On Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, the Center for the Arts, an art gallery here in York County, held a reception unveiling their annual Dalton Gallery, which presents art created by members of the Arts Council of York County.
The reception was filled with artists who came to see their own and fellow artists’ work presented, along with family and friends.
Artist and Winthrop alumna Joanna Henry titled her piece, “Muddled”, which she painted with acrylic on canvas.
“I majored in painting and ceramics. So when it comes to painting, I’m really into figurative work as well as abstract,” Henry said. “I mainly focus on colors and lines. And with ceramics, I want to make something useful and not just there as an ornament.”
Henry created her piece when she was going through a difficult time in her life.
“My style ebbs and flows depending on what I’m going through at the moment. And the piece in this show currently, I actually made that at a time when I was experiencing a family loss,” Henry said, “And it is really steeped in the emotions I was feeling. It is titled ‘Muddled’, so there’s no clear figure behind it, but it is more focused on the colors that represent those feelings and emotions I was going through.”
Henry has nothing but praise for the York County Center for the Arts for letting her showcase her work.
“This is my second or third time showing at the art council,” Henry said. “Overall my experience showcasing my work in Rock Hill has been a good journey. The community here is close knit and really supportive, especially Mike Gentry, who’s the gallery director. He’s been top-tier in being able to provide myself and other artists with the opportunity to showcase their work at other venues. It’s been really good being a part of the community here.”
Another artist who was presenting was Cathy Flynn, who had painted a portrait of houses on Red River Road here in Rock Hill, which is also the title of her piece.
“I chose this piece to present because it was of Rock Hill,” Flynn said. “You know it was the largest one I made and I was sure that people would recognize these houses and this road and would be able to like that connection.”
For Flynn, there was nothing special about the location she chose. She is just drawn to architectural paintings, which inspires her work.
“I just have a thing about painting houses, and I don’t know why,” Flynn said. “I just enjoy homes and I think everyone can relate to that.”
During the reception, viewers noticed how lifelike her work was, and Flynn admitted she does her best to make it realistic, given her art is modeled after real-life scenery.
“My art is kind of stylized realism,” Flynn said. “Some people like their realism art absolutely photographic. The truth is, I don’t think I could do that. I like to add my own touch to it.”
Artist Myles Calvert, also a current assistant professor of fine arts at Winthrop, titled his art “Vessel” in which he painted a turquoise pitcher for his piece.
“I’m a print-making professor at Winthrop, and I gravitate towards 2-D processes that may be screen printing or etching, and I’m always pulling in color theory,” Calvert said. “And most of my work has universally recognizable objects such as vessels, wooden spoons or footstools.”
Calvert gravitates toward making art of recognizable objects to improve students’ craft constantly. It is also to remind them never to get too comfortable or stuck on something no matter how simple it may first appear.
“It’s all about fully investigating a subject and not just bouncing one idea to another idea,” Calvert said. “It’s like this fluid motion, like you’re never fully done with one idea. There’s always a second, third, fourth, fifth way of approaching something.”
This exhibition is free and open to the public for viewing from Jan. 12-Feb. 11, 2023. Art is also available for purchase, and prices vary for each work.
