Craft Center shows off award-winning artists

The "Reflections and Altered Surfaces" collection will be until Nov.

This article appeared in the Friday, September 12, 2003 issue of the NC State student newspaper, Technician in the "Diversions" section.

by Ashley Hink, Staff Writer

Critiquing visual art employs recognition of form, technique, color, style, subject, precision, media and materials used, and numerous other variables depending on the individual piece. Most works present images through application of various media on templates like canvas, wood or stone. However, modern art has expanded those rules, completely deserting any guidelines pertaining to the creation of visual art. Unexpected materials, manipulation and technique combine to create intriguing, thought-provoking work that forces viewers to disregard preconceived expectations and norms.

"Reflections and Altered Surfaces" is a collection of photographs, clay, wood and fabric designs produced by four local artists and staff members of the N.C. State Crafts Center.

These notable artists share not only impressive credentials, their works have appeared in numerous shows, galleries, publications and received a collection of awards. Each artist uses individualized techniques to manipulate surfaces and present images in extraordinary ways. The exhibit is located at the Crafts Center and is on display until Nov. 2.

The collection is a must-see for any photography lover.

Charlie Cawley successfully challenges viewers with an assortment of photographs simply titled "Refletages." He captures city scenes through reflections and altered lighting to create distorted yet honest images.

"Refletage #130" depicts a view of an American Airlines plane connected to a boarding gate through the corner windows of a waiting lounge at RDU. In one window, a large American flag hands while the adjacent window reflects rows of empty red seats, a sign with information written in Spanish and lights lining the ceilings above. The photography, taken one month after the Sept. 11 attacks, captures the overwhelming fear, safety concerns and uncertainty Americans felt at that time.

Other photographs reveal reflected images of a construction site in downtown Raleigh, the downtown center circle in Pittsboro, a busy street in Los Angeles and even the aging entrance of Thompson Theatre. The pictures, each priced at $750, appear manipulated through computer design, but are indeed true images obscured by glass, window, metal and water reflections.

Fiber and fabric artist Lyric Kinard uses a variety of media and materials to create a beautiful and vibrant array of works ranging from wall hangings to a bring green tunic. A hanging titled "Gold Leaf" uses dyed, pieced, stitched, quilted and screen printed chiffon to make a dazzling piece resembling an autumn sunset viewed through a barred window. Other pieces employ the use of stone, metal washers, bright stitching and various printed fabrics to create other equally beautiful yet much more affordable works.

Well-known potter Edge Barnes, a Raleigh native, adds a collection of clay vases and bowls to the exhibit. The first basic forms were stretched in a manner to change and manipulate the nature of surface decorations. While the pottery is simple in shape, the earth-tone surfaces are beautifully cracked, glazed and textured with spirals. Some of the pieces are not for sale but others comfortably range from $50 to $140.

The remaining works exhibited in the gallery are the chip carvings made by Leon Harkins. Chip carving originated in Scandinavia and is made with three basic cuts in less grainy woods. The process is long and tedious; most pieces are saved as heirlooms rather than sold. Fish are the subjects for most of Harkin's carvings, but there are also beautifully decorated boxes and figures of Native American women. "Square tower House" is a wall plaque that displays block homes built out of mountainsides in Mesa Verde, N.M. Many are not deeply stained or painted, but are meticulously detailed with the carvings alone.

Reflections and Altered Surfaces" brings together very different types of work, but all of the pieces are beautifully crafted and reveal unique styles and techniques the artists use to manipulate, recreate and texture their media. Artists and non-artists alike will find the collection interesting. The works are undeniably impressive and challenge people to expand their perceptions of visual art beyond conventionality and tradition.

Scan of the article from the Technician.

Special thanks to Bradley Wilson for permission for using this article.

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