Chapel Hill’s FRANK Gallery is kicking off 2014 with a new exhibit showcasing a diverse selection of locally based visual artists.
The exhibit, called “A New Season”, will feature the work of 11 professional artists from across different disciplines who worked with FRANK as either gallery members or consigning artists.
“It’s a really great, diverse show,” said Anita Wolfenden, a featured artist in the exhibit. “There’s everything — from painting to textiles, pottery, woodworking, even encaustics, which is where you use a layer of bees wax over a painting.”
Wolfenden is a consigning fiber artist with FRANK who works almost exclusively with paper. The exhibit will feature her collages as well as 3-D structures made from different kinds of paper.
“Paper is wonderful,” Wolfenden said. “You can do everything with paper. You can write on it, paint on it, glue it, shape it. It’s strong and can be structured in different ways … White paper I like especially, because when you use white only you eliminate everything that reminds people of anything else. If you shape it any way, there are always shadows, and it’s very three-dimensional looking.”
Of the 11 featured artists, two are current members of FRANK Gallery. However, several of the exhibit’s consigning artists are former gallery members coming back to participate in the show.
“What’s lovely about FRANK is that, well, it’s just an exceptional gallery,” said Michele Maynard, a featured artist and one of the gallery’s former founding members. “I’ve been to a lot of galleries around the country, and there’s really a great thoughtfulness behind the work at FRANK.”
Maynard is involved with both painting and textiles, and she has several of her paintings on display at the exhibit.
“I work intuitively when I paint. I don’t begin with a lot specific in mind,” Maynard said.
