Current Season

Bianca Thurman: Construction, Destruction and Re-growth

Virginia Graves Retrospective

14th Annual Scholastic Art Exhibition

The Wall - Berlin Wall Photography

Barton Senior Art Exhibition 1992

Bianca Thurman: Construction, Destruction and Re-growth

August-September, 1991

Virginia Graves Retrospective

October, 1991

Barton College is pleased to present a retrospective exhibition of paintings by Virginia Graves. The faculty and staff of the Fine Arts Department extend a warm welcome to all those who come to the gallery to view this outstanding exhibit.

The sixty paintings in this exhibit are merely a few of some one hundred paintings that could have been shown. Virginia Graves however makes no apologies for the countless paintings that lean against the wall and furniture of her Wilson home.

“I take my cue from Francis and Sarah Speight,” said Mrs. Graves in reference to the late artist and his wife. “He never apologized for having paintings laying all over the place, because he said they were the most important thing in the world to him, and that nothing meant more.”

Anyone doubting that Mrs. Graves shares the same sentiment about her work can easily see this to be fact by taking a look at the paintings of this retrospective exhibition.

“Love, bright, joyful,” is all Mrs. Graves uses to describe her work, a delightful mixture of still life, portrait and master study. A personal touch is evident in all of her work, even the master studies.

“I don’t do them literally,” she said. “I gussy them up a little bit.”

When asked how she got her start in painting nearly 50 years ago, Mrs. Graves draws a comparison with Winston Churchill. “He took up painting after he was 40,” said Mrs. Graves. “He said there was no going back and learning from the beginning. Churchill said you should just go ahead and paint for the joy of it. He had a whole house full of paintings.”

And so does Mrs. Graves. But this retrospective exhibit includes not only a number of her personal paintings but also many that hanging in the home of numerous friends and family members.

It was very early in her painting career when Mrs. Graves began a longstanding relationship with the art department of the former Atlantic Christian College. She was a good friend of Perry Case, for whom the art building is named, and a student under Russell Arnold and Chris Wilson.

“Chris Wilson was teaching me, and I could see he had hope for me in his eyes,” said Mrs. Graves. “I was doing a painting of the chapel, and it was the first time he had shown any hope for me. I don’t’ think he thought I was anything exceptional, but he thought I could have a go of it.”

She took every course for credit and had enough hours for a degree, but having already graduated from Women’s College (now UNC-Greensboro), she had another reason for not just auditing the classes. “I took those classes for credit,” said Mrs. Graves, “Because I knew that if I didn’t, every time someone said let’s go somewhere, I’d go.”

Edward Brown, Gallery Director, extends his appreciation to Virginia Graves and to those who assisted in organizing this exhibition: J. Chris Wilson, Lisa Anderson, Russell Rawlings, Jackie Harris, Tony Tilley, Mary Edmundson, Frieda Pruitt, and all of the many lenders who were willing to share Virginia’s painting with us for all to enjoy.

14th Annual Scholastic Art Exhibition

January, 1991

The Wall - Berlin Wall Photography

March, 1992

Barton Senior Art Exhibition 1992

Aoril, 1992