| Depot
Artists Association
MEMBERS
GALLERY
The
Members Gallery Exhibit consists of fine art and crafts produced
by Members of the Depot Artists Association. The works are
rotated on a regular basis and are available for purchase.
DAA members may sign-up for next year's schedule at the Arts
Depot.
Press Release
ARTS DEPOT
FEATURING FOUR MIXED MEDIA ARTISTS IN THE MEMBERS GALLERY
The Arts Depot In Abingdon
is showcasing four local artists in the Members Gallery through
March 6, 2004.
LORENE LOWE of Bluff City, TN Lorene started painting in
the late 1970's beginning with oils. Since retiring from the
U.S. Postal Service in 1987, she has concentrated more on
her painting.
"Painting, for me, is therapy, self-expression and creativity
at the same time. The next best experience is when others
enjoy the finished work. I strive to produce something beautiful
and uplifting in my artistic endeavors. There are no surprises,
nothing controversial in the work I do, leaving the cutting
edge genre to others. One of the great joys of my life was
the day I was first recognized as a professional artists,
a life-long dream", Lorene says. If she were to select
a theme for her work it would be "Colors in my Life".
Mostly self-taught, Lorene has also studied with some of the
finest artists in this area and gratefully acknowledges their
influences. She followed some of these mentors into the world
of watercolor, which is the medium she uses mostly today.
Her work has been accepted in numerous juried shows and has
won several awards. She has had many exhibits over the twenty
years of painting, including the Juried Virginia Highlands
Festival Fine Arts Show. She is member of the Depot Artists
Association at The Arts Depot, served as president of the
Bristol Art Guild, as vice president for two years, and chairman
of the "Community Artists" art show for two years.
A native Tennessean, Lorene and husband Vance have lived in
the area for most of their lives. They both love to travel
and have visited many countries. These experiences are often
reflected in her paintings.
JOYCE SAMUEL of Bristol, TN began her love for art at an early
age. This translated into a scholarship to Chicago's Art Institute.
She furthered her training under Susan Clark and Joe Garcia
in San Diego, CA. Joyce has her own style of painting with
watercolors, using many vivid colors. Her subjects are mainly
floral with many being painted in the traditional realistic
manner, but some in a modernistic look created by a technique
called 'water pouring" where the paint is dropped onto
the paper and the paper manipulated to create an effect or
she simply lets the watercolor migrate by capillary action
on the porous paper. While her work is truly original in concept,
she counts Monet among masters she admires. While out west
she owned and managed a florist shop and an antique and art
emporium. Since moving to the southeast in 1993 and Bristol
in 1998, she has become an active member of the Watauga Valley
Art League's Roving Gallery and the Depot Artists Association.
Locally she has exhibited in art fairs, the Nelson Fine Art
Center, and the Galleria. In California, she received many
awards, the more prominent being from shows with the Escondido
Art Guild, and the Valley Center Art Guild. According to Joyce,
"I paint what I truly care about and the things I love
all around us. Watercolor is my passion."
DANIEL SHEW of Saltville, VA, began drawing as soon as he
was old enough to hold a pencil and has been drawing ever
since. Daniel hasn't had any formal art training, although
he interned with fantasy artist Charles Vess and says he "plans
to go to art school one day depending on which way the wind
blows and the advice his cat gives him". Using charcoal
and clay Daniel produces slightly morbid and dark art. "When
I create my art, I lose myself in a dark world of mystery
and enchantment" he says. Many of his pieces have sort
of an Edgar Allen Poe approach to art, not totally unexpected
since he was born on a gloomy April morning with the
wind rattling the windows while the rain pelted them and now
lives in a large partially restored Victorian house in the
country. The theme for his work in this exhibit is "Looking
outside the Box". Daniel has previously exhibited in
the Juried Virginia Highlands Festival Fine Art Show, at the
Gallery at 153 West, and at the Arts Depot.
EVELYN JUNE FAIRFIELD-SHIPLEY's, a 50 year resident of Kingsport,
TN, love of drawing started as a child. In College, she majored
in commercial art. This provided her with a living while she
pursued her true artistic interests. In studying the old masters
of Europe, she found that they were studying the oriental
work. She was curious and read all she could of the philosophy
and brushwork. Most of the "how to" books only went
so far and then stopped. She then found a Chinese master who
answered all her unanswered questions and when she finished
the brushwork, he gave her a Chinese name. The Mustard Seed
Garden was also a big help. This 500 year old book is probably
the very first "how to book" written for Chinese
brushwork. The philosophy of the teachings holds that the
painting should be pleasing: no death, no violence, only harmony
and beauty. The seemingly simple brush strokes require both
control and freedom. They balance the yin and yang to achieve
harmony. Another one of her favorite media is the silver etching.
This consists of a silver foil base coated with a black clay
finish that can be "scratched off to reveal the silver
beneath. This medium lends itself to the three "F's":
Fur, Feathers and Flowers. The oriental method of one-stroke
painting translates well into the etching strokes. She has
also done murals for homes, churches, a petting zoo and a
school. She is a member of the Kingsport Art Guild, the Tennessee
Artist's Guild of Nashville and The Depot Artists Association.
She has taught art at Virginia Intermont, and served as a
commercial advertising artist.
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| The
Depot Artists' Association
314 Depot Square
Post Office Box 2513
Abingdon, Virginia 24212-2513
Phone: 540/628-9091
Our
hours are 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and by
appointment.
To
schedule a visit for a day or time other than during our regular
business hours, please write or call. You may also contact
us by E-mail
.
The Arts Depot is a non-profit
volunteer organization that is dedicated to promoting the
arts in the community and features the region’s artists.
The Arts Depot is located in the
historic Depot Square area of downtown Abingdon, VA. The gallery
and seven working
artists studios are open for your viewing pleasure Thursday
thru Saturday, 11-3 pm, and
by appointment. There is no admission charge. For further
information, please contact the Arts Depot at (276) 628-9091,
or e-mail at artsdepot@naxs.net, or visit our web site at
www.abingdonartsdepot.org.
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