NOTE: Click on artwork to enlarge images.

By Amy Williams with Charly Jupiter Hamilton
One of the things I miss about living in a big city like Washington, D.C. is the variety of art - museums and galleries. Thanks to the efforts of Mark Moore, Gallery Director and Assistant Professor of Art and Design at the University of Charleston, a wide variety of artists have been shown in the gallery this academic year. Moore continues his prolific gallery shows with a new exhibit by The National League of American Pen Women. The exhibit opened recently with 60-plus works by more than 20 female artists.

The League began in 1897 when women were excluded from exhibitions and as a way to bring together female journalists, authors, and illustrators.

The exhibit features a variety of mediums - watercolor, acrylic, collage, fiber art, and oil - and an even wider variation in prices. Some works start at $75 and others sell for more than $2,400, making this a good exhibit for beginning and more advanced collectors.

We found some real gems, including “Rejoice” (see first image), an artist’s proof dry point print of the Madonna and Jesus by Kathy Boland. Drawn to both religious art and sketches, this immediately drew both of our attention. Boland, who also has an interest in religious art and imagery says: “Older images carry a lot of meaning, they’re not just surface.”

“From a Distance,” (second image at right) by artist Carol Toth was another eye catcher. Both the color used in the mixed media piece and the figurative imagery made the piece a standout at the show. “I kept walking back around to see the painting from a distance,” says Charly, “it looked Egyptian in Putnam County with an Easter Island Head falling backward.”

Another refreshing piece was a monoprint by Pat Workman called “Tiger.” “It looked like a dog to me,” says Charly, “and I thought: Hey, maybe she didn’t have a tiger around so she used her dog as a model. I use my dog as a model for a lack of women around.”

With the recent coal miner tragedy, Pat Robert’s assemblages in the New River Gorge Series were touching. John Stone talked of how the pieces, made of rusted parts and paint, were so interesting and lovely in their technique.

Laura Wilk had several pieces in the exhibit and Charly especially liked the three-piece collage collection, “Mountaintop,” “Untitled,” and “Butterflies.” “They remind me of a Jackson Pollock painting, and even of my drop cloths,” said Charly affectionately.

Another treasure was Carolyn Cavendish’s “February Fantasy.” It’s not something either of us would have expected to be drawn to, an aerial view with buildings, water and boats… yet it reminded us of a 1950s postcard vacation scene with excellent illustrative work. Plus, Nancy Gunnoe’s folk art, and works by Betty Warner, Sonja Adkins, and over 20 other artists make a jaunt to UC a worthwhile artistic endeavor.

“Many of the artists are breaking new ground, and I find that exciting and unexpected,” says Moore. Charly adds, “I overhear how Mark Moore hung the 63 pieces in the gallery. There’s a lot of greens and blues and water and he’s got it flowing. Rough from sanding wood, I felt like a month old pretzel walking around in a lovely bag.”

If You Go: The Pen Women exhibit runs through Jan. 27. For more information on the League, check out: www.americanpenwomen.org

By Amy J. Williams

What separates people who collect things from people who don’t? It isn’t money, because a lot of people I know who struggle financially still collect all kinds of things. Then, there are people with loads of dough who collect zip! With due respect to the spiritual view of not attaching to things, it seems that as I mature artistically I also want to collect things.

While some hoard their possessions, I have always been one to dispose of items. My mom gave away all my childhood Barbies and toys. With each relationship break-up or move in my life, everything (or almost everything) goes. I can be sentimental, but often I just don’t want to keep more “stuff.” Yet at the ripe old age of 44, I’ve realized that “stuff” is exactly what artists need. “Stuff” can include toys from vintage vending machines, old wooden frames from the antique store or pictures cut from cards and magazines… all the ingredients in producing art.

I have come to realize that my Zen-ish desire to live with nothingness is incongruent with my desire to create strange and (I hope) interesting pieces of art. Edward Gorey, the illustrator and writer of so many interesting books, had plenty of “stuff.” The book, “Elephant House,” which chronicles his untouched house after his death, shows all kinds of collections - rocks, irons, frogs, books, and more. I felt better after looking at all his belongings, piled hither and yon. My house could look like this if I tried (but I would leave out the smell of kitty litter that visitors could always get a whiff of).

Collecting just to collect is unpleasant consumerism that is foolish and unfruitful. But recycling old items and recreating them into sculptures in your home or art pieces to give to friends is fun and even good for the environment. Shopping at vintage stores, flea markets, and antique stores gives artists and art loves a plethora of options for fun and often inexpensive items to collect.

I’ve started collecting chalk fruit to hang in the kitchen and doodads for my homemade voodou dolls. So, what are you collecting?