THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 27, 1994 TAG: 9410280828
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Karen Breeden's buildings are all bent out of shape - but she's not.
The 36-year-old Old Dominion University art student won the blue ribbon at the 1994 Suffolk Art League's annual Juried Exhibition at the Suffolk Museum.
The three paintings by the mother of three, showing misshapen Eastern Shore buildings, netted the coveted honor for the Chesapeake resident, who lives on Larkspur Lane.
``The works by Karen Breeden are assured and energetic,'' said judge Steven High. He is director of The Anderson Gallery and assistant professor of art at Virginia Commonwealth University, both in Richmond.
He described Breeden's old buildings as ``a relatively banal subject'' but noted that her depiction of them ``is invigorated by and becomes inseparable from the fluid and expressionistic handling of the oil pastel crayon.
``The work,'' High said, ``goes beyond content and succinctly unites a unique visual expression.''
Unique is a key word. The buildings resemble victims of a mild tornado - somewhat twisted, but holding their own and still usable.
Breeden explains the reason for the odd shapes:
``It creates tension between the subject and the medium. The subject is the building, the medium is the oil pastels. I wanted to create certain tensions.''
Her creations occupied a good part of her summer vacation. She went to the Eastern Shore, photographed the buildings, then created her large-sized paintings.
``They're big,'' Breeden said, ``because I have a lot of energy and need freedom of movement.''
Some other Breeden interpretations of Eastern Shore structures - she did nine - are on display at the Palmer-Rea Gallery on Granby Street in Norfolk.
The buildings depicted in the Suffolk Art League show are still in use.
``I'm moving to abandoned buildings. There's something about abandoned buildings that makes people want to stop and look at them,'' said Breeden, who is selling each of the three works for $650.
They are ``Rooms for Rent, Wachapreague, VA,'' ``Locustville General Store'' and ``Albert Christian's Barber Shop.''
``This is only my second show, and I wound up with a blue ribbon,'' Breeden said. ``I was totally surprised because all the work here is very good.''
Sixty artists submitted 159 works, of which 59 were chosen for exhibit.
Breeden, who has an associate degree in fine arts, decided to continue her art education at ODU now that her youngest child is 12.
``I need to finish my art education. It's very important to me,'' said Breeden, who paints from five to six hours a day. ``I have a passionate, intense feeling about creating something.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Karen Breeden, an ODU student from Chesapeake, shows two of the
entries that helped her win the Juried Exhibition at the Suffolk
Museum.
Graphic
OTHER WINNERS
Other award winners at the 1994 Suffolk Art League annual Juried
Exhibition:
Second prize, Dixon Morrow; Third prize, Janice Gay-Maker; Nat
Thompson Memorial Watercolor Award, Pat Bohon; Clyde Gurley Memorial
Printmaking Award, Cynthia Herrmann; Judy Oswald Memorial Award,
Anne P. Myers; Curtis P. Williams Memorial Painting Award, Penelope
Caldwell; Crestar Bank Award, Barbara Harding Sant; W.E.A. Moore
Memorial Photography Award, Brenda Wright; Morris & Piland Printing
Company Award, Cynthia Jones; The Willows - Juror's Choice Award,
Ricardo Alma; Dick Blick Art Materials Award, Ruth Splichal;
Eagletons' Inc. Award, Greg Wallace.
The exhibition continues through Dec. 4. Suffolk Museum hours are
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. For
more information, call 925-0448 or 925-6311.
by CNB