Lynn Wartski Writes about How the Literary and Visual Arts Entwine

Finding inspiration in one’s own back yard is quite often employed in the art world.  In the current show “It’s All About The Story” the artists of the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts are taking that both literally and literarily.

Michael Malone is among a number of well known authors who call the historic town of Hillsborough their home. The Hillsborough Gallery’s artists have used the southern women in his short story collection “Red Clay, Blue Cadillac” to provide color for their own palates – as inspiration for the work in the show.

“At first glance, ‘Femme’ is a painting of a silhouette of a woman standing before a window,” says painter Michelle Yellin. “Upon closer inspection, one sees that the figure, as well as the background, are made up of layers of texture and color. Like each of the 12 women for whom one of the stories in Red Clay, Blue Cadillac, is named, ‘Femme’ is much more than she appears to be.

Pam Isner’s “Freedom of the Road” is taken from Michael Malone’s short story entitled “Marie: Blue Cadillac.”  The sculptural piece has five layers of glass with images laminated between them. A blue Cadillac, purported to be a gift from Elvis, is the central image.

Potter Garry Childs applied local red clay to surface of his terra cotta vessels.  The impurities in the local clay became elements of texture, and bits of blue (violet) glaze recall Stella’s eyes from the story “Stella: Red Clay.”

Eric Saunders looked at Malone’s stories in a more general way, ” I think my image speaks of empowerment of women, or women looking for identity in their social context.” His piece, titled “Three Women,” shows them before a booth at the state fair.

“It’s All About The Story” runs through Sunday, March 24th at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts.  The show will close with a reading with Michael Malone on the 24th from 2 – 4pm. Come see these, and many more intriguing pieces, and hear the some of words that inspired the art.