Forrest Greenslade on the Chatham Studio Tour

Here is another artist worth visiting on the Chatham Studio Tour this weekend and next.  Thanks to Forrest Greenslade (sculptor, painter, author) for letting me steal this right off his blog.
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Chatham County artist and writer, Forrest C. Grenslade, PhD will [have] his new book, Visitations: A Nature-Lover’s Journal at [his studio as part of the Chatham Studio Tour.]

"I was that kid you could always find turning over rocks in streams, looking for what wonders nature would disclose to me," says Greenslade. His curiosity about the natural world, led him to a life as scientist and organizational executive. Now in retirement, Dr. Greenslade is again doing what he did when he was ten years old -- turning over rocks and sculpting and painting the wonders that nature discloses.

Visitations: A Nature-Lover’s Journal is the place where you can capture your own discoveries in your garden, on your walks through your special places, or just in your reveries. Greenslade’s newest book is a collection of his nature-inspired paintings and original poems, coupled with spaces to daily record your experiences in your garden and special natural places.

Along with his new book, Greenslade will exhibit a selection of his ... organic sculptures and paintings, derived from a life-long love of nature and mythology, have a new look and feel. Greenslade’s work is highly stylized yet clearly grounded in the natural world. His relief paintings are sculptural, built up with inches of thick acrylics and modeling paste to the point that they nearly jump off the canvas. His sculptures are enhanced with innovative coatings and patinas producing color, texture and an illusion of movement. His enhanced watercolors are soft and luminous. “I want people to experience motion and emotion in my art,” Greenslade asserts, “so my faces are seldom symmetrical and my figures just can’t stand still.” Greenslade’s use of materials is eclectic. “Because of my scientific training, I tend to be experimental in my choice of media,” he explains. “I use metal, concrete, clay, acrylics, wood, found-objects – whatever tells the best story.”

"I lived a serious life, but now in my dotage, I am just letting the kid out again, " Greenslade smiles.

"It's more fun than an old guy deserves”.

Getting The Place ready for the Tour

Photo - Christie Minchew

Getting the studio and "gallery" ready for the Chatham Studio Tour this weekend.  The pin/pendants have a home. Not so much the cards, ornaments and framed pieces :).  That's why there are still 4 days left - ACK! 

On the way to Becoming

Sea Sculpture © Christie Minchew 2012  24"h x 22"w

On the way to becoming my latest framed piece, my initial inspiration for this was a railing on the facade of a building in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí...which then led me to thinking about the shell structures and sea life at the ocean. Stay tuned....

Ornaments for the Holidays and Everyday

Photo and Ornaments © Christie Minchew 2012

Having fun with wire and wool...and yarn and my hand-dyed silk and ribbon.

Fabric and string are next.

I'm having fun :)!

Cast Loose with Needle Felting

Cast Loose! © Christie Minchew 2012

A detail from my most recent framed piece.  It's an experiment in letting go a bit.  In "casting loose".

Twisting the Day Away

Twist and Shout! © Christie Minchew 2012

I call this Twist and Shout!

Can you blame me?

20th Annual Chatham Studio Tour

The 20th Annual Chatham Studio Tour is coming up!  

This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy meeting artists, seeing their studios and purchasing their art.  There will be 50 artists on this year's tours and these include fiber artists (I'm partial), jewelers, metalsmiths, sculptors, photographers, painters, potters, basketweavers and other media. Many of our tour's participants are award-winning artists as well.  Tour map and descriptions of each artist can be found at Chatham Artists Guild.  

 

Reception at FRANK Gallery

Examples of each artist's work will be on display

Thursday, November 29, 2012, 6pm to 8pm (corrected time!)

109 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

919.636.4135

Artist Reception

Examples of each artist's work and an exhibit of local student art 

Friday, November 30, 2012, 6pm to 8pm

Central Carolina Community College (CCCC), Pittsboro

Studio Tour: 1st weekend

Saturday, December 1 & Sunday, December 2, 10am-5pm

Studio Tour: 2nd weekend

Saturday, December 8 & Sunday, December 9, 10am-5pm

All Studio Tour events are free & open to the public

Unexpected Vision: Len Jacobs

Thanks to sculptor, painter and author, Forrest Greenslade, for this guest post.

Chatham Photographer Exhibits Unexpected Visions

Len Jacobs will display his life’s collection of nature and travel photographs at his home studio during the 20^th Chatham Studio Tour the first two weekends in December, but these visions are serendipitous.

Chatham County photographer Len Jacobs

When Len Jacobs was a young child in the 1920s in the Harlem district of New York City, it was evident that he had some sort of vision problem. His vision problems increased, and when he was three years old, Len’s folks finally found an optometrist in Hackensack New Jersey, where they learned he had only 7% vision.

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Jasper National Park; Alberta, Canada
Photo by len Jacobs

Jacobs' family life, with four children, was the foundation for his avocation as a photographer. In the summer, we had more time than money,” he laughs. “We started taking little camping trips for family fun.” He, of course, took vacation photos. “I wasn’t a very good photographer,” he admits, “so I began to take courses and to study books on photography while riding the Long Island Railroad each day to work.”
...[By now,] he has won numerous awards and recognition. The one he is most proud of ,however, was his "Ice Pattern" at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art,  Photography as an Art Form.

Now in retirement here in North Carolina, Len Jacobs continues to share his life’s catalog of photographic experiences. 

...The irony of it all is, that a man who was told to avoid physical activity, and that at the age of three might soon be blind, has used his camera to record and share with others some of the visual music of our beautiful world. 

Len Jacobs is one of the many regionally and nationally recognized artists and fine crafts people who will open their studios the first two weekends in December at the 20^th Annual Chatham Studio Tour (http://www.chathamartistsguild.org/about/details.html ). Visitors from all around enjoy Chatham’s rural beauty and share with the members of the Chatham Artists Guild in the creative process. It is a holiday tradition, and an opportunity to purchase unique original art.

Full text of this post can be found here.

Wearable fun

© Christie Minchew 2012

I've been having fun - a lot of fun - making wearable needle felting in the form of pins and necklace pendants.   The number is growing by the day and they range from the monochrome to the crazychrome :).  I've worked fabric, yarns, beaded wire, and paper with the wool fibers into little mini-art for your lapel, hat, scarf...or wherever you'd like to add a shot of colorful self-expression.  There will be many of these at my studio when it opens on December 1 and 2, and 8 and 9.  From 10 am-5 pm.  See the Chatham Studio Tour for all the info.

The 11th annual sculpture and art show

Stream of Consciousness 1 © Christie Minchew

The 11th annual Come Out and Play outdoor sculpture and art show is just around the corner.  The kickoff is Saturday, August 25 at noon until dark.  But not to worry if you can't make it, it continues every Saturday through the end of September from 4pm until dark.  Food and drinks compliments of the hosts, Debbie Meyer, Eric Brantley and Beckett.  It's a wonderful show and a great way to spend the afternoon.  Live music will also be featured with local musical talents.

The location is 150 Wild Horse Run, Pittsboro, NC 27312.  It is about 7 miles south of Chapel Hill off of Jones Ferry Road.  Hope to see you there!

Open Studio comin' right up!

Crawford Dairy Corn by Linda Anderson

I have the good fortune of living in an area that is rich with talented artists.  A number of us have decided to fling our studio doors open to the art-interested in April.  Here are the particulars:

Local Artists Open Studios

Fine Art and High Craft

April 28 and 29, 10am to 5 pm both days

Location: Not too far from just about anywhere!

So far our artists' media include oils/acrylics/watercolors, wood, fiber, metal.  But there will be additions coming soon.  So save the date on your calendar and join us where spring will be blooming and art will be calling!  (Additional details will be shared on this site.)