
DATE: Sunday, July 6, 1997                  TAG: 9707030321

SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 36   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: ART BEAT 

SOURCE: Mary Ellen Riddle 

                                            LENGTH:   68 lines

POPULAR SOUTHERN SHORES ARTIST SHOWCASES PEN AND INK DRAWINGS

Something for everybody.

That's Ellie Grumiaux's goal for his art show that opens at the Ghost Fleet Gallery July 13.

Grumiaux will be showcasing about 45 pen and ink drawings and watercolors through Sept. 12 in the west wing of the Gallery Row, Nags Head location.

The popular Southern Shores artist is known for his nostalgic black and white drawings that appear weekly in the Carolina Coast. Like a historian, Grumiaux has a passion for preservation. He photographs scenes that he comes upon while driving the countryside roads of eastern North Carolina.

Then, working at his desk seated in his grandfather's captain's chair, he immortalizes a sagging Currituck barn, an abandoned Wanchese trawler or a now-extinct church in Waterlily. His love for these ``something for everybody'' scenes is transformed into lively ink lines dancing down home rhythms.

``Life is good,'' says the sexagenarian who's been drawing vignettes for The Coast for nearly five years. ``It's been the greatest thing for me . . . the name recognition. The different sorts of people that you meet has been wonderful.''

About 15 of the original drawings that were reproduced in the Coast's ``Carolina Sketch Pad'' will be exhibited and on sale at Ghost Fleet Gallery.

Not all the art work in Grumiaux's heartwarming repertoire is black and white. The show will include small, medium and large watercolor paintings including a brilliant red tug boat, a beach scene with umbrellas and fishing poles, an old service station, weathered beach cottages and a series of lighthouse paintings rendered in a circular format.

When asked what inspires him, Grumiaux simply states, ``I like doing it. That's it.'' He attributes his marine-themed subjects - including lots of boats - to growing up in Norfolk. ``My dad always had boats,'' he said. And Grumiaux had a grade school friend whose father was a dockmaster. ``He sent the tugs out,'' he said. ``I just wish people liked tug boats. I'd paint them all the time.''

Whether it's tugs or trawlers, cottages or Corolla ponies, Grumiaux draws or paints daily in his studio that overlooks the fifth fairway of the Duck Woods golf course. He's been keeping track of how many paintings he's generated since moving from Chesapeake to the Outer Banks in 1994. ``My next painting will be number 700,'' he said.

Grumiaux's exhibit is mostly recent works. And it's truly a ``something for everybody'' show - not only because of the wide range of subjects and sizes, but also because of the affordable prices. For as little as $10, art lovers can take home an original drawing.

I wondered how Grumiaux managed to select those particular 15 works out of the over 200 he's created. ``I just picked some that I thought matted up well,'' he said. ``It's an across the board selection.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY ELLEN RIDDLE

Ellie Grumiaux's drawings will be on display at the Ghost Fleet

Gallery from July 13 through Sept. 12.

Graphic

HOW TO SEE HIM

Who: Ellie Grumiaux, Southern Shores visual artist

What: An exhibit of pen and ink drawings and watercolor paintings

Where: Ghost Fleet Gallery, Driftwood St., Gallery Row, Nags

Head.

When: Opening reception, Sunday, July 13 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Cost: Admission is free. Print prices start at $10.

Call: 441-6584