The Collaboration of Opposites
January 11-February 28, 2004

Opening on January 11, 2004 in Abingdon's Arts Depot juried Spotlight Gallery is "The Collaboration of Opposites"-a two-woman show by Bristol, VA mixed media artists Joyce Kistner and Sherre Sullivan. This show continues through February 28th. A meet-the-artists reception and open house will be at the Arts Depot on Sunday, January 11, 2004 from 2 - 4 pm. Johnson City musician Linda Sorrell will be playing the accordion for your pleasure as you view the artwork. This event is free, open to the public, and is co-sponsored by Highlands Union Bank.

"Blue Bowl" an acrylic painting by Joyce Kistner
Joyce has been active in the local art community for many years both exhibiting and teaching arts classes to children. She calls her artistic style "creative expressions of subject matter, sometimes distorted to get the right effect". "By mixing different mediums or techniques the composition tells a real story or fantasy" she says. She works in the mediums of acrylic, watercolor, monoprint, collage, and gouache. In addition to her two dimensional paintings, she will be exhibiting several pieces of painted furniture. Joyce received her B.S. and M.S. Degrees in Elementary Education from East Tennessee State University and is a retired art teacher. In addition she has taught classes at William King Regional Art Center, the Arts Depot, and in private lessons. One of Joyce's favorite activities is to teach elementary and middle school age children art. She has exhibited in many one-woman shows including the Bristol Art Guild, United Coal Humanities Gallery, and most recently, Caroline's Restaurant. She has been honored to be listed by Governor Robb in the "1985 Governor's Awards for the Arts", and is serving a second term on the State Historical Records and Advisory Board as a Governor Warner appointee.

"The Purse"- a charcoal drawing by Sherre Sullivan

Sherre was born and grew up in Bristol and has just recently returned to the area after living in Hawaii for many years. Her style is a mixture of perceived and imagined imagery presented in an expressive manner. Sherre works mainly in pastel chalk and charcoal, but also uses pencil and oil on occasion. "While I do enjoy color I have a special love for black and white imagery which I feel has a strong psychological impact. People have a special place as part of that imagery in my work. My work always has some underlying story (even though I may not know what that story is) - it is never just a 'pretty picture'. In fact, I would not describe any of my work as pretty. I would say it is expressionistic in technique -I take what I see before me and try to transform it into my own iconography. That is where the art, the poetry begins. As a rule I do not paint an object over and over again as in a series, but like many expressionists I individualize my
subject matter therefore the content may be dreams, landscapes, portraits, etc. Every piece of art is unique unto its ownself", Sherre says. Sherre has an intense love for nature and dedicates the creation of her artwork to the preservation of the environment and all living things. She says, "I do not pretend to understand the underlying story in my artwork - over dissection tends to extinguish the freshness of creativity. I aim to define the individuality and importance of my subject matter by creating and developing a personal framework of imagery that evokes an emotional response. I hope to create imagery not only expressing my sense of being in this world, but also imagery reflecting the collective unconscious. It is my belief, as it was Carl Jung's, the artist is 'a priest of the collective unconscious'." Sherre has been influenced by the artwork of Chaim Soutine, Georgia O'Keefe, Modigliani, and Marc Chagall plus Vangelis's musical scores are inspirational points of departure for her.

A freelance artist and designer, Sherre received her Master of Fine Arts degree from ETSU and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Virginia Intermont College. Prior to returning to Bristol, she worked with an interior design firm in Honolulu, Hawaii and more recently with a local architectural firm as art director and designer. One of her most recent projects was a 17'-0" high x 7'-6" wide tile mosaic for St. Dominic's Catholic Church in Kingsport and she is currently designing a mosaic that will be assembled at Lebanon Middle School. In addition she has written and published a book on acupuncture and is currently working on writing and illustrating children's books. Sherre's artwork has been shown in solo and collective exhibitions in Hawaii, Virginia, Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee. She has received numerous awards including those from the Honolulu Printmakers Annual Exhibition, the Community Artists Annual Juried Exhibition, the Appalachian Art Show, the Greater Kingsport Competitive Art Show, and the Virginia Highlands Festival Creative Writing Competition, to name a few. Some examples of her work are also on display at the Galleria in downtown Bristol, VA.

 

Back