In April. 2024, my paintings will be on display at the Leland Cultural Arts Center, in an exhibit called “Emergence.” The title means me, emerging by surprise as an artist.
I am a retired Episcopal priest, in Wilmington to enjoy the ocean. But in 2019, with no particular reasoning, I took one “boot camp” course at Cameron Art Museum. The week for it arrived. And I was stuck for five weekdays, three hours every afternoon, in a room with talented painters. I was terrified that I would end every day with a blank canvas. So I persisted, and to my amazement, produced several actual still lifes and landscapes. It lit a fire in me and I was eager to take another class.
Then COVID hit, there were no more museum classes, and I was home a lot more than usual. I started painting to see where it would go, and I could not stop. A couple of years later when exhibits resumed, I submitted a couple of landscapes to our local Art in the Arboretum – as a lark. I was shocked when they were accepted. I could not stop painting, and I did not know what to do with the canvases that now contained so much of my heart, so I kept submitting paintings to shows, and they were accepted. Some even sold!
Now I have been offered this great opportunity.
There are several sections in the exhibit—landscapes, farmer’s market still lifes, and abstracts. Also, for the first time, I am exhibiting a special collection. This collection has ab\n extraordinary genesis. A cousin who has a train commute takes pictures of his journey and then double exposes them to create fascinating abstract images. He posts them on Facebook. I texted, you HAVE to exhibit these! But he absolutely refused. I asked, may I use them as inspiration for painting? He heartily agreed. As I painted,, there were images of real things, but on the surface, they made no sense. I simply enjoyed the act of painting. But when I finished the first one and stood away from it, its spiritual symbolism hit me like a crashing wave. One such painting called “Creation” just won Best in Show in a gallery outside Chicago. The spiritual message that comes through my paintings is totally unplanned and unexpected, each time. They are not “religious,” but hopefully, will resonate with people of many backgrounds. You are invited to come see if that is true for you.
Opening party is Saturday, April 6, at LCAC. The exhibit, which also includes two 3D artists, will run through April 25 and is free to the public.
Kathy Sanford • Mar 20, 2024 at 5:17 pm
I have seen much of your wonderful artistic talent thru the Face Book platform. Congratulations on all your many well deserved successes! Your venture into abstract was both surprising and fascinating.