Gallery 1250 director Jan Lukens said the theme of interiors in mid-winter resonated with him for a February opening. He said he reached out to several of his favorite artists that frequently address the subject of interiors, and put together a dynamic show of paintings, drawings, and mixed media artworks. Although he is not exhibiting in this show, Lukens paints full-time from his studio at Revolution Mill and is known primarily for his equestrian oil paintings and cityscapes.
“I am so excited about this show,” Lukens said. “We are setting a high bar for excellence in painting.”
Artist Tamie Beldue is a native of New York but has lived in Black Mountain since 2008, and her art is in several national museum collections. Beldue said she draws and works in a combination of graphite, watercolor, and charcoal and uses cold wax to seal and protect her drawings. She will have seven pieces in this exhibit dating from 2016-2020. Her inspiration behind this work comes from slightly different things, especially in her recent work, where interiors were constantly changing from day to day (during construction), along with the moving light. “I begin a drawing by dealing with the smaller parts, and when each part forms an image, I put all of the pieces together like a puzzle, and then it starts to make sense,” she said. Beldue will be in her third show at GreenHill this May and hopes to come to the ‘Interiors’ opening with “Greensboro becoming a happening place for the arts.” Julyan Davis is an oil painter who received his B.A. in painting and printmaking at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London. He hails from England but has lived in Asheville for 30 years, painting the American South and working in several national museum collections. Davis will have seven oil paintings in this show. He began painting interiors 15 years ago after painting a lot of architecture and urban scenes.
“I have empathy for people who feel trapped by their environment, and I think that comes across in my scenes of empty places, and in my ballad series,” Davis said.
On his website video, he gives advice to artists, “Whatever peculiar interests we have, it’s where they all meet that’s interesting. The goal is to bring them all together in one’s art.”
Geoffrey Johnson, of Winston-Salem, is a native of Greensboro. He received his BFA in painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His paintings are collected internationally and are in numerous corporate collections. He has had sold-out solo shows in New York City, Alexandria, Virginia, and Charlotte for 20 years. Johnson, who paints with oil, said he had been very fortunate in how his art keeps moving. He will be exhibiting four oil paintings all done within the year.
“My inspiration for some of this work comes from my travels with my wife to Savannah and our love of the old houses there and with it being such a moody place,” Johnson said. “Some of it comes from Charleston, and other cities, and some are completely made up and not even residential.”
Johnson said he might use a photograph as a take-off point, but mostly, he has worked out of his head for the last seven to eight years. He plans to attend the opening with his wife and manager, Edith.
Greensboro painter Sam Wade graduated from Weaver Academy with a concentration in music and moved to Nashville to explore the music scene. He became interested in art and studied at Middle Tennessee State University. Ten years later, Wade moved back to Greensboro in 2017 to start Foundry Studios & Gallery. Wade paints with oil exclusively and will have four new pieces in this show. His inspiration for this work comes from wanting to create an effect of “absurdity mixed with familiarity.”
“I start by scanning an old photograph into Photoshop where I manipulate, stretch and change the elements,” Wade said. “Then, I use the transformed image to paint on canvas by.” He is looking forward to being at the opening and showcasing of these new atmospheres to contrast the unusual “bizarre” portrait paintings he is known for.
Philip Link is a Greensboro artist who received his BFA in painting from UNCG. He has been painting professionally, off and on, since 1978. Link will have five pieces (three are new) that are primarily brush paintings with acrylic marker and charcoal accents.
“These paintings have more of a conceptual element that leaves something to the imagination, whereas my landscapes are more direct.” Link said his work is kind of a “divinely-led thing,” and he always starts with a prayer.
“The picture tells me what it needs, and I follow the lead as the messenger.” Link has exhibited in GreenHill recently and looks forward to the opening.