Current Exhibitions

65 Union Street South, Concord, NC

10 am - 4 pm, weekdays and second Saturday of each month

704-920-ARTS(2787)

Current Exhibition

All in the Approach: Abstract, Allegorical, Analytical

As an artist begins to explore an avenue for his vision, one of these three approaches often presents...
ABSTRACT: Having only intrinsic form with little or no attempt at pictorial representation or narrative content
ALLEGORICAL: A symbolic representation of generalizations about human existence
ANALYTICAL: Dividing a complex whole into its parts or elements to discover its true nature or inner relationships.

Originally from Iraq, Raed Al-Rawi (Allegorical) blends colors “to create a hazy luminosity. I strive to create a deeper dimension to my paintings that gives the feeling of the images' disappearance into the unknown. I try to guide the viewer to those feelings we all search for. I have developed this painting style to create images of an ongoing conversation about life.” Al-Rawi , who prefers acrylics, has exhibited in Iraq, Belgium, England, Bulgaria and Egypt as well as the United States. He teaches painting at Central Piedmont Community College and has worked as a cartoonist and illustrator. He has a BS from the University of Almustansiriah in Baghdad.

Susan Brenner (Abstract/Allegorical), who teaches art at UNC Charlotte, combines painting, photography and digital imaging. She begins by shooting digital photos of studio set-ups and then treating them as raw material for painterly manipulation. The images are broken down and fragmented to create a tension between abstraction and representation. She has received many notable fellowships and grants, including a Soul Foundation/NEA Regional Fellowship, two North Carolina Artist Fellowships and a Regional Artist Grant. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Europe. She has a BA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from the University of Southern California.

Alex Clark (Allegorical) of Charlotte believes paintings are narrative and that one’s ideas should be communicated clearly and directly. Working in both oils and acrylics, he uses themes that come from history, mythology, religion and the physical world. “An ancient folk tale may remain meaningful, depending on the vitality of its retelling; humankind hasn’t changed that much.” Clark is a painting instructor at Central Piedmont Community College. He has been an artist-in-residence at the McColl Center for Visual Art and has participated in exhibitions in the United States and abroad. He has a BFA in painting from Syracuse University.

Chris Craft (Abstract) of Charlotte creates his art – landscape and abstract paintings -- in oil on canvas and encaustic (pigment mixed with melted beeswax and resin) on board. He likes to spend time in the woods collecting resource materials and inspiration for his art. “Color is power . . . even a small amount of color can affect a large space. I often use luscious color in my paintings with the intent of transforming an environment.” He owns Brushwork Studios, which creates wall murals, faux finishes and other decorative treatments. He has painted corporate commissions for several banks, including four large-scale paintings for Fifth Third’s branch on Church Street in Concord. He has a BFA from UNC Charlotte and an associate of applied arts in advertising design from the Art Institute of Houston.

Courtney Dodd (Analytical) is a glass artist who notes that “the first law of thermodynamics states ‘energy is neither created nor destroyed, but transferred . . . ‘ proposing the idea that every object and being is composed of the remnants of previous forms. Regeneration, transformation, and deterioration all speak of the motion of evolution, the perpetual shifting of structures.” Objects that have the impression of time such as rust-covered metal, deeply tangled roots and abandoned birds’ nests find their way into her work. She has a degree from Missouri State University and has studied extensively at the Penland School of Crafts, including completing the two-year Core Fellowship Program.

Clark Hawgood's (Abstract) work focuses on organic and geometric shapes working together to create a balanced composition. He uses repetitive, overlapping shape and colors to show the transformation of form. Some of his forms are realistic with symbolic meanings. He mixes loose and tight color, lines and shapes to convey complex ideas spontaneously painted. His influences are the artists Kandinsky, Picasso and Dali, daily life and his life experience. He has a BFA in drawing and painting from East Carolina University and teaches at Charlotte Latin School and the Braitman Studio.

Chris Horney (Analytical) creates fine furniture in his studio, a converted tobacco pack house in rural southeast Guilford County. He builds his own designs and custom commissioned work. He begins with a clear vision of the form for the piece. Then he adds on everything he can think of, such as carvings, corbels, bow fronts, inlays and arches. He begins working backward from that point, subtracting elements until he gets to the simplest expression of the initial form with a precious few details to enhance the lines. Most recently he has been working to combine his paintings into his furniture pieces. He has a BFA in painting and printmaking from the UNC-Greensboro and also studied in Rockingham Community College’s fine woodworking program.

Jennifer Kincaid (Allegorical) explores the ideas of time, space, age and basic human emotions using the context of her own experiences. With simplified figures and forms in clay, and complex layers of texture and color, she seeks to express universal ideas and concepts. She regards her work as a form of journaling and uses words as part of the piece. Her work is exhibited and collected throughout the United States. She has a BFA from Queens University and has done graduate studies in ceramics at Alfred University and the Penland School of Crafts. A former affiliate of the McColl Center for Visual Art, she has received grants from the North Carolina Arts Council and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Arts and Science Council.

Kenn Kotara (Abstract/Allegorical) of Asheville is a mixed media abstract artist. He produces works on canvas, paper, Mylar and wood. He also creates environmental installations of suspended screen structures that feature multiple panels depicting an abstract design. Each panel has opaque line drawings and/or cutouts. The configurations change as the viewer circles the panels and as the free hung panels move with the currents. His work references his deep connection to the landscape of his native Louisiana and that of his current home in western North Carolina. He has a degree in graphic design and an MFA from Louisiana Tech.

Libby and Jim Mijanovich (Analytical), a husband and wife team, work exclusively with recycled vintage clothing as their raw material. They machine piece numerous fragments of the clothing then intricately embellish the work with metallic threads, blending color and using value to create the illusion of radiant light. Their painstaking work begins with the selection of fabrics chosen to blend with and complement each other. Often, there are 30 or more fabrics used in a single work with metallic threads embellishing the final design. The artwork is stretched and mounted on frames. The Mijanovichs had careers in science, engineering and healthcare before founding their company, Mija. Their work is exhibited and collected throughout the United States.

Alison Overton (Allegorical) of Raleigh is a photographer with the recurring theme of the architectural landscape with a sense of history. Her intent is to visually convey the feeling of walking alone among majestic sites, both secular and sacred: abbeys, castles, churches, cemeteries, formal and informal gardens. By combining overlapping exposures, careful cropping and overpainting with transparent oil paints, the finished works reveal her idea of these places as they might appear in a daydream or on another plane of existence, and as if our rules of time, space and perspective did not apply. She has a degree in environmental design from the N.C. State University School of Design and has studied at the Penland School of Crafts. She has received three Regional Artist Grants.

Mary-Ann Prack (Abstract/Allegorical) who lives in the North Carolina mountains, makes the titles for her works purposely illusive. She wants the viewer to have the freedom to interpret what they see for themselves. A native of Canada, she uses clay as a pure sculptural medium. She hand builds each piece using stoneware slabs, carved line work and textures and applies glazes, colors or stains with a painter’s approach to surface treatment. Her work has evolved into instantly recognizable abstract expressionist form that continues to gather award and commendations. Prack studied drawing and sculpture at the University of Guelph near Toronto and continued her education at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and Florida Atlantic University. Her work is shown and collected throughout the United States.

Tom Stanley (Analytical) is chair of the Department of Fine Arts at Winthrop University and director of the universities’ galleries. Early in his painting career, Stanley explored music and visual art, painting impressions of work by Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond. His paintings have since become more structured using symmetry, form and iconography or symbols as a means to explore visual narratives. His images depend on the simplicity of mechanical drawing and sgraffito techniques. The images are typically flat and silhouette-like. Stanley has a BA in art from Belmont Abbey/Sacred Heart School and an MA in applied art history and MFA in painting from the University of South Carolina. He has taught at Arkansas College, Barry University and Livingstone College and directed the Waterworks Gallery in Salisbury.

Billie Ruth Sudduth's (Analytical) second career is basketry. She was a school psychologist for 20 years and took a basketry class for fun at a local community college. Having spent her former career in testing, measurements, statistics and math, it was natural for her to make mathematically based baskets. Her weaving uses a mathematical structure of spiral growth found in nature to create baskets with a rhythmic, naturally flowing design. Sudduth was named a “living treasure” by the state of North Carolina and has been selected to exhibit at the prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show 13 times. Her baskets are in the collections of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian, the Museum of Art and Design in New York, the Mint Museum of Craft + Design and numerous corporate and private collections.

Tim Turner (Abstract) of Creedmoor is a painter and potter. His pottery is mainly wood/soda fired stoneware. His goal is to produce strong, simple forms with minimal decoration using the wood/soda firing as a means to create subtle effects that emphasize the strength of the form. The inspiration for Tim's paintings comes primarily from music, poetry, and the images of daily existence. His “Beach Music” series, for example, started with a family vacation. As an abstract painter, he did not want to paint a seascape, but rather to evoke a sense of the beach. Turner is a graduate of Appalachian State University and also served an apprenticeship with Ron Propst at the Penland School of Crafts.