THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502160127
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
It's a wrap! Despite bitter winds, more than 700 artists, appreciators and supporters flocked to the Ghost Fleet Gallery in Nags Head Feb. 4-5 to view the work of 148 artists at the 17th annual Frank Stick Memorial Art Show opening.
This year's showing is an eclectic mix of classical to political art. From the formal themes of John de la Vega to the satirical and thought-provoking work of Gail Hutchison and Doug Durnow, art horizons probably broadened over the weekend for some viewers.
That is the beauty of the annual Dare County Arts Council-sponsored show. Its diversity may well be the show's main drawing card.
Thirty-nine works were honored with awards chosen by two Virginia jurors: Ruth Bolduan, a painter and associate professor of painting at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Rig Terrell, a Richmond, Va., sculptor.
In their comments, Bolduan and Terrell singled out pieces that they believed ``pushed technique and personal vision to the limit.''
Jurors were particularly taken with the work of T. Carter Melton, calling his sketch of a fishing boat ``as timeless and powerful as a Rembrandt or a Van Gogh.''
The merit awards included an oil painting by Lisa Allen titled ``Dream Says.'' Allen's use of vibrant color and generous strokes create a wolf-like vision that is mesmerizing at any distance.
In a departure from past shows, an unusually large amount of honorable mentions were chosen, 11 in total, in what may be the most diverse category among the winners. Art forms were created from welded cast iron, stained glass, stoneware, aluminum/silver, batik/silk, silk screen, pen/ink, color pencil, watercolor, mixed media and found objects.
It was a tie this year in the ``People's Choice'' category, in which viewers voted for their favorite piece. The winning choices were upbeat, but divergent in style.
Local painter Susan Vaughan, who has a strong local following for her folk art style painting, won the ``People's Choice'' for the second year in a row. Using acrylics, she painted a detailed scene of ``Kill Devil Hills.''
Vaughan shared the honor with Marye Lifsey, who submitted a batik on silk, ``Center of Attention.'' Lifsey's colorful batik of frogs in tropical oranges, greens, yellows and browns uses textural patterns and shapes as visual corrals for the flowing dyes.
Featured at the annual event is a painting by the late Frank Stick, possibly his first watercolor of a jumping fish. An avid fisherman, Stick illustrated many of his catches with not only a technical proficiency but also a poetic application.
The Frank Stick exhibition and a special show in the Ghost Fleet's west wing gallery featuring the work of Virginian-Pilot and Carolina Coast photographer Drew Wilson will be on display through Feb. 24. MEMO: EXCELLENCE AWARDS
[For a list of winners, see microiflm for this date.]
ILLUSTRATION: THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
Susan Vaughan
``Kill Devil Hills''
acrylic
Marye Lifsey
``Center of Attention''
batik on silk
Photos by
MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
Marye Lifsey's colorful batik of frogs in tropical oranges, greens,
yellows and browns shared the People's Choice award at the Frank
Stick show. ``Center of Attention,'' which was done on silk, uses
textural patterns and shapes as visual corrals for the flowing
dyes.
Local painter Susan Vaughan, who has a strong local following for
her folk art style painting, won ``People's Choice'' honors for
the second year in a row. Using acrylics, she painted a
detailed scene of ``Kill Devil Hills.''
by CNB