You might not believe this, but I am truly
an early bird, up around 5:30 a.m. just about every day. I love the peace and quiet of those
moments. I get my best work done then. If I am lucky enough to be at the coast,
I am on the beach just before the sun rises. Walking along the shore in the fog
is one of my favorite pastimes. You can only see a few yards ahead and a few
yards behind. In these moments I feel that there is neither future nor past, just
the moment at hand to think and reflect on life.
But time marches on — tempus fugit and all that stuff. The
funny thing is it is so true. Trends come and go, styles and art go in and out
of fashion, babies are born, empires crumble to dust, and yet for some strange
reason, life and some sort of civilization seems to continue. Who knows what
mark we leave in the wet sands of time?
For example, some institutions just seem to keep on going
and going. The Durham Art Guild (www.durhamartguild.org) recently celebrated
its 60th anniversary in great style with a Sally Bowen Prange Wainwright
retrospective. Sally was a who’s who in the art world before many of us were
even born. Her work is featured in over 17 museum collections, and many fans
collect her incredible and innovative ceramics. Queen Noor of Jordan collected
her, as did Princess Anne of Great Britain. The Victoria and Albert Museum in
London grabbed her stuff up left and right. So did the Smithsonian Institution.
Her work is on display in Japan, Italy, California, Florida; you name a place
and somebody there collected her work. Prange Wainwright is best known and
respected by generations of ceramicists for her innovation and technique. It
really takes talent to stick your hand in mud and pull out art. If you don’t
believe me, try it yourself. Sally passed away a few years ago, and I truly
miss her presence. She was friendly, lovely and always dignified. Whenever you
saw her at an opening, she always had a smile and an opinion to share. She was
a true Grand Dame of the art world if there ever was one.
Family Journals
While you are there in the Guild viewing the best of what
was, take a few moments to view the installation by two very talented newcomers
to the NC artistic landscape: Leah Sobsey and Lynn Bregman. This is the first
collaborative work by these two artists, and I find the result mesmerizing. The
creations are about life, loss and memory. Both of these talented ladies come
from a Jewish background, and it’s easy to see how family history plays such an
important and influential role in their work. Walls are covered with
transferred and layered images taken from dusty family journals — all of the
joy and pathos of family is right there before your eyes. Who are these people,
these old faces, obscured by time and wax? A line of color here, a turn of the
head, aunts and uncles forgotten, old love letters, children who never saw
adulthood. The encaustic collage works are equally haunting, squares of images
to be removed and rearranged according to the viewer’s desire. If you have ever
wondered what to do with those old boxes of yellowing family photographs,
commission these ladies and watch the magic they create.
Snapshots On The
Beach
Speaking of snapshots, make a bee-line to Wilmington for the
exhibition “SNAPSHOTS: Small Works by Gallery and Guest Artists” held this
month at Fountainside Gallery (www.fountainsidegallery.com). All the works are
sized less than 12 inches by 16 inches, so you know you can buy one and take it
right on home with you. In addition to the regular roster of talented artists —
including Rick McClure and Mary Rountree Moore — several guest artists have
provided paintings, including Qiang Huang, Madeline Dukes and Rani Garner.
There is a little bit of everything here in subject matter, from wildlife to
beach scenes to portraits of children. The gallery is easy to find, located at
Lumina Station right there on your way to Wrightsville Beach. What better place
to stretch your legs, breathe in the salt air and view some quality art.
All of the works in this exhibition are intimate in scale
but large on talent. I don’t care who you are, you know you have some corner or
space beside the bed where a lovely painting would cheer your day. The gallery
also features some great sculpture. I especially like the glass vessels by
Chris Hawthorne. They glow with intelligence and creativity. I’m always very
impressed when someone can take a dangerous blob of white hot glowing melted
sand and turn it into something gorgeous or functional or both. Go see for
yourself.