THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994 TAG: 9406090194
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 32 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Nancy McWilliams
DATELINE: 940612 LENGTH: Medium
A native of Duck, Tate had worked with his wife Suzanne in an art print business. While he was shrink-wrapping prints, Tate didn't imagine that one day he'd create colorful, award-winning original abstracts.
{REST} After Tate graduated from high school in Kitty Hawk, he worked in commercial fishing and as a guide for hunters and fishermen. He served in the Navy and the Coast Guard, then took off for South Carolina where he shrimped for 11 years. It was there that Tate met Suzanne.
Returning to Dare County, Tate opened a bait and tackle shop and was a commercial fisherman. Eventually he became Nags Head's postmaster, retiring in 1984.
Although Tate retired from the postal service, he is still working hard at home. At 69, he works daily handling the mail order business for Suzanne's children's books.
Every moment he can, Tate grabs a paintbrush and gets creative, painting on boards he lays flat between a sink and a counter in his old bait shop.
``I always liked art,'' Tate said. When traveling, he often visits museums, especially those with modern art. In 1983, he took art lessons at College of the Albemarle. Taught by James Melvin, that class awakened the latent artistic talent inside Tate. His wife said he was sitting in their living room recliner one evening when he said, ``I wish I could paint.'' This motivated her to sign up for the art classes. Today, when Tate sits in that same recliner, he is often planning his next painting by sketching it out on a piece of cardboard.
In this February's Frank Stick Memorial Art Show, Tate received an award for the painting ``Dining Out,'' an aerial view of crows surrounding a cow patty.
Stark and bold, Tate's work definitely makes a strong statement. Acrylics are his medium of choice because they are easy to use, Tate said. His life at sea and his fascination with nature and the sky heavily influence Tate's paintings.
``It's very difficult to do something that you haven't seen and I don't want to copy what I have seen,'' Tate explained of his style.
One of his earliest paintings is an interpretation of a memory from his seagoing days - thousands of Portuguese men of war dotting the Gulf of Mexico. Tate makes the sea creatures dance with bright colors. ``I like color,'' he stated. ``I don't like anything that's bland.''
Whenever he can, Tate names his paintings with a touch of wit, evident in such works as ``Gone,'' depicting the inside of a tiger shark's mouth with a tiny pair of boots showing, and ``Still Life,'' a collection of cat, human and deer eyes shining in the night.
A fascination with space is revealed in several Tate paintings. ``Halley's Comet'' portrays a blue streak of light with a multitude of colored lights in the background. ``Home'' places the Milky Way on a purple setting. ``Zero Degrees'' depicts the North Star. ``Destination Earth'' has crazy spacecraft surrounding our planet, which is enduring a hurricane at the same time.
Familiarity with nature inspires Tate to paint such scenes as ``Summer Sun'' with a morning sun, triangular clouds and waves, or a rainbow at Pea Island, ``Water Moon'' showing water, sky and moon against colorful skies. By Tate's hand, Jockey's Ridge during a thunderstorm is electric with its pink lightning bolts flashing toward the dunes.
Tate's interpretation of his own particular visions are big and daring; they command attention. Currently, his paintings line the walls of the Tates' attic, adding light and beauty to that empty space. Hopefully, these lively works won't be hidden away for long.
``I'm very surprised at what he's done,'' Suzanne said. ``You don't expect an outdoor person to paint abstracts.''
``My painting is something to do,'' Tate said simply. ``I like to keep busy. You deteriorate when you give up.''
by CNB