State of the Art/Art of the State Exhibit at Cameron Art Museum

State of the Art/Art of the State

EXHIBITION RUNS:

May 8 – October 30, 2011

Spectrum Art & Jewelry artists
Anne Cunningham, Jane Faudree, Ann Hair, Kristin Gibson, Nancy Noel-May & Phil Meade

are part of this exciting exhibition of contemporary NC artists.

Curated by CAM and top curators from

Tate Modern, London

Guggenheim, NYC

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
and

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Be sure to see this exhibit of Artists from all over North Carolina.
It has a wonderful variety of art forms and styles so everyone will get the chance to discover new artists and experience the many flavors of our state.

Visit CAM in Wilmington, NC
www.cameronartmuseum.com

Visit Spectrum Art & Jewelry to see more work by these artists

www.spectrumartandjewelry.com

"French Twist" by Nancy Noel May

Fishermen of Marseille 8x10Acrylic on Canvas

Nancy Noel May, local artist and painter is Spectrum Art & Jewelry's featured artist for the month of May. Nancy has recently returned from a trip to France. Inspired by the many flavors of Avignon, Marseille and Paris, Nancy has created some of her best work to date. These paintings are vibrant, exciting and bursting with color.

Nancy Noel May has always loved to paint and has been doing so now for over 50 years. Having grown up in a small community on the Chesapeake Bay, the coastal influences of color, light and scenery have been with her from the very start. Bright color and impressionistic lines are characteristic of her work. She enjoys painting in the plein-air style, which is pianting outdoors. Plein-air was a central feature of French Impressionist masters, another clearly seen influence in Nancy's work. In 2004 she returned to acrylics after a long stint with oils. She has found that the quicker drying time forces her to paint more spontaneously.

In addition to her first love, painting, she is also extremely passionate about traveling. She is never caught traveling without a sketch book and camera to record her experiences. She went to Paris, France for the first time three years ago and it was love at first sight. This second trip she was able to explore more of France extending her travels to Marseille, Avignon and Paris. She loved the glamor of Paris but found the quaint villages of Avignon and the coast and boating communities of Marseille to be equally charming. Each location offering a unique variety of aesthetic riches for her to translate into paint. The paintings for her “French Twist” Exhibit are acrylics on either 8x10 or 6x12 canvas of a variety of subjects and locations from across France. Her vision is to make paintings reminiscent of post cards and snapshots to inspire reflection and memories.

There is an artist reception during Spectrum Art & Jewelry's May Open House and Wine Tasting from 5 to 7 pm on Friday May 13 where Nancy will present her work. Music will be provided during the evening by local musician, Phillip Pennington.

Taylor

Joe Jolts Spectrum

Joe DiGiulio whizzed into the gallery recently from Raleigh. With Joe was his lovely wife, Sharon, a talented visual artist in her own right. They brought us some of Joe's spectacular new work. I am terribly fond of abstract paintings, but Joe's work is in a class all it's own. His work reflects his vibrant personality in color, line and bold contrasts. My favorite is a beautiful triptych with rich aquas, ultramarine blue, deep purples and reds. This new work is a must see. Come in and treat yourself soon.


Jane

Two "don't miss" events for February

Spectrum Art and Jewelry starts off the new year with back to back events. The first is our Open House and Wine Tasting on Friday, February 11, from 5-7pm. We are starting earlier to give folks a chance to come straight from work.

After being in Tucson at the gem show, Star and Nancy will have beautiful new gemstones and pearls to absolutely drool over. Come and pick yours out before they fly out of here.

Music will be provided by talented local guitarist and vocalist, Larry Olson.















The very next day on Saturday, February 12 we will have an artist demo with five of our gallery artists. They will begin at 11am and paint until 1pm. Included in the group will be Jane Faudree, Kristin Gibson, Ann Hair, Nancy Noel May and Phil Meade.

Observe the variety of techniques and styles in one group painting session and see what unique outcomes will occur even when all are painting from the same still life arrangement.

This will be such fun. I hope to see you at the gallery both days.



Jane

FINDING A WARM, COZY SPOT...

Yesterday's snow reminded me of holidays in the Northeast! This cold weather helps to reinforce the feeling! Of course it's all a matter of perspective. My sister lives in Alaska and it was thirteen below in the middle of Christmas eve day. Whether it is cold or hot outside our inner surroundings play a large part in our state of mind. Having a bright space with lots of light makes a huge impact on the psyche. Add to that, colorful pieces of glass, and paintings that nurture the soul, and our inner world is filled and happy. Working here at the gallery is such a pleasure for that very reason.

Come by the gallery and experience for yourself how a space filled with creative, and colorful works of art can elevate your spirit, alter your mood, and warm your bones!


See you soon, Kathleen

MEET THE ARTIST: KRISTIN GIBSON

When you meet Kristin Gibson you might be attracted to her on many levels. One of which is her bright and happy disposition. The more you come to know this artist the more aware you are of her abilities and the success that has come from her dedication and hard work.

Kristin is a mother and wife who is quite involved with her children, community and life as a gifted artist. She paints almost every day as soon as the children leave for school during the school year. I am told that she purchases fresh fruit and vegetables, uses them as subjects for her paintings and later as sustenance for the family. As if it were not enough to paint daily as a professional painter and run a busy household, Kristin is constantly involved in the community. She is often involved in charity events and works diligently with her galleries, often doing demonstrations and promoting them in any way she can.

This talented artist is extremely versatile in her artistic expressions. Her silk scarves are both unique and luscious with color and pattern. But, she does not stop there. Kristin creates many other things with her hand-painted silk such as eyeglass holders and gorgeous pillows. Her paintings are unmistakable and loaded with pattern, color and energy. Presently we have an exhibit, our Tapas show, of small paintings no more than 9x12 and comfortably priced at $350. or less. The artists were asked to paint scenes outside of the U.S.A. Kristin painted four as contribution to our show and only one remains unsold. If you want to have a small and unusual piece of hers, stop by the gallery soon. Kristin has a very loyal following and her work is collected privately and corporately, so it doesn't stay in the gallery long.

We are delighted to have Kristin as a part of the Spectrum family!



Jane

IN HOPES THAT ST. NICHOLAS WOULD SOON BE THERE...

'THE CHILDREN ALL NESTLED SNUG IN THEIR BEDS, WHILE VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS DANCED IN THEIR HEADS"

So what "sugarplums dance in your head? You don't have to be a child to wish for a special something under the tree. I recently asked our staff what items in the gallery were on their wish list. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so many fabulous treasures, making it difficult at times to narrow down the list of desires. So I was curious about what made the top of the list for each of us, and I thought you might be interested too!

Star's face lit up when I asked her. Without hesitation she answered that all of our glass was her favorite. In fact it was her love of glass that led her to open the gallery. The one item that she loves the best is Ed Branson's tropical bowl. It's an exquisite new piece in shades of orange with accents of green and clear crystal. It's form is soft and flowing and gets rave reviews from everyone. Star's second favorite piece is one of Anne Cunningham's "Spinning Saucers." Multiple layers of shaped copper make up her new creations in brilliant shades of teal and scarlet. We just put these pieces up in the last week, so come by and see them, I'm sure they will disappear as fast as all of Ann's other work!

The "Me 2 You" Salad bowl and servers beat Nancy's own paintings as her top choice. She did laugh and comment on how difficult it was to decide between the two! Nancy is not alone in her choice, these contemporary glass salad sets are admired by most of our customers and have been purchased many. They come in a variety of amazing color combination's. Our new Mikutowski picture frames have become Nancy's second favorite. These frames are made by hand using beautiful exotic woods and have an option of adding some very witty and thoughtful captions to them.

Jane's favorite is the Dottie Boscamp hand blown oil bottles. Like me, Jane loves fresh french bread dipped in olive oil and some balsamic vinegar, so she really needs two bottles! Choosing her favorite colors will not be easy, each one is a combination of translucent swirls and splashes of rich color. Jane loves to paint tree frogs, so it wasn't surprising that our Yourkowski frogs came in as her second choice! You can never have too many frogs, especially if you are a single woman looking for a prince!

Last but not least, my choices! There is a small "tapas" painting that I just love, it was done by Ginny Chenet and is a scene from Mykonos. Greece is one of my most favorite places in the world, and just looking at this piece transports me there! If you haven't seen our new "Tapas" show of small paintings by our gallery artists, it is a must to put on your list of things to do. It is spectacular! My second favorite piece is a Starsong necklace of peacock round and keshi pearls. All of our Starsong jewelry is designed and made at the gallery using precious gems and pearls.

That's what's on our wish lists! How about sharing yours with us?


Have a wonderful weekend, hope to see you soon.

Kathleen