DCCC News Article

Saturday, September 22, 2007


This is a news article about the current group exhibition at Davidson County Community College. The article is featured in The Dispatch on Thursday, August 23, 2007. The actual newspaper features three of my paintings at the top of the article but it didn't make it in the on-line edition.

'Moments in Time'
Exhibition showcases fine art at DCCC

Nearly 70 pieces of artwork from artists who represent a wide range of styles and mediums are being featured in Davidson County Community College's fall art exhibit, "Moments in Time," on two floors of the Mendenhall Building.
The exhibit opened Tuesday with a reception.
"They all duplicate the same feeling, a moment in time," said Barbara Cullen, the exhibit coordinator and an artist. "They capture that bit of time."
The eight artists from four different states have works in watercolors, oils, acrylic and photography, just to name a few. They had to submit their work to a committee to be selected for the show.
The exhibit features one person from Lexington, Laura Yarbrough, who is also the associate dean of finance and administration in the business department at DCCC. She displays a sense of vitality in life by representing colors and forms with photos.
This was the first show for Yarbrough, who has been taking pictures on and off for 10 years. She was encouraged to enter the show after coworkers viewed some of her work hanging in her office.
"It's exciting," she said. "It's a little overwhelming but in a good way."
Yarbrough, who said she has no formal training, had 10 photographs in the show. A majority of the pictures she took while traveling.
"For me each picture represents where I am in my life at that particular time," she said. "I love taking pictures. I just love documenting my trips and what I (have) done."
She has plans to enter more shows and take some classes after seeing how people received her photographs.
Other North Carolina artists included in the show are Cullen, Steve LeGrand, Leslie Pearson and Ed Harris. Cullen of Winston-Salem does watercolors, mixed media and collages. She adds a creative twist to cityscape and combines color and shape with mixed media to represent the changing views of a city and its excitement, according to a DCCC press release and her artist's statement in the exhibit. The styles of other artists described below also come from those two sources.
LeGrand of Jamestown is a sculptor who creates the beauty and movement of dance with his ballerina figures of Snow Queen and Hannah. The actual model for Hannah is Hannah Kiefer, the 2007 winner of Virginia's Miss USA pageant. LeGrand has been known to have a fine eye for detail and gives his work a depth of feeling by striving to capture the inner person with his sculptural figures while hoping to convey emotional messages.
Pearson, of Fayetteville has oil, acrylic and mixed media that involves personal reflection. Her ideas and emotions are represented by words, patterns and textures.
Ed Harris of Elizabeth is a traditional watercolor painter who captures the beauty of flowers and still life.
Other artists include Carl Gombert of Maryville, Tenn., who puts his own spin on portraiture by looking for feelings behind the face and creating large words with small ink stampings that create a depth and form of their own. He also does oil, ink, mixed media and collages.
Oil painter Carolyn Landers of Naples, Fla., also is a traditional watercolor painter who captures the beauty of flowers and still life with colorful works.
Callie Mott Matthews of North Little Rock, Ark., works from the belief that artistic awareness comes from an open mind. Her oil, print, pen and pencil works create a visual field and depicts a moment in time.
"This is a really good turnout," said Cullen about the reception. "This is definitely a learning experience for everyone young and old that can always learn fun techniques that are being used."
The exhibit will be on display until Dec. 14 and may be viewed by the public during the college's regular operating hours. A majority of the work on display is for sale.

Deneesha Edwards can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 213, or at deneesha.edwards@the-dispatch.com.

FALC Exhibition

Thursday, September 13, 2007

I was recently asked to be the judge for the Fine Arts League of Cary's 5th Annual Art Exhibition. It was exciting to see the high quality of work coming from the League's members this year. Congratulations to the award winners! For more information go to: www.fineartsleagueofcary.org.

Altered Esthetics

Tuesday, September 4, 2007



My painting, Virgin Sacrifice, is featured in a new exhibition called The Art of Sacrifice at Altered Esthetics Gallery in Minneapolis, MN. The show opens Sept. 7th and will run until Sept. 27th. I will post a link to a slideshow of the exhibition after the opening reception. Please read my artist's statement below for more information about the painting, which is from the series Resonance and Relevance, a collection of paintings referencing Biblical stories, themes, and scripture.

Virgin Sacrifice, Oil on canvas, ”19 x 54”, 2007

Virgin Sacrifice tells the Biblical story of a young , unnamed girl who became the victim of an unnecessary vow made by her father. In the Old Testament book of Judges, Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor who was called upon to lead the Israeli army against the people of Ammon.

Although the Bible says the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah to win the battle, he still wanted to make a deal with God to ensure his victory:

“And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (Judges 11:30-31).

It is obvious that Jephthah had been influenced by the customs of the pagan cultures around him because in Deuteronomy God had already condemned the ritual of human sacrifice. This showed Jephthah’s incomplete knowledge of or blatant disregard to the Law of Moses.

“When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying , “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods” (Deut. 12:29-30).

The story goes on to say that the Lord delivered the people of Ammon into the hands of the Israelites and Jephthah went home victorious. When he arrived home, there was his daughter -- his only child, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing. When he saw her he was sickened as he remembered his vow. When he told her of her fate she naively accepted it because she trusted in the wisdom of her father. Her only request was that she be allowed to go with her friends to wander on the mountains and bewail her virginity. At the end of the two months she returned to her father and he carried out his vow -- a totally unnecessary sacrifice to a God of whom it was not required.

Nothing more is written about this tragic story except that it became a custom in Israel that the women went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite. The painting is a alarming reflection of how we often fall victim to our own self-induced pain. We inflict physical and emotional injury upon ourselves and others, leaving deep wounds that could have easily been avoided.

The Art of Sacrifice

Saturday, September 1, 2007



Altered Esthetics arranges atonement with the Art of Sacrifice.

An artist’s work is an act of surrender.
This September at Altered Esthetics, artists from around the globe
interpret sacrifice through their drawing, painting, sculpture,
photography, and installation, presenting an offering.
A timely and compelling exhibit featuring 100 works from
over 40 artists, The "Art of Sacrifice" group show examines the
intimacy of sacrifice in religion, politics, history, and our own lives.

Please join us for the opening reception Friday September 7th, 7pm – 9pm.

My painting, Virgin Sacrifice is featured in this exhibition. See tomorrow's blog for more information on this piece.



Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy St. NE, Minneapolis MN 55413
(612) 378-8888
alteredesthetics.org

Opening Reception:
Friday September 7, 2007 - 7pm-9pm

Gallery Hours:
Tuesdays & Thursdays 1pm-7pm
Saturdays 1pm-5pm
Every First Friday 7pm-9pm