Vol. 15, No. 3 March 2011 - Carolina Arts

Shain Gallery in Charlotte, NC,Offers Works by Connie WintersShain Gallery in Charlotte, NC, willpresent an exhibit of new works by ConnieWinters, on view from Mar. 4 - 31,2011. An opening reception will be heldon Mar. 4, from 6-9pm.Winters has emerged as a strong influenceon the art scene in the SoutheasternUnited States. Citing the work of classicFrench Impressionists as an ongoingsource of inspiration in her own artwork,Winters naturally gravitates to France,particularly the rural regions of Provenceand Dordogne, as locations for her landscapes.Work by Connie WintersWinters travels to France each year,crediting the provincial lifestyle she experiencesthere with giving her a renewedsense of spirituality and desire to createher detailed and vibrant landscapes. Herapproach to the canvas is that of active observer,intent on recording the interplay ofcolor and light as it unfolds in each scene.Through her energetic interpretations ofnature and local color, Winters uses thecanvas to convey her own enthusiasm tothe viewer.The paintings have wonderful appealin part because of lush, lively colors andthe illusion of captured light. Inviting andintimate interiors, sunny landscapes witharchitectural accents, and lovely flowergarden scenes are among her favoritesubjects. Winters’ fresh, innocent paintingsfrequently reflect images from hervisits to Europe, especially Provence andNormandy, France.The Rail Walk Studios & Gallery inSalisbury, NC, is presenting the exhibit,The RED Show, featuring works in redby Anne Cave, Sharon Forthofer, AnnetteRagone Hall, Jane Foster Johnson, PattLegg, Marietta Foster Smith, and KarenFrazer, on view through Mar. 26, 2011.Karen Frazer, one of the artists includedin the show offered some insightand research about the color red.“Vermilion, madder, carmine, scarlet,ruby, maroon, these are all shades of red.Recently, I did some minor research ofthe color red. I am an artist, and thinkingabout color and its effect is a subjectthat has occupied my time, perhaps morethan most other people’s lists of things toponder.”“My fellow artists at Rail Walk Studios& Gallery and I had decided to have ared themed group show. That is what setoff the research. Beyond the cupids andhearts, red has a huge list of connotationsand symbolism, which includes politicaland religious, and runs the gambit fromone extreme to the other. Some commonconnotations are aggression, love, passion,Page 8 - Carolina Arts, March 2011Utilizing every available technicalaspect to its optimum is her goal in eachpainting. “But even if everything is correct,”Winters said, “a painting must exudevisual excitement and hopefully havesome emotional impact on the beholder.”Having loved art from childhood,Winters began formal art instruction as anadult. She studied with a number of notablepainters including: North Carolina PulitzerPrize winner, Phillip Moose, ShirleyMarkham, and the late Alice Steadman.More recently, Winters has continued herstudies in Atlanta at the renowned ChatovStudio and privately with Alice Williams.Her work has earned her national recognitionand is found in numerous prominentcollections including: the Coca-Cola Collection,John Randolph Hearst, Jr. and theDuke Mansion, Charlotte, NC.Located in beautiful Myers Park, ShainGallery has been on the forefront of theNorth Carolina art scene since 1998. Thegallery represents many leading nationaland regional artists, and recently won the“Best of the Best Award” for best Charlottegallery.Work by Connie WintersFor further information check our NCCommercial Gallery listings, call the galleryat 704/334-7744 or visit(www.shaingallery.com).Rail Walk Studios & Gallery inSalisbury, NC, Offers GroupExhibit Focused on the Color RedWork by Marietta Foster Smithheat, fire, beauty, danger, blood, anger,courage, and sacrifice. Red brings conflictingemotions from love to war. Red seemsthe most emotionally intense color on theartist’s palette. Red, along with yellow andblue, is a primary color. From these threeyou can make all colors,” writes Frazer.“I found that red from light has thelongest wavelengths seen by the humaneye. Is this why it is so intense to usand elicits such passion from us? Doessomething work on our brain and nervoussystem and stir our blood to the extent thatan intense physical reaction can follow?These are the questions I asked myselfwhen I read about the attack on artist BarnettNewman’s red paintings. I had heardof Newman over the years during my artstudy and knew he was included with theAbstract Expressionist movement, but thatwas really about all I knew. I had to findout more. What exactly was the attack?What did the painting look like?” (You’llhave to go to Google to see one of Newman’spaintings.)Work by Karen Frazer“In 1950, Newman had a show at BettyParsons Gallery in New York City and oneof his paintings was defaced. From 1966through 1967 Newman painted a seriesof four paintings entitled, Who’s Afraid ofRed, Yellow and Blue?, I-IV. In 1982, atthe Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany, astudent picked up a guard bar and startedhitting Newman’s painting, Who’s afraidof Red, Yellow, and Blue? IV. After he hadfinished, he laid a number of paper documentsin front of the different color portionsof the painting. The documents ledto his identification and arrest. He told thepolice he was afraid of the painting, that itwas a perversion of the German flag. Healso thought what he had done completedthe painting.”Frazer adds, “In 1986, a Dutch realistpainter went to the Amsterdam StedelijkMuseum, and with a box cutter, slashedWork by Patt LeggWho’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Blue?III. The attacker is said to have describedhimself as schizophrenic and psychotic.In 1997, the same attacker again came tothe Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum, againwith his box knife, and again wanted toget at Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, andBlue? III. The painting either was not ondisplay or the attacker was unable to getclose enough. I guess this so maddenedhim that he found Cathedra, a beautifulblue Newman painting at the museum,and slashed it. The Who’s Afraid of Red,Yellow, and Blue? are huge red paintings.They have so much energy. So expressive,so sensual, they seem to radiate passion.They elicit a physical response. In theincidents I have described, it’s not a positiveresponse. I did read another person’sdescription of their experience of seeingthe same painting. They describe the energyand being so attracted to it they hadto keep themselves from reaching out totouch the surface. They spent a long timewith the painting and said it made themvery happy.”“Why do these paintings reach so deepinside a person? How do they have suchpower? I think this quote from BarnettNewman answers these questions. Newmansaid, ‘What matters to a true artist isthat he distinguish between a place andno place at all; and the greater the workof art, the greater will be this feeling. Andthis feeling is the fundamental spiritualdimension. Color has great effect on usconsciously and unconsciously. Red ispowerful and to be used wisely.”Work by Jane Johnson“I invite you to come witness our useof red in The RED Show at Rail Walk Studios& Gallery in Salisbury,” says Frazer.For further information check our NCCommercial Gallery listings, call thegallery at 704/431-8964 or visit (www.railwalkgallery.com).