’s old camp house on several wooded acres adjacent to Walden Pond.  Together, my brother, sisters and I, along with an ever-revolving flock of cousins, explored every inch of the property.  We climbed rock outcroppings, built tree forts, paddled up and down the Sudbury River, hunted for Lady Slippers, sang with the tree frogs and danced with the fireflies.  My knees were perpetually scabbed, my hands always filthy, and my imagination ran at full tilt day and night fueled by this outdoor wonderland.  But, ironically, it wasn’t until I left this wonderland far behind, that my creative spirit was truly stirred. 

It was 1967, the "Summer of Love".  Once school let out, my mother, hell-bent on leaving town after the sudden death of my father, sold the house and most everything in it.   She piled all us kids in the car and off we went, heading west to the Golden State.  It was during this journey, my first trip away from the only home I’d known, that I witnessed the overwhelming expanse, power and beauty of our natural environment.  With my head in my arms resting across the open car window, I stared transfixed as one bedazzling landscape after another whizzed by my line of vision.  By the time we reached the Golden Gate Bridge, my love affair with nature began in earnest. 

Several decades and a few cross-country trips later, having made Raleigh, NC my home, I am still smitten.  Whether its a distant sun-drenched butte in the Painted Desert or a twisted, gnarly clump of roots underfoot at one of our city’s parks, nature’s own works of art take my breath away.  For me, there is nothing more stunning on Earth than the very earth itself.  This is what inspires my work. 

My work has been exhibited in multiple venues throughout North Carolina and is included in many local and national private collections.  I am currently being represented by Gallery 444 in San Francisco.  Selected pieces of my work can be seen there or by appointment in my home studio in downtown 

BLACK on BLACK

October 7- November 4, 2016
First Friday Receptions: October 7 & November 4 6-10pm
History and society haven't always been truthful or kind in the depiction of people of color. But whose depictions are they? "Black on Black" is an exhibition where curators of color asked artists of color to share their thoughts on identity in their own voice. #BlackOnBlackVAE

As part of their support of the BLACK On BLACK exhibition ArtsNow has built a playlist and reading list to accompany the exhibition, and a collection of artist video interviews and article about the exhibition. See those and learn more about the programming happening throughout the month here! 

THE ARTISTS
Dare Coulter
Jamila Davenport
Darryl Hurts
Andre’ Leon Gray
Carrie Nobles
William Paul Thomas
Saba Taj
Lamar Whidbee
Antoine Williams
Charles Williams

CURATORS
Linda Dallas - artist / professor, Saint Augustine Univ. / commissioner, Raleigh Arts Commission
Mike Williams - curator, ArtsNow

COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING

There’s more to “Black On Black” than just great artwork by great artists. Thanks to the exhibition planning committee, throughout the month there will be educational and fun activities in the gallery space and in the community that will engage all members of the community who would like to get involved. You’ll also notice events by other organizations, like Empower Dance Studio, CAM Raleigh, The Carrack Modern Art and others. This page will be updated as needed.  

Journey 2 Justice: Is the Black Family Safe?
What: A program devoted to dealing with the issues facing the Black Community.
Where: Southside Church of Christ, 800 Elmira Ave, 27707 Durham
When: Saturday, Oct. 8; 4 to 8 p.m.

Sphinx Virtuosi
What: The Sphinx Virtuosi is a conductor-less ensemble of soloists, comprising top alumni of the national Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latino string players.
Where: Hayes Barton United Methodist Church, 2209 Fairview Road Raleigh
When:  Sunday October 9, 3 p.m.; tickets

The Muse Masquerade
What: “Black On Black” artists Dare Coulter and William Paul Thomas join the festivities of the Muse Masquerade by creating artwork live in Gallery Four of 21c. Don’t miss out on this art extravaganza! The Muse Masquerade is the Carrack’s annual fundraising event and is in the second year at 21c.
Where: 21c Museum Hotel, 11 N Corcoran Street, Durham
When: Friday, October 14, 8 p.m.
Note: Must purchase ticket for attendance. Click here to purchase.

“baartman, beyonce & me” – Film Screening and Discussion
What: Join filmmaker Natalie Bullock-Brown for a screening and discussion of work-in-progress “baartman, beyonce & me,” a documentary film that asks how do the beauty ideals of a white, racist, male-dominant culture affect black females.
Where: VAE Raleigh, 309 West Martin Street, Raleigh
When: Thursday October 20, 7 to 9 p.m.

“Black On Black” Exhibition Annex at Empower Dance Studio
What: View additional artwork by two “Black On Black” artists at Empower Dance Studio during a Third Friday reception and enjoy an evening of artwork, live dance performances and music by DJ Strider of The Floor.
Where: Empower Dance Studio, 109 West Parrish Street, Durham
When: Friday, October 21, 6 to 9 p.m.; studio also open during regular business hours

Preserving Your Family History – A Workshop
What: Join Chaitra Powell, African American Collections and Outreach Archivist with the UNC’s Wilson Library, and Wanda Cox-Bailey Librarian with Richard B. Harrison Library and President of the Triangle Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, as they share their tips on how to research your family history and protect photographs, documents and other family valuables.
Where: VAE Raleigh, 309 West Martin Street, Raleigh
When: Saturday October 22, 10 a.m. to noon

Tell Your Own Story – A Workshop w/ NC Association of Black Storytellers
What: Since 1995 the NC Association of Black Storytellers have been hard at work ensuring the African Oral Tradition might be heard, shared, preserved, and enjoyed by all. In this workshop Beverly Burnette, Pinkie Strother and Master Storyteller Baba Jamal Koram share the art of storytelling and help workshop participants find wisdom in the stories of their own lives.
Where: VAE Raleigh, 309 West Martin Street, Raleigh
When: Saturday, October 22, 1 to 3 p.m.

“Black On Black” – A Community Conversation about rights and liberties
What: Join members of the NC political community for a discussion of issues surrounding the justice system and learn what rights citizens of the state have. You will also meet some of the judicial candidates that will be on your ballot November 8.
Where: VAE Raleigh, 309 West Martin Street, Raleigh
When: Sunday, October 23, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

“Pooled” – A Reader’s Theater Presentation
What: Wade in the water. God’s gonna trouble the water. “Pooled,” a play written by Moses T. Alexander Greene dares to give voice to those who have been rendered blind, deaf, mute, halt and lame by life or left without heart to feel, love and life due to the unforeseen and the unprepared for. These voices have gathered at the pool of Bethesda waiting for the Troubling of the water. Hear their voices, identify with their stories, be made whole together.
Where: VAE Raleigh, 309 West Martin Street, Raleigh
When: Wednesday, October 26, 7 to 9 p.m.

Empower Dance Studio will present Black Dance Matters.
Black Dance Matters presented by Empower Dance Studio
What: Through lectures, performances, and demonstrations the Triangle community comes together for a program centered on Black Dance Matters.
Where: VAE Raleigh, 309 West Martin Street, Raleigh
When: Thursday, October 27, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

African-American History Walking Tour of Downtown Raleigh
What: Join knowledgeable historian Tom Hancock on a spirited walking tour that highlights the African American History of Downtown Raleigh. The tour will begin at the VAE Raleigh and visit The Pope House, Shaw University and Historic Blount Street. Learn about the valuable contributions African Americans made and continue to make to North Carolina’s Capital City.
Where: Starts at VAE Raleigh, 309 West Martin Street, Raleigh
When: Saturday, October 29, 10 a.m. to noon

THE LAB: Portraits of Percussion

Portraits of Percussion
by Lyudmila Tomova & Gregory Whitt

September 2-22, 2016
Opening Reception: September 2nd, 6-10pm

CREATIVELY CONNECTING PEOPLE.  To art.  To ideas.  To others.  That’s the idea, but in an art gallery there’s some invisible line that separates people from the work.  You may not see it, but you know it’s there.

“LOOK, DON’T TOUCH”; You’ve heard it your whole life.  Lyudmila Tomova and Greg Whitt want to challenge that in VAE’s LAB where they’ll inspire participants rather than patrons.

Greg will facilitate interactive music experiences using percussion.  You don’t need any experience to join his band.  Within minutes, you’re creating the groove, in rhythm and harmony with everyone around you.  

Lyudmila’s talent and speed with water colors capture the moment.  No photography here — real paint and brushes flying across the page create portraits and cover art that gets pinned to the wall — right here, right now.  

You’re not listening to the music.  You’re making it.  

You’re not looking at art. You’re the subject.  

We’re the artists, and you’re working with us.

Collaborators.

 

ARTIST BIOS

Lyudmila Tomova is a rising star on the Triangle, North Carolina art scene. Her recent watercolors have attracted much attention locally, nationally and internationally with the expressive brushwork, color, line and a stylized flair that emphasize movement bringing the images to life. She has received numerous awards and recognition for her masterfully executed work which uniquely merges abstract and realistic elements together creating mood and energy.

Originally from Sofia, Bulgaria, Lyudmila immigrated to the US twenty five years ago and lived in New York City being a full time painter, editorial illustrator and designer, exhibiting nationally and abroad. Her strong education in Classical realism from the Sofia’s Academy of Fine Arts and later from FIT in New York where she studied Illustration, as well as her diverse artistic experience of over 20 years has helped her establish herself as one of the most versatile and prolific artist in the Triangle. She was recently nominated as an Emerging Woman 2016 and was personally recognized at the NC Museum of Art where the first of her “Butterfly Women” series was unveiled.

Her work was recently juried into the 1st International Watercolor Society Biennale in Vancouver, Canada and the 41st Annual Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Exhibition in Denver, Colorado. She was also accepted into the North Light Books’ latest watercolor competition Splash 18: Value | Light + Dark.

Greg Whitt believes life is richer when we communicate, cooperate, and collaborate with one another and with the world around us.  Because he believes this, he facilitates programs to help people live, work, and play well together.  He works with people -- in corporations, congregations, communities, and classrooms -- for the sake of creating more-meaningful connections.  He just happens to do it with a van full of drums and percussion from around the planet, bringing them to your place so that everyone can join in.

Greg owns a team building and arts education consultancy called Drum for Change. He's a world traveler learning from cultures across the planet.  Greg has twice received Regional Artist Project Grants for folkloric study of music of the African diaspora in the Caribbean.  His programs are actually applied philosophy designed to highlight indigenous values. Concepts like balance, celebration, connection to nature, gratitude, inclusion, positivity, respect, ritual, service to others, and unity all serve as positive examples for healthy, happy, and productive lifestyles for modern society.  

Greg holds a graduate certificate in Transformative Leadership from the Maryland University of Integrative Health and a BA in Communication from North Carolina State University. His experience as a US Air Force veteran makes him a uniquely qualified speaker on leadership and teamwork.  Greg has been facilitating interactive rhythm programs since 2001. 

Susan Peters/United Arts

September 2016
First Friday Reception: September 2, 6- 8p
410 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 170, Raleigh NC 27603

Artist Statement
I enjoy creating, no matter what I am doing. I have always had an urge to ‘make’ things since I can remember. I find myself truly happy when I am creating something pleasing to the eye. I look at every painting as a way to improve and grow. I learn something from each and every painting that I complete.  

Artist Biography
I am originally from Woodstock, New York and have always been creating something. From the early years of finger-painting on rocks in the creek bed behind my grandmother’s house to present. After a long hiatus from painting, I have returned to it originally as a cold weather hobby, but after creating the first acrylic painting, I was immediately hooked. I started looking at everything around me in detail, noticing colors, shapes, light, and shadows.

I enjoy using bright colors in my work, and enjoy painting a variety of subject matter. Depending on my mood, I can go from painting flowers and animals, to abstract figures.

I consider myself to be an emerging artist, as I am just starting to display my work. To date, I have displayed my art throughout the Cary and Raleigh area with shows for First Friday at Alter Ego, Bottega, the Untied Arts Council of Raleigh. In addition to several group shows around the Cary Area. I also display artwork with Local Color Gallery located inside 311 Gallery in Raleigh. I am a member of the Fine Arts League of Cary, Visual Art Exchange, and the Durham Artists Guild. I have work in private collections in North Carolina, Tennessee, New York, and California. 

I also enjoy practicing hot yoga, riding my Tennessee Walking Horse, and traveling with my family.


 

OUR OWN TERMS

September 2- 29, 2016
First Friday Reception: September 2016, 6-10p

For the month of September, VAE is offering our Main Gallery space as a platform to promote video artists! OUR OWN TERMS is an opportunity for  you to see the work of artists using video or moving images in their work to exhibit their most creative ideas, on their own terms (see what we did there?). The goals of the exhibit include exposing the Triangle to a wider range of video work, helping the public to understand how to purchase and collect video work, and to strengthen VAE's connection with video artists. 

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THE ARTISTS
Emily Beck & Jessica Dupuis, Saturate Desolate
Jaclyn Bowie & E.B Finn, Moth, part IV of Six Legs
Jaclyn Bowie & E.B Finn, Moon, part VI of Six Legs
Travis Donovan, Fall
McLean Fahnestock, Stratagem 8
McLean Fahnestock, Stratagem 10
Steven Félix-Jäger, Untitled (Crossing Paths.)
Heather Freeman, Artemis
Dale Inglett, Dueling Destroyers
Dale Inglett, Reverberant Raptor
Eddie Lohmeyer, R3D_4UM
Eddie Lohmeyer, A Wicked Feeling
Neill Prewitt & Gabrielle Duggan, Consensus Reality
Dawn Roe, The Sunshine Bores | The Daylights
Dawn Roe, Mountainfield Study
Paul Shortt, Large Child: Role Play
Paul Shortt, Large Child: Solo Play
Bob Trotman, The Upper Hand
Bob Trotman, Business As Usual
Amy White, Facing 30

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THE JUROR
Kelly McChesney- director, Flanders Gallery and LUMP

Kelly opened Flanders Gallery in 2006 and it has been one of Raleigh's leading contemporary art spaces for the past decade. In 2016, she began working with Bill Thelan as the new director of LUMP as it transitions to a non-profit experimental space. Kelly had been an advocate for video artists by educating the public and collectors about video and moving image works. Kelly has worked to place video pieces in large corporate and private collections and used Flanders to provide a platform for video artists to exhibit their work, including the frames per second exhibition in 2014.

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For this exhibition, in coordination with Flanders Gallery, the Capitol Broadcasting Company is selecting  three videos to exhibit  as part of  their video art and digital media program. The juror will selected three artists to receive a $250 stipend to exhibit their work at WRAL in Raleigh, CBC headquarters in Raleigh, American Tobacco Campus and/or American Underground in Durham.

ABOUT CBC’S VIDEO ART PROGRAM: CBC acknowledges the importance of new media, not only as a vehicle for delivering content, but also for its use as contemplative and challenging fine art. By partnering with NC artists and organizations, CBC seeks to provide the public with a variety of video art and digital art selections. Both established and emerging artists working in video and film will be featured on a quarterly basis at the following locations: WRAL in Raleigh, CBC headquarters in Raleigh, American Tobacco Campus and American Underground in Durham. The goal is to develop and exhibit a contemporary art collection that embraces new technology.

IlaSahai Prouty: A Social Construction, Paper Bag Test – Raleigh

August 20- October 8
First Friday Receptions: September 2 & October 7, 6- 10p
Join us for an artist talk and community conversation on Saturday, October 8 at 11am!

The paper bag test has been used to separate black people into two categories – those lighter that a paper bag, and those darker. People darker than a paper bag were welcome in certain clubs, those lighter were sorted to others. I remember thinking, “Which paper bag are we using?” when I first heard about the test. I wanted to belong but I knew that, regardless of which bag was used, there would always be a certain mismatch, and plenty of labels, names, and false categories to go around.

As a bi–racial woman in the States, the word race has always had a question mark next to it in my mind. I am a light-skinned version of my mother’s dark honeyed face. In my minds eye, I have her coloring. Looking in the mirror has always caused me pause, and sometimes pain, because I do not match the self of my minds eye. No matter. I’ve been taught that race is a social construction, and my role in the world is to blur and reblur the lines as an artist, teacher, friend, mother, and person in the world.

This brings with it such fatigue. Must I again explain that I am not as you perceive me? Usually not quite of the background you assumed when looking at my skin? Yes. I will explain again. I see myself as a black woman, as the daughter of my mother, regardless of how you see me. The color of my skin tells various stories depending on who does the looking, and the telling.

This piece attempts to develop a complex dialog about skin tone and stereotypes in contrast with what is often a shallow and reductive conversation in our culture. It also offers the possibility of reclaiming and redefining the language we use to construct the categories of race. My goals with this piece are to engage people in thinking about how we use words to describe, imply and evaluate race, to ask them to reflect on how they see their own skin tone and the skin tones of others, and to present race as a social, as opposed to scientific, construction.

IlaSahai Prouty lives in Bakersville, NC andis an Assistant Professor of Art at Appalachian State University. She received her MFA from the California College of Art in the Bay Area, CA, and teaches Art for Social Change and Senior Studio among other courses. Prouty was a Resident Artist at the Penland School of Crafts and has exhibited throughout the United States.

NEXT DOOR TO PERFECT.

September 2 - 29, 2016
First Friday Reception- September 2, 2016
VAE challenged our creative community to pick a problem currently facing society (big or small) and SOLVE IT, in their most creative, but possibly least practical, way possible! Come in to VAE for the month of September and check out the impractical solutions these artists have created! 

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THE ARTISTS
Megan Sullivan, Pretty Shoes for Brandon 1
Megan Sullivan, Pretty Shoes for Brandon 2
Jason Whitman, Solar Mite
Jason Whitman, iContact
Matt Wilkins, Electrostatic Parallel Maintaining System

 

humor me!

August 5 - 25, 2016
First Friday Reception - August 5, 6-10pm
We all need a good laugh from time to time, especially in an election year! VAE is providing that laugh with our August exhibition, humor me! We are filling our Main Gallery with 29 pieces of hilarious art! Come by and have a good chuckle with us!

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humor me! Standup Comedy Show @ VAE!

Come celebrate the art of comedy! In coordination with our humor me! exhibition, we're hosting a standup comedy show right in our Main Gallery, featuring some of NC's best comedians. Host Adam Cohen welcomes to the stage Mike Mellow, Joe Perrow, Gretchen McNeely, Drew Robertson, Mark Brady, Brian Deans, Brent Blakeney, Brian Burns and Brandy Brown! Come check out the 29 works of humorous art at 7:00pm when the doors open, then enjoy the show at 8:00. Bring some friends! We'll see you there!

Host Adam Cohen has opened for Marc Maron, Todd Barry and The Sklar Brothers, among others. Headliner Mike Mello has toured with Tracy Morgan and Russell Peters, and opened for Dave Chapelle, among many others.
Where: VAE's Main Gallery,  309 W. Martin Street, Downtown Raleigh
When: Saturday, August 20, 8:00-9:30pm (doors open 7:00pm)
Cost: $5 at the door.
Reserve your spot here!

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THE ARTISTS
Tedd Anderson, I FEEL COOL.
Brian Brown, The Early Bird
Michael Carlebach, Carmel, NY
Matthew Causey, 3X Facejug
Adam Cohen, No Longer
Adam Cohen, Knock It Off!
Caleb Cole, Birthday Girl
Jolie Day, Nature's Pillage
Kara Dunne, How To Control The Truck Population in 3 Easy Steps
Erin Gillikin, Hold On!
Seth Goodman, Antonin's Last Night
Katheen Hall, Olympia 2
Bruce Humphries, Freak Animal Cracker Circus Wagon with Sideshow Banner
Joyce Watkins King, Metered Conversation
Trish Klenow, Darth Gaydar
Amanda Kline, Woman The Inventor: The Termite Stick
Sherrie Leeder, Marjorie Gets Above Herself
Rob Millard-Mendez, Briefs with Built-In Negative Reinforcement
Brett Morris, We Don't Need No Raid
Hillary Nicholas, Time Flies
Julia Rice, Dealing with nosy neighbors
Michael Riesch, two cats
Kate Shannon, Ohio Skyscape
Linda Starr, RUBBER CHICKEN
Richard Stickney, A Closed Mouth Gathers No Feet
Sidney Stretz, Beat The Rush
Tanya Todd, the Hangover
Virginia Wallace, Why Women Wear Bras
Tom Whitton, Avoid...

VIEW ALL OF THE ARTWORK IN THIS EXHIBITION HERE!

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THE JUROR
Drew Robertson - comedian, artist, art handler/installer

Drew Robertson is a stand up comic living in Raleigh, NC. He is an artist and performer who likes to find the silly and strange in all aspects of life. At home on the stage, Drew has appeared, as a comic and performance artist in rooms, and performance spaces all over NC, and the country. He thrives sharing his unique perspectives through a mix of staccato one liners mixed with longer meditations on the absurd.

His art is tied to humor. Drew researches comedy and humor theories to make art that goes deep within the viewer, into the mind and their body. Using video, sound, performance or installation, he uses the vernacular of comedy: joke structure, timing, repetition, the pause, and gesture to form his pieces.

Drew has worked in multiple museums handling and installing everything from famously historic pieces of work to contemporary exhibitions that are more tech based. He has worked with the North Carolina Museum of Art, The Nasher Museum of Art, The Ackland Museum at UNC, City of Raleigh Museum, CAM Raleigh, and 21c Museum Hotel.

Blaine Janas / United Arts

Blaine Janas

August - September 2016
First Friday Receptions - August 5 & September 2, 6-8pm
410 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 170, Raleigh NC 27603

 Blaine Janas at United Arts features Janas's detailed, handcrafted, metal flower arrangements and animal sculptures.  Each flower sculpture has its own unique vase that complements the whole aluminum and stainless steal piece. 

Abstract & Contemporary Artists’ Group / United Arts

Abstract & Contemporary Artists’ Group

July- August 2016
First Friday Reception - August 5, 6-8pm
410 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 170, Raleigh NC 27603

Meets the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7pm at VAE
The Abstract & Contemporary Artists’ Group welcomes all artists working in abstraction or contemporary concepts and techniques.  Artists can further develop their artistic voice through discussion and critique.  Artists may bring recent work (complete or in progress) to receive constructive feedback and brainstorm next steps.  What you have to say may be the answer another artist needs. So bring yourself even if you do not have a piece to share.

Featured Artists
Dianne Edleman
Theodore Feaster
Erin Gillikin
Brian Imfeld
M. Lamvik
Richard Lund
Cindy Morefield
Marci Streithorst
Debi Vought
Alex Waddell

Catherine Vorseky & Cindy Morefield / HagerSmith PA

Translucent Qualities 

August - September 2016
First Friday Receptions: August 5 & September 2, 6-9pm
300 S. Dawson Street, Raleigh, NC 27601

CATHERINE VOSECKY

Artist Statement
I grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina, steeped in the wild, rugged, natural environment of the Appalachians. I started painting and drawing in high school, attempting to interpret the rich colors of the world around me onto paper. I continued this practice in my adult life when time permitted.

Then I discovered the magical world of photography. About 9 years ago, a dear friend gave me a Sony point and shoot digital camera and I began to see the world in a surprising new way. The limited frame of the camera meant that I could see the composition, colors and lighting more immediately. I could feel my creative spirit expanding. 

During my first photography class at the Carrboro Arts Center, I bought a digital SLR camera and really had fun with the many, almost infinite, possibilities of settings. The homework assignments began to give me more control over the final images and more creative ideas. I began to intentionally focus on composition. In subject matter I moved from flowers and landscapes here in NC to wildlife in Costa Rica. 

My current work is capturing the essence of light and reflection. Some of the images are on smooth aluminum. The metal enhances the ephemeral and translucent qualities of the light. Many thanks to Image Wizards for the beautiful aluminum prints. They are based in Lexington, NC and everything they use is made in the USA. 

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CINDY MOREFIELD

Artist Statement
I’m Cindy Morefield, and I make paintings that explore color, materiality and process, and I love to share these works with the world.

I also love to collaborate. Whether I’m creating a commissioned painting for a collector, working with galleries and dealers to find good homes for my work, co-creating with other artists, helping others create, planning my year, or cooking a meal, I’m learning that it’s incredibly fun, energizing and effective for me to create with others.

The pursuit of education, employment, and adventure has taken me from my hometown of Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia (yep, it’s on the border) to all fifty United States, Canada, Israel, Palestine, and Italy. Along the way I earned a BA in Studio Art from the University of Mary Washington and an MFA in Painting from Northern Illinois University. In addition to making and selling art, I’ve worked as an election official, college art instructor, private art instructor, Human Resources clerk, secretary, bookseller, barrista, and library assistant.

These days, when I’m not in the studio, you’re likely to find me reading, keeping up with my friends, family and collaborators, walking around our lovely town, hiking in the woods, playing Rock Band, working on our fixer-upper house, or doing something related to food. When I’m not traveling, I’m helping my husband attend to the needs and desires of our magnificent feline, Fannie.

OUR DAILY MIGRATION

OUR DAILY MIGRATION
July 1-21, 2016
First Friday Reception: July 1, 6-10pm
Main Gallery + Exchange Gallery

For the month of July we have filled our Main Gallery with artists' depictions of their daily commutes! This will be your chance to see transportation, travel, and traffic through the eyes of creative people. There are many reasons we think so much about our daily commute:

> Minimizing our environmental footprint by walking, biking or using public transportation
> To make life better by living in close proximity to the places we spend the bulk of our time
> Maintain sanity by leaving the house on time to avoiding congested traffic
> Because it is beautiful - yes, sometimes your commute can be a thing of beauty!

INTERACTIVE PLAY!
What is your daily commute like? Where do you travel to? What do you see along the way? As part of this exhibition VAE is transforming the front gallery into an interactive, welcoming, and artistic conversation about OUR DAILY MIGRATION! Stop by the gallery during the month of July to get involved!
 

EXCHANGE GALLERY: Interactive Lab

Now through August 25!

KNOCK KNOCK WALL!
Knock Knock!
Whose there?!
BOO!
BOO Who?!
Don't cry, you can add a joke to the knock knock wall too!

VAE is transforming its front gallery space into a knock knock joke zone! Come on by with your best knock knock jokes and add it to the wall of hilarity!

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

To get to VAE of coarse! Come by VAE and add your own punch line to this classic joke. 

Nora Hartlaub: Hush

June 22 - August 5, 201
First Friday Receptions: July 1 & August 5, 6-10p

ARTIST STATEMENT
My work explores the way in which power and influence affect the body in politics, history, and mass media.  I juxtapose items of cultural significance with abstracted forms in order to reveal the esoteric nature of patriarchal / imperial power as a mechanism for social control disguised as entertainment, nostalgia, or governance.  I employ abstraction as a means to make visually concrete the function of influence itself on the body.  The complex / abstruse power systems imbedded in culture provide the fodder for the forms I create.  I intend to expose, subvert, and play with the idea of power itself.  This installation specifically addresses North Carolina’s relationship to these concepts through legislative language.

North Carolina’s continuing record of passing legislation that limits civil rights within the state has effectively obstructed women’s rights and voter’s rights.  Recently, the passing of HB2 has created laws intended to oppress LGBTQ persons, and also unjustly misrepresents workers within the state.  The state legislature’s inclination is to disguise a bill as having one purpose, when in actuality it effectively has a much broader and damaging scope as reflected in HB 353, passed in 2013.  This bill attached women’s health care issues to a motorcycle safety act at the 11th hour, and is a deceitful and underhanded action at best.  HB 589 limits voter’s rights and impacts the most disadvantaged in the state under the guise of “voter confidence” in fear of “voter fraud”, an almost non-existent problem in the state of North Carolina.  The camouflaging of true intent inherent in these bills reflects the complex nature of a power system rooted in fear of the other.  It also reveals the reduction of people to statistics in order to publically control and legislate our identities.

In this installation, these bills and others take shape as disassembled, disemboweled, and mutilated forms that aim to expose the reduction of humans into biological and physiological terms within the language of legislation.  Color, sound and fog create a distraction / diversion, much in the way systems of repressive power appear as forms of entertainment, or, as in this case, in the language of legislation. 

525,600 MINS

May 28 - September 3, 2016
Artist Talks & Reception: Friday, June 10, 5-8pm
Waterworks Visual Art Center
123 East Liberty Street, Salisbury, NC2814

The purpose of 525,600 MINS is to exhibit works that show how creative people think about time and place. The exhibition includes 47 works by 32 VAE artist members. Works in the exhibit showcase: The passing of time - displaying how people and things age. The measurement of time and/or the tools used to do just that. The changes in times - like how technology has changed the world. How time affects a certain place - like the image of a piece of land before and after urbanization.

The exhibition is on view at the Waterworks Visual Art Center in the heart of Downtown Salisbury's arts district.

Waterworks Visual Arts Center is a non-collecting art museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and located in the heart of Downtown Salisbury, North Carolina. Waterworks is an exciting place where ideas, issues, and communities converge to expand traditional ways of thinking and explore the complex and unfolding patterns between artistic and cultural spheres.

Waterworks strives to be a leader and innovator in the exhibition of art and in museum education. Creative and expressive artwork from established and emerging regional and local artists are featured in rotation exhibitions annually. The museum is open free of charge six days a week.

The following artists have work in this exhibition:
Ashley Arakas
Kelli Black
Eliza Campbell Kiser
Caroline Coven
Stephen Fletcher
George Gregory
Brian Imfeld
Christin Kleinstreuer
Leatha Koefler
Sam Lasris
Erin Lawler
Sherri Leeder
Mimi Logothetis
Richard Lund
Randy McNamara
Elizabeth Mead
Jeff Newell
Anna Norman
Chris Ogden
Jena Pendarvis
Ray Pfeiffer
Eric Raddatz
Kathleen Rieder
Leslie Salzillo
Eric Saunders
Donna Schultz
Susan Sharpe
Judith Smith
Richard Stickney
Yuko Taylor
Tanya Sue Todd
Virginia Tyler

Questions? Email Brandon!

Mary Ann Anderson / AJ Fletcher Foundation

July - September 2016

ARTIST STATEMENT
My paintings are informed by philosophy and art, especially:
- Chinese and Japanese art – transcending time and space;
- Kandinsky’s conceptual premise that painting and music lead us to a higher level of consciousness - needing no words or story;
- American abstract expressionist art, conceptual art and the music of Stravinsky - recognizing the human experience was profoundly altered at the dawn of the 20th century.

I continue to explore themes and techniques I have used inpaintings, printmaking and ceramic sculptures over the past 25 years of art making.   Several bodies ofwork are shown on this web site which encompasses 2007-2016.  All of these mixed media pieces are made using graphite, acrylic varnish and acrylic paint on synthetic paper (Yupo). The sizes vary dramatically, from one exhibit to the next.  Much of the work is site-specific and was created specifically for installations.

Most of the paintings and collages are non-representational while some are biomorphic (curving organic forms that imply figures). In my paintings, gesture signifies “qi” (the life force) within the Tao (the way of the universe).  The abstract work is reminiscent of Asian calligraphy. The patterns echo Japanese and Chinese woodblock prints.

The designs are organized primarily by movement and by rhythm, which result from the repetition of color and pattern. The texture is created by the acrylic paint puddling and creating a variety of effects on the paper. The space in the picture plane is often ambiguous with no clear foreground and background.  A broad brush stroke or gesture is often a key element in the design, as it is in action painting or Asian calligraphy.

The forms in shades of black, white and gray are made by rubbing a stick of graphite on paper with printing plates underneath (including woodblock, linoleum, polymer and other matrices). The surface is then permanently sealed with acrylic varnish which blurs the graphite slightly, creating a patina-like quality.

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AJ Fletcher Foundation is located at 909 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27605. The Community Exchange Exhibitions help to enliven the offices of start-up nonprofit organizations that work inside the AJ Fletcher's building.

Randy McNamara / Aloft Raleigh

SWARM

June - August 2016
2100 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27607

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Randy McNamara lives in Hampstead North Carolina where he maintains a studio and teaches painting at the Leland Cultural Arts Center. Previously he lived in Los Angeles California, exhibiting at Gallery 825, and various other venues in the region.

He has an M.F.A. from Indiana University in Bloomington, and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Kansas. While at K.U. he discovered and named an isozyme of wild sunflowers and was Outstanding Senior in Ceramics.

His background in biology has influenced his work primarily through the use of biomorphic forms and the notion that everything functions within an interconnected matrix of infinite elements in flux. A puzzle being assembled, disassembled and reassembled for eternity.

His work employs acrylics and paper applied to canvas in a painterly manner with an interest in color, rich surfaces and the conundrum of the center.

Vicki Rees / AJ Fletcher Foundation

Natural Pacing

March - May, 2016
Vicki Rees is a Raleigh artist who specializes in contemporary realism executed in colorful oils. She draws inspiration from her appreciation of the beauty found in the everyday.  Unusual angles, dramatic lighting, and nature's intricacies all capture her attention. Vicki's work has been exhibited throughout North Carolina and is in collections in the South and Midwest. Originally from Indianapolis, she moved to North Carolina after a 20+ year stop in Kentucky. Her home studio located in downtown Raleigh is open by appointment.

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AJ Fletcher Foundation is located at 909 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27605. The Community Exchange Exhibitions help to enliven the offices of start-up nonprofit organizations that work inside the AJ Fletcher's building.

SCOPE 2016: the southern landscape

June 3-24
First Friday Reception: June 3, 6-10pm
Main Gallery

The South is a hub of creativity and Raleigh has adopted a vision to become the Southern Capital for Arts and Culture. To do our part, VAE is showcasing the work of 41 artists, representing 7 of the southern states for the month of June. SCOPE 2016 is a survey of artist interpretations of the southern landscape. Many of the 47 pieces in the exhibition explore the dirt, vegetation, water, and sky that make up the actual physical landscape of the South while other artists use their work to comment on the social, political, economic, or cultural landscape. The pieces of art range from realistic drawing and painting to abstract sculpture and installation works. Stop by during the month of June to see the South through the eyes of our creative community!

The Juror
Daniel Fuller, curator, Atlanta Contemporary

The Brancato Award
The Brancato Award is given each year to an artist whose work has a unique take on landscapes. The Brancato Award is the First Place award for VAE's annual SCOPE exhibition. Kathy Brancato was a valued member of the VAE community who painted innovative landscapes. Kathy was also very supportive of her fellow artists and this award will allow her creative spirit to encourage other artists. The 2016 Winner is Stacey Holloway for Archetype.
 

View fullsize

Stacey Holloway Archetype

The following artists/works will be exhibited in SCOPE 2016:
marie arondeau, untitled 01
Marnie Blum, Dock 2.0
Michael Carlebach, East of Asheville, NC
Michael Carlebach, West of Homestead, Florida
Katelyn Chapman, Fall of the Cotton Shed
Renee Cloud, Mama, It Won't Come Off (mapping my pain)
Janet Coleman, Toil
Janet Coleman, Flight
Allyson Comstock, Pollen Drift #11
Kristen Crouch, Josh's Graduation (distort #2)
Kristen Crouch, too young to be important
Michael Darough, 16
Carly Drew, Redneck Madonna
Kiki Farish, Wisdom and Sanctuary
Gina Franco, Poolside
John Gallagher, The Deep End
George Gregory, Skyrockets at night
Ellen Hathaway, Free Falling
Stacey Holloway, Archetype
Stacey Holloway, Change of Heart
Kelley Hunter, Carolina Whimsy
Donna Cooper Hurt, Fallen Tree
Donna Cooper Hurt, Moss Ring #2
Judy Jones, Urban (over the years)
Leatha Koefler, Grateful birds
Lauren Lake, Swath 2
Elizabeth Laul Healey, America #2016
Stephanie Leathers, solid
Michael Ligett, Where are all the Fishermen?
George Lorio, No More
Gregory Martin, Immersion
Tricia McKellar, 30 beats of my heart
Desiree Moore, High Water
kelly murray, Fair Tree
kelly murray, Longleaf Pine
Chris Ogden, Merging Cycles
Constance Pappalardo, If you must go to Pamlico
Ray Pfeiffer, Church of The First Born
Kenneth Proseus, Crash
Daphne Rodgers, Untitled
Jessica Singerman, Light Igniting Fields, Trailing Clouds
Sydney Steen, Geyser Study #2 (Hologram)
Sterling Stevens, Homestead
Mary Storms, McCrory's Quandary
Virginia Tyler, Celestial Landscape: Cassiopeia II
Robert Werbicki, Melting snow

View all of the works exhibited in SCOPE 2016!

SCOPE 2016 is sponsored by the AWESOME

Exchange Gallery: June Featured Artists

June Featured Artists

June 3rd- 24th, 2016
Opening Reception: June 3rd, 6-10pm

Sarah Blackmon Lips

I spend a lot of time thinking about boundaries and identities. My own, others', how they might shift and change in an instant or over a lifetime. In these carved paintings, colorful shapes become regions, lines become motes separating or channels connecting, and whole compositions seek to loosely chart what overlaps, conflicts, or separates. I add interests, responsibilities, and roles with gouache, and subtract the same with chisels.

Diala Estela

“Marry Me,” a collection of 6 dresses total divided into 2 sub collection categories, Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. The bottles were collected from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Airman and Family Readiness Center (FRC). AFRC is an outreach facilities providing many types of services and programs that assists those affiliated with the military. The bottles were cut and shrunk by heat, tinted by permanent marker and riveted in a shingling type technique. The plastic shingles were shaped in three different ways: manually, riveting and heating.

These plastic dresses are a representation of military spouses. Majority of spouses are women. Immediately I had the vision of floating see through dresses as the theme, a theme I was able to encompass the depth of a spouse’s journey. A seasonal dress collection is capturing the lighter aspects of a military spouse, a life style of ceremonies, functions, and events. The transparency of the material and the rivets is to create an appearance of both delicacy and strength. The transparency of the dresses symbolizes the vulnerability of the “spouses,” questioning self-identity, purpose and self-worth. The rivets are the menders, identifying and reminding the important key role of a military spouse. The plastic shingles are the bottles collected from AFRC that once belonged to a spouse, a child, a member, a family, a therapist, social worker etc. who’s stories are both beautiful and dark, happy and sad. The overlapping of the shingles is a representation of a support system, each one supporting one another. The floating appearance represents self-sustainability and resiliency. The dresses are to give the viewers the curiosity to want more from the dresses. Perhaps an identity they can place within the dress, behind the dress or on themselves.

As an Art Therapist and Artist my goal was to challenge the areas of psychology and design. I found something intriguing in these bottles. In a meeting at AFRC, I saw the beauty in it all. I realized the bottles carried a story from the lips who drank them. This had inspired me to move forward with the ideas of building a sculpture out of plastic bottles. It became more than an idea. I challenged myself with the material by making trash into fine art and turning design into complicated layers of psychology and discovery.

John Orrand

Mandala Manifesto

You could say that I am obsessed with patterns. My mind gravitates toward geometric configurations and repeating shapes. They de-focus my visual understanding and transport my thoughts. Looking into the concentric shapes of a mandala, or other kaleidoscopic art forms, generates a trance-like state which allows me to tune in to my true self.

In turn, the work I make functions as a catalyst for the viewer's own meditative experience. The Mandala Manifesto series invites the viewer's eye to lose focus long enough to look back on itself and tap into something beyond the arrangement in front of them. 

These works consist of hand rendered designs using drafting tools, acrylic paint, and patience on canvas. By hanging each mandala on its corner, the orientation provides more dynamic and encourages the eye to read the patterns as expanding outward. I finish each with a handmade frame stained with a paint color from the pallet. A background in art and design, a proclivity for ritual, and a fascination with cosmic patterns and metaphysical concepts have influenced the art I create and how I make it. 

For me, art is a meditative practice, and one that is constantly bringing me closer to understanding who I am. 

Where will my work take you?

Lakeshia Reid 

I am a Durham-based artist whose surface design-influenced work is distinguished by multiple layers of texture, color and pattern. I draw inspiration from my surroundings, particularly the people and the ways they express their identity.  
I combine craft, design, printmaking, and painting techniques in the hopes of creating work that focuses less on the outward appearance of things and more on their inner significance.  Each piece is an exploration where emotion transcends the substrate and the viewer is asked to rethink what they see. 

Tim Saguinsin

I watch my boys hone their motor skills using scissors to cut paper shapes. Then they glue and tape it down to create their own masterpieces--pure love of creation. Using paper, glue and tape, I have returned to that love. I chop and bond animation, design, illustration, painting and sculpture to create work that pulls from my heritage, experience and pop culture.

Piecing together moments in time that overlap to evoke thoughts, feelings, and nostalgia, my vision pops off the wall with a visual language full of animated hues, crafty textures and quirky graphics.  Color and textures extrude dimension, volume and dynamic imagery.