JIM MORETZ is a native North Carolinian now living in
Creston, NC near Boone. He became interested in photography while serving
in the Air Force in Vietnam. After some unsatisfactory experiences with
correspondence courses, he met Lee Cuong, a portrait studio operator.
Mr. Cuong took Jim under his wing and taught him photography. Although
Mr. Cuong could speak no English, the two of them worked great together
since photography is a visual medium and the spoken word turned out to
not be necessary in this learning process. Many of the pairs photographs
were published by the Associated Press and the Vietnamese Press. After
his discharge from the Air Force Jim studied photography at Randolph Community
College. The photographs in his Arts Depot exhibit are an ongoing pictorial
essay that he calls "The Back Yard", as all of the exposures
were made within a very short walking distance from his Blue Ridge Mountain
home. While in Asia, Jim was favorably impressed with Japanese art as
it is so clean and simple. "I constantly borrow composition techniques
from the Japanese and use them relentlessly to my advantage", he
says. |
"New River Lace", photograph |
"The Fence",photograph |
DEBBIE WHITED
of Abingdon, VA, is the second photographer in the show. She has always
been drawn to the water, its stillness, its rage, and its ability to quiet
the mind. In her show "Waters Edge", she visits the coastal areas
of North Carolina and Virginia. Many of the pieces deal with lines found
in nature and built by man. "I find the use of a line to be a fundamental
design element. The line can be used to pull you inside, give you horizons
and create shape That doesn't really exist. I am drawn to the way manmade structures such as piers and fences can pull you in, the way they lead you to the water", Debbie says. A Bristol native, Debbie received her BS from Virginia Intermont and her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, both in photography. She taught photography at VCU for several years before returning to the area where she manages the Abingdon Ritz Camera store and teaches photography at Virginia Highlands Community College. Debbie's work has been show in several group shows in Richmond, a solo show at the University of Louisiana, and the Virginia Highlands Festival. |
BELLE NEIGHBORS of Wytheville, VA has been painting since high school. She is a graduate of Longwood college in Farmville, VA. She taught art in the Wythe County school system for many years and was an adjunct professor at Wytheville Community College before retiring. Most of Belle's works are done in watercolor, but she does venture into acrylic and mixed media. "To see a still life or landscape in a different and new light - to interpret colors and observe patterns of light and dark is my goal in this exhibit", she says. Belle has brushed many commissioned paintings, the most recent being for the Chautaugua Festival to be held in June. Her paintings also have been exhibited at the Virginia Highlands Festival and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond.
BETTY WILLIAMSON
was born, raised, and currently lives in Roanoke, VA, and has lived
there |
"A Guiding Light", oil painting |
The artists will also be honored with a reception from 2 to 4 PM on Sunday, April 18, 2004. This event is free and open to the public.
