"Four Painters and a Potter" opens Friday, June 2 (today), with a reception to meet the artists from 6 to 8 p.m.
Barbara Baxter, Kenneth and Gloria Campbell, Lynda Campbell and Chris Green, Jean Cathcart, Gisela and Gus Danielson, Lorraine Lasslett and Charles Dinkle, Bill Montgomery, Charles Ridenour, Steve Ridenour, Martha and Blaine Rowland, Carolyn Scott, and Timothy and Shannon Smith host the reception, which is free and open to the public.
The exhibit is on display through June 30, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays, and from 2 to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18. The Campbell House Galleries are located at 482 East Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines.
Alice Baxter is well known throughout the Sandhills as a watercolorist and long-time teacher at Sandhills Community College. A kindergarten teacher was the first to spot Baxter's talent. The teacher informed Baxter's parents that she was the only child in the class who was able to draw Santa Claus with a nose. Baxter says she was "influenced by her grandmother, who was an accomplished painter and sold a lot of work, and by her babysitter, who studied art in high school and would entertain me with art projects."
As a child of the Great Depression, an art career was not viewed as an occupation worthy of pursuit.
"I was encouraged by my parents to further my art abilities but only after my father met a man who was actually making a living in the field of commercial art," says Baxter. I attended the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Fla., and received a degree in commercial art. After that, I never had a problem making a living from drawing, designing, and creating art."
Baxter says she is inspired by a wide variety of subject matter and is now experimenting with acrylics. Her work has been displayed in many regional and national exhibits and is held by collectors throughout the country.
Veteran Seven Lakes' artist Ann Campbell continues to make her mark in the art world. In her first participation in a national art show, "Watercolor USA 2005," at the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Mo., Campbell's painting, "From Beaufort, NC," a seashore scene, was not only accepted into the show but also received a Patron Preview Purchase award. Campbell's entry was the only one to be exhibited from the works submitted by North Carolina artists.
Campbell regularly exhibits her work at the Arts Council of Moore County (this is her second show at the Campbell House Galleries), the Artist League of the Sandhills, and Sandhills Community College. Both private and corporate collectors hold her work.
Campbell divides her time between painting and teaching art.
"Teaching is an extremely important facet of my life," says Campbell. "There is great satisfaction in giving of my knowledge to others."
Campbell has taught art for 20 years at the Sandhills Community College continuing education program. Campbell herself majored in commercial illustration and the visual arts. In 2002, she received a grant toward a two-week residence at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vt.
"It is my goal," says Campbell, "to never stop experimenting or become complacent but to continue to learn and improve as a visual artist. In viewing my most recent work, it is my conviction that landscapes, florals, and life figures seem to be my most successful subjects and watercolor my most successful medium. However, I do work and teach in charcoal, pastel, acrylic, and oil. Generally speaking, I have an impressionistic style. I love to express a creative spirit of freedom in my landscapes. The life figure, quickly sketched, can also give me this freedom."
Paula Montgomery began painting at the age of 9 and has never lost interest in creating art. She has pursued a self-directed education in art by enrolling in classes and workshops, visiting museums, reading books by artists whose styles she likes, and, most importantly, by painting a lot.
"My mother encouraged me to draw and paint," says Montgomery. "She was always ‘commissioning' me to paint something for a particular spot in our house. When I was in high school, she entered one of my paintings in a local art show in Waynesboro, Va., and it won first place. Today, both she and my husband, Bill, continue to be supportive of my artistic efforts. I also received much inspiration from nationally known artist, Jack Pardue. His love of painting, and in particular, pastel painting, inspired me to work harder to improve my draftsmanship. Jack emphasizes the need for a solid drawing and composition before beginning to paint."
Portraits and still life are Montgomery's favorite subjects, and pastel and acrylic her favorite media.
"My style is realistic and colorful," she says. "Most of the work for the Campbell House show will portray flowers, in particular, irises and poppies."
This is Montgomery's second show at the Campbell House, and she has also participated in exhibits at the Artist League of the Sandhills and the Annual Outdoor Art Festival in Lynchburg, Va.
The work of Alice Ridenour rounds out the "four painters" portion of the exhibit. She works in pastel, oil pastel, watercolor, acrylic, and colored pencil. Much of her inspiration comes from photographs taken while traveling the world. She also loves animals, and many of her commissions are for pet portraits.
She has studied with nationally known artists such as Robert Hoffman, Judy Crane, William Herring, and Sterling Edwards, and she traveled and painted throughout Italy with Luana Luconi Winner. She regularly exhibits her work at the Artist League of the Sandhills and the Arts Council's annual Fine Arts Festival.
Ridenour views art as "life enriching and a necessary part of the human experience. I am constantly trying new techniques, and my goal is to excel at something in this lifetime."
Sally Larson and Mo McKenzie are Fireshadow Pottery, and they are proud to be part of the North Carolina pottery legacy. Within their pottery are traces of who they are, how they think, and what they value.
When asked to describe what they do, they usually say "handmade, one-of-a-kind, high-fired stoneware. When we see and feel a part of our soul in a work, we know it is a good day. Form is the first ‘thrill' of creation but the next excitement comes with firing. In the past few years, we've created 16 exciting glaze colors. The years ahead have infinite possibilities."
Both Larson and McKenzie are explorers. McKenzie spent decades chasing after excitement in the military, on a ranch, as a photographer, cruising the Caribbean, and tending bar. Larson, on the other hand, spent most of her life exploring and learning everything about photography, spinning wool, weaving, and gardening. Both finally found peace in working with clay.
In their work, visitors will see the oriental style jar, an earthy southwestern pot, a tall designer vase, or an unusual bowl decorated with heavy medallions.
For more information about the June exhibit, contact the Arts Council of Moore County at 692-4356 or visit the Web site at www.artscouncil-moore.org.
