In-Town Gallery Presents “The Fabric Of Our Lives”

  • Wednesday, September 5, 2018

In-Town Gallery features “The Fabric of Our Lives,” a showing of oil paintings by Gay M. Arthur examining the way we weave a portrait of ourselves in simple everyday things.

"Worn and ordinary items, such as an apron or an old pair of work boots, can tell us who we are as individuals and in doing so, show us how our present evolves from our past," officials said. 

Mr. Arthur’s work will be on display for the month of September with an opening reception Friday, Sept. 7 from 5-8 p.m.  In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave., offers contemporary art and fine craft by 34 local and regional artists.

Bio of the artist:

Gay M. Arthur was born in New York, raised in San Francisco and Philadelphia, and after a 25-year career as a dental hygienist, she fulfilled a lifelong dream by graduating from UTC in 2003 with a BFA in painting and drawing. She has since launched a second career here in Chattanooga as a successful artist.  

During art school, she watched the demolition of a building near the UTC campus, witnessing how it had been used over many years by many people. From that time, she began to examine how people and things intersect and shape each other. She has found this idea to reveal much about the the world around her, and in previous paintings she has looked at, among other things, old cars, toys and even the derelict Wheland Foundry. 

“This theme of nostalgia,” Ms. Arthur says, “has been the basis for much of my art throughout my career.  For this show I wanted to explore the fabrics and textures that are woven into our lives. These fabrics represent not only our own story, but those of others. Through these objects, I seek to tell the stories of the people who have shaped our lives, our loves and our country, with their sacrifice, hard work and constancy. I’m drawn to things like the colorful apron grandmother wore in the kitchen (“Grandma’s Apron”) or grandpa’s boots showing a life of hard toil (‘Old Work Boots”). For me these are just a few examples of how we wrap ourselves in the memories of our past and cherish the present.”

Ms. Arthur unfolds her ideas about past and present in paintings that utilize space, shape and color to evoke the "personality" of objects as she explores their social meanings. “Regardless of what I paint,” Ms. Arthur says, “I’m always drawn to geometric shapes, converging lines and the interplay of cast shadow and penetration of light.” 

An example of how she utilizes this approach is found in her painting, “American Flag Tribute”. The placement of each element is carefully thought through to create a powerful image. In this work, Ms. Arthur, who describes herself as patriotic by nature, focuses the viewer’s eye on primary shapes that stand boldly against a simple background. Largest and most central is the folded flag. But the flag is held in two pairs of hands, one gloved and one not, which suggest our roles as individuals (the ungloved hands) and the institutions that shape our lives (the gloved hands). The folded flag being passed between them reminds the viewer of sacrifice and its social implications. Bold colors, large and primary, combine with the shapes of the hands and the triangle of the flag to convey the notion of transition as the eye travels across the painting.

Ms. Arthur shows her subjects against a loosely painted and undefined background and invites her viewers to enter into to the moment with their own stories. She wants the viewer to pick the location or situation that speaks most powerfully to them. Ms. Arthur’s is a world where even blue jeans hanging on a clothesline (“Blue Jeans on the Line”) have a story to tell for those who would see it. 

Keenly aware of the intersection of past and present, in “The Fabric of Our Lives,” Ms. Arthur has created a set of paintings that explore multiple facets of times and places in our lives. She creates layers of meaning in what at first would appear to be simple images of the everyday. Or as she says, she simply seeks “to explore our past in paint.” 

“The Fabric of Our Lives” will run through the end of September.  

In-Town Gallery is open 7 days a week, 1-6 p.m. Monday - Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday, and offers a wide range of art and fine craft from 34 artists, including paintings in many media, dyed silks scarves and shawls, sculpture, pottery and handcrafted wood items.  Also on display are works in stained glass and handmade jewelry. In-Town Gallery also has a section dedicated to fine art photography.

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