THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 7, 1994 TAG: 9408040256
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 44 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Nancy McWilliams
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
After avoiding painting for a while because she was intimidated by her mother's artistic success, Karen Mathis overcame her fears, and ever since has been creating astonishing watercolors. Her work can be seen in a special exhibit called ``Sunlight and Shadows'' through Aug. 31 at the Greenleaf Gallery in Nags Head.
A Michigan native, Mathis now lives in Bethesda, Md., and is a frequent visitor to the Outer Banks, where the play of light on water inspires this 50-year-old painter. ``There's a moody quality about the Outer Banks,'' she said, ``with the storms moving over and the varied landscapes. The light is constantly changing.
``I love the marshes,'' she said. ``And the special qualities of light over the water.''
Her Outer Banks connection shows up in some of her paintings. While this show features much on the theme of porches and chairs, there is a huge, striking watercolor of the old Oregon Inlet lifesaving station. When Mathis spotted it late one day, she was haunted by its abandoned appearance. With gouache (opaque colors), Mathis achieved an especially strong look in this piece.
Her reason for painting empty chairs is that ``it gives you the feeling people have been there. There's a nostalgic quality to it.''
Mathis's passion is painting light falling over objects. ``Light flooding into a room touching ordinary objects and making them extraordinary fascinates me,'' she said. ``I love unusual shadow patterns.'' In the early part of the day, light is soft and fuzzy, Mathis explained, and later, that same space becomes completely changed by the patterns of strong daylight and shadows. ``I've always noticed light,'' she said.
``You need to see the light firsthand to paint it,'' Mathis said. ``A lot of what I paint is how I feel. Sunlight affects my spirit, which is then reflected in my painting.''
The 15 watercolor paintings in this show include colorful, exquisite flowers, shells, clouds over the ocean, boats docked at marinas, along with the chair series. Even private corners and balconies of her own home are captured.
While she is inspired by light and shadows, Mathis is also motivated to paint by other artists. ``I'm lucky to have had some really fine teachers,'' she said. A graduate of George Washington University with a fine arts degree, Mathis continued her artistic studies outside college. For two years, she studied under Jade Fon in California. This she credits for her attraction to watercolors. ``It was a strong movement in California, the beginning of respect for watercolors.'' For her, taking up watercolors was a combination of coincidence and luck. Mathis also studied for several years with Ralph Smith, a Washington, D.C., painter who frequents the Outer Banks.
She has used pastels and acrylics, but with her special interest in glowing color and light, watercolor has been the best medium. ``Watercolor is immediate and spontaneous,'' she said, ``creating a freshness and glow that catches the quality of a moment in time.''
The ultimate compliment has been when people recognize her work immediately, before seeing her signature. She hopes to live the rest of her life ``painting images and light that influence me.''
``It's nice when people want to buy my work but that's not why I paint. I paint for the love of painting and hope I can do it till the day I die.''
Over the years, she has seen her shapes grow stronger and colors bolder as her confidence has increased. ``I'm less influenced by what others paint and more sure of what I want to say.''
Mathis said she is thrilled to show her work at the Greenleaf, where a variety of work is displayed, and where the range of object enhances the display of paintings. With her design degree and background in silkscreen and fiber, she appreciates all kinds of art. As an avid art collector she is very much interested in seeing, buying and collecting other artists' products.
With her own paintings, she said, success is ``capturing a sense of season, the passing of time, a remembered moment or a feeling of longing.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
A Karen Mathis watercolor depicting the old Oregon Inlet Coast Guard
Station is on exhibit at Greenleaf Gallery in Nags Head.
by CNB