Martinsville, Virginia

Blog

“Psychodrama” and “Vita Brevis” Opening at Piedmont Arts

New exhibits featuring work by artists Scott Eagle and Gerry Bannan will be on display at Piedmont Arts January 13 – March 3, 2018.

Titled Psychodrama, Eagle’s exhibit explores psychological turmoil and his own introspective struggles. 

"I am an object and image maker,” said Eagle. “I use objects and imagery in the same way that writers use words or musicians use sound, as a communicative medium. More specifically, I use images to represent ideas and issues that I am dealing with in my day to day life.” 

Eagle serves as the assistant director of the School of Art and Design, director of graduate studies and associate professor of painting and drawing at East Carolina University. His paintings and illustrations have been exhibited and reproduced internationally. Publications featuring his work include, The Oxford American, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Juxtapoz and numerous books. He was selected by Creative Quarterly Magazine as one of their top 100 creatives for 2013. 

In Vita Brevis, Bannan creates a feast for the eyes with his lushly sensuous series of large-scale drawings, hearkening back to 16th and 17th century Northern European still life genre painting.

“My goal is to arrest the viewer with wonder and draw them near through curiosity,” said Bannan. "I want to slow the viewer down and slow down the entire art experience. Time is needed for imagery to penetrate the mind where connections are forged and significance of meaning can be derived.” 

Bannan earned a BFA in printmaking from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and an MFA in painting from Pratt Institute. After several years living in Brooklyn, New York, he moved to Roanoke, Virginia where he currently resides. He has been a professor of fine art at Patrick Henry Community College since 1994.

Works by woodturner Terry Mitchell will be on display in the Box Mezzanine Gallery. A native of Henry County, Virginia, Mitchell is locally and regionally renowned for his fine, exotic wood pieces created using natural bark edges and unusual forms. He works out of Studio 107 in Uptown Martinsville. 

Works by John Christian will be on display in the Lynwood Artists Gallery.

Piedmont Arts will host a Members-Only Reception in honor of these exhibits on Friday, January 12 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the museum. Piedmont Arts members, prospective members, artists and guests are invited to attend. This reception is sponsored by Lucy Coleman, Jane Iten, Shar and Greg Peitz, Lynn and Noel Ward and Lynwood Artists. Please RSVP attendance to 276.632.3221 or online at PiedmontArts.org.