The Durham Arts Council offers visual arts enthusiasts a chance to view quality works ranging from established painters to up and coming artists. Its two newest exhibits feature paintings by three different artists-Nancy McCallum, Mark Brown and Mario Marzan-each of whom focuses on a different theme.
The first exhibit, entitled Atmospheric Disturbances, solely features the work of local artist Nancy McCallum who was chosen through last year's DAC Call for Artists out of a pool of over 100 local and nationwide artists.
McCallum's collection focuses on water, clouds and the sky. Originally a native of Michigan, her paintings now reflect her fixation with her new home on a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina.
"In particular I sought to capture the sense of a fluctuating, fragile world in the static medium of oil paint," she said.
Some of McCallum's creations are simplistic and abstract, such as "Time and Tide," a painting which depicts an ocean wave bordered on either side by iconic clouds in three adjacent blocks. Others, like "Shadowland," are more concrete landscapes.
Force Field and Weather Patterns Paintings is the complementary exhibit and features art by Mark Brown and Mario Marzan. The two artists are featured together because they are co-recipients of the annual DAC Emerging Artist Grant.
Brown's works are without exception abstract and are built upon a peculiar construct of lines and austerity. Modernist in nature, these creations are constrained by sharp edges and are devoid of color. Brown's goal is not to serve up a visually sensual product, but rather to examine our reality.
"Though not an adherent of minimalism or geometric abstraction, I synthesize elements of those aesthetic strategies to produce a unique and authentic vision," Brown said.
Brown's works are organized in the same order as they appear in his greater Winterreise series-a layout that underscores the desolation and bleakness represented in his paintings.
Similarly interpretive, Marzan's artwork also resonates with power, but in this case it is suggestive of natural phenomena. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, his work is strongly inspired by hurricanes.
"I create drawings and sculptures depicting an alternative reality, invented and inspired by the cycles of deconstruction and reconstruction produced by hurricanes," he said.
Unlike Brown's black and white portrayals, Marzan's paintings are bright and colorful. The colors vividly contrast with one another, flowing and converging in a style reminiscent of Salvador Dali.
Atmospheric Disturbances is currently featured in the Allenton Gallery and Force Field and Weather Patterns Paintings is located in the Semans Gallery at the Durham Arts Council. Both exhibits will be open to the public until May 11.
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