Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 12, 1993 TAG: 9309100245
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BECKY HEPLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
Still, the personality captured in her "Faces of Blacksburg" show, hanging at Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea, comes as much from her respect for the subjects as from her honed skills.
The show is a collection of 16 color-pencil portraits celebrating some of the characters of Blacksburg.
"These are people I admire, people who have influenced me," she said. "It's a theme I've wanted to do for a long time."
Those featured in her sketches include Trudy Albert, who recently retired from Dominion Bank; entertainer Catherine Breske; Bill Brown, captain of the town police force; John Kline of Gentry Studios; and Bill Ellenbogen, past Chamber of Commerce president and owner of Bogen's Restaurant.
Also, artist Richard Goff; Harley Helms of Harley's Shoe Repair; Mayor Roger Hedgepeth; Chris Kappas of Souvlaki; Councilwoman Frances Parsons; and Scott Elich of Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea.
Alfred Payne, former chaplain at Virginia Tech; artist Joni Pienkowski;musician and Tech professor Ed Schwartz; caterer Diane Whitehead; and Gregg's husband, John, round out the list.
"It's the people who make the community, make it a worthwhile place to live," Gregg said. "This show is an homage to the community, my way of saying how much I like Blacksburg."
It is an affection stemming from a long association. Gregg's family moved to Blacksburg when she was 12, after her father retired from the military. She got her degree in art from Virginia Tech in 1979. A few years later, she tried Charlotte, N.C., but didn't like it and came back. Ensconced in her Ellett Valley home/studio, she looks as if she intends to grow old here.
The show is Gregg's first. "This is a labor of love and a luxury," she said, "a chance to finally get back into the fine arts." Her former career left little time for personal projects.
Right out of college, Gregg concentrated on commercial free-lance work, designing logos and other projects for advertising agencies. Then came 10 years with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine as a biomedical illustrator.
The birth of her son led her back to the free-lance career path.
In addition to her drawings, she is still doing medical illustrating, working on a book and illustrating articles written by her husband, who is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. She also has a children's picture book project in the works.
The time was right, however, for this project, "Faces of Blacksburg."
The hardest part of the show was deciding whom to draw. "I came up with a very long list of people I wanted to do; but the walls of the coffee house will only hold so many pictures, so I had to trim it," she said.
The overriding criterion was people who add to the quality of life in the town, either by their work, by the causes they support or just by their friendship. "I know every one of these people and they are all special to me," she said.
"Al Payne married us, so I wanted to include him, but it was a real tossup," Gregg said. "Virle [Payne's wife] is a real dynamo in her own right, and I almost chose her."
Schwartz's work with the Arts Council, Goff's work with the Free Clinic, Ellenbogen's work with the chamber, Kline's efforts at documenting Blacksburg history and Albert's volunteer work all inspired their choice by Gregg.
Others such as Helms, Brown, Hedgepeth and Parsons are people who simply symbolize Blacksburg for Gregg. "I feel like they've been here forever," she said. "It wouldn't be Blacksburg,otherwise."
Subjects such as Pienkowski, Breske and Whitehead are inspirations to Gregg. "I saw Joni's `Malissa' show and just fell in love with her work."
Gregg went to great lengths to incorporate the characteristics of her subjects into their poses or the materials of the show. The choice of colored pencils as the medium for this show is as much a tribute to Pienkowski's work in this area as a concession to save Gregg's small son from oil-paint fumes.
Gregg used a light cream-colored paper for the Schwartz portrait because ". . . Ed is so sunny and bright," but she switched to a darker brown paper for the Helms portrait to reflect the color of his working materials, shoe leather.
The black paper she chose for the Goff portrait helped to heighten the mysterious mood he created during a sitting. Breske's theatrical pose is a nod to her love of entertaining, while the Whitehead pose using a champagne glass ". . . reflects Diane's elegance and style," Gregg said.
Drawing your friends is much easier than drawing strangers, and Gregg compared the ease of this project with the All-American pictures she did that are hanging in Cassell coliseum. Either way, there are drawbacks. "When you do people, you really put yourself on the line," she said. "The way you see them may not be the way they see themselves."
Having the show at Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea on Main Street in downtown Blacksburg worked well for Gregg because it reminded her of "the old coffee houses" and its downtown location was accessible and convenient for the people featured in her show.
The Blacksburg Regional Art Association is a sponsor for the show. The organization works to find cooperative businesses that will serve as galleries to display the work of association members. "Nadine [Allen] and the association have been instrumental in getting this show together," Gregg said.
The show opens Sept. 15 with a closed reception honoring the subjects as well as the artist and runs through Nov. 15.
by CNB