Earthworks at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. - May 16, 2017 - PRLog -- Childs describes his technique, "All of my work is formed on the potter's wheel from terra-cotta clay. I apply glazes and pigments to my pots when they have reached a state potters call "leather-hard" which is when the clay has stiffened up enough to handle, but is not completely dry. I usually do this by spraying, but sometimes also with a brush. I then carve through the glaze into the still damp clay to achieve the various patterns seen on my work."

Graebner describes her inspiration for the show, "I love to drive, especially on long trips. Every summer we go to Northern Michigan – to Lake Huron. It's a trip I love, two days up and two days back, driving through gorgeous scenery, forests and farms. (It's amazing how many different types of barns there are!) Last summer, in addition to the trip to Michigan, we made a 3700 mile trip to South Dakota, returning home by way of Texas and Louisiana. As usual, I did most of the driving. Driving forces me to pay attention to everything around me and I'm always amazed by the beauty. Painting is my way of owning that beauty, so I greedily want to paint it all!  My husband, Brooks, is patient about taking photos with the cell phone as we sail past interesting things on the highway. Most of the paintings in this show are of places observed from the car, in our travels over the last year."

The work Lobe presents in Earthworks reflects her love and respect of nature. Lobe writes, "Hiking, working in the garden, daydreaming on mountains, or listening to the river gurgle over rocks assures me that even when things are bad, the good will rise again. Nature overcomes adversity. Whether it suffers from strip-mining, pollution, deforestation, or acid rain; the earth will rebound. New plants will seed a barren land allowing new plants to purify the air."

Lobe's medium of choice, cold wax and oil, lends itself perfectly to express the idea of evolution and renewal. It affords the opportunity to show a history of the painting by building up layers, obscuring what's beneath, and removing layers to reveal bits of past layers. It becomes a metaphor for a life that is a compilation of bits of past experiences. Her works in this show include cold wax & oil paintings, encaustics, and 3-D works.

Earthworks can be seen at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts May 22nd-June 25th. There will be an opening reception on Friday, May 26th from 6-9pm during Hillsborough's "Last Fridays" celebration.

The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts (HGA) is owned and operated by 22 local artists and represents these established artists exhibiting contemporary fine art and fine craft. HGA's offerings include acrylic and oil paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, textiles, jewelry, glass, metals, encaustic, enamel, and wood. 121 N. Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Phone: (919) 732-5001. The gallery is open 10am-6pm Monday-Thursday, 10am-9pm Friday and Saturday, and noon-4pm on Sunday. More information can be found on the HGA website: http://www.HillsboroughGallery.com