'Voice of the Prophets' by Jeff Chapman-Crane
Glenville, WV - The paintings of Appalachian artist Jeff Chapman-Crane are on exhibit in the Fine Arts Gallery at Glenville State College through October 31st.
Chapman-Crane is a full-time professional artist from the southern Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, where he has lived and practiced his art for thirty years. His art focuses on the culture of Appalachia with an emphasis on portraits of mountain people. "At a young age, I was influenced by some of the negative stereotypes of the life and the people of Appalachia. Through my paintings, I am trying to portray a more honest picture of the culture of Appalachia," said Chapman-Crane.
The only formal training Chapman-Crane received was his four years of high school art classes with a teacher who encouraged him to pursue his passion for painting. His painting use water color, egg tempera, and gouache mediums.
GSC's Dr. Bob Henry Baber (left) with artist Jeff Chapman-Crane
"We are honored to have Jeff Chapman-Crane's stunningly realistic paintings here at GSC for his first full and long overdue exhibit here in West Virginia. Jeff is widely known and respected throughout Appalachia, and particularly in Kentucky and Tennessee, both for the breadth of his work and for his efforts on behalf of the environment," said Dr. Bob Henry Baber, GSC Major Gifts Officer.
His work has been featured in American Artist magazine, and he is a four-time finalist in the Artists Magazine's annual portrait competition. He was the illustrator for the children's book 'Ragsale', which won Best in Show at the 1995 New England Bookfair. His paintings have hung in the J.N. Bartfield Gallery in New York City as well as the Phyllis Weston Gallery in Philadelphia. One of his paintings has been chosen for the cover of the program for the prestigious16th Annual Festival of Faith in Louisville, Kentucky.
Together with his wife, Sharman, and son, Evan, Jeff operates the Valley of the Winds Art Gallery in Eolia, Kentucky, where works by all three Chapman-Cranes can be seen. The gallery hosts an annual festival on the third Saturday of June featuring live music, poetry readings, and other events.
The Jeff Chapman-Crane exhibit in the GSC Fine Arts Gallery is open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and is also open one hour prior to all special events in the Fine Arts Building.
A closing reception will be held in the GSC Fine Arts Gallery on Halloween, Monday, October 31 from 5-7 p.m. to meet Jeff and his wife Sharman. Those who attend may dress up like their favorite artist, a character or figure from the world of art, or may adorn their faces in genres such as cubism, abstract impressionism, pointillism, impressionism, etc. to be eligible for a chance to win a first-place prize print valued at $150 and additional valuable prints for second and third place winners.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Sheri Skidmore at (304)462-6340.
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