WILSON, N.C. — Barton College artist-in-residence J. Chris Wilson will be hosting a painting demonstration in his Wilmington studio on July 19 and 20. The demonstration will take place from 10 a.m. – Noon and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. each day. Participants may attend any part or the entire two-day event. Wilson will begin a painting on Friday and complete the painting by the end of the scheduled demonstration on Saturday. Participants will be observing the process as Wilson develops a painting from beginning to conclusion. He will explain each step and take time to answer questions while he is painting. This is the first of several artist-in-residence events scheduled for the 2013-2014 Barton College academic year.
Participants must register for the demonstration with Bonnie LoSchiavo at 252-399-6477 or email: [email protected]. There is no charge for the demonstration, and participants will receive directions to Wilson’s studio at the time of registration. Registration may be limited.
The theme of the painting for this workshop will be the North Carolina scenic landmark of the Bald Head Island lighthouse and its scenic environment on the Cape Fear River as well as the creeks that crisscross Smith Island. Affectionately known as Old Baldy, the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina was built in 1817 and remains, for many, one of North Carolina’s scenic treasures. A 22” high by 34” wide oil on canvas, the painting will be a preliminary study for a larger version that will be painted later as a part of Wilson’s major series of large-scale scenic North Carolina landscapes, “From Murphy to Manteo — An Artist’s Scenic Journey.”
About 30 of Wilson’s North Carolina scenic landscapes are currently being showcased in The House of Representatives Chamber in the North Carolina Legislative Building, the North Carolina Museum of History, the State Library of North Carolina, and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, all in Raleigh.
Currently an artist-in-residence at Barton College, Wilson served on the faculty of the College from 1974-2012. Upon his retirement from full-time teaching, he was awarded professor emeritus status in 2012. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia. Wilson has been involved in symposia, community presentations, and publications on art, decorative arts, and historic preservation, and has engaged in extensive community service.
Wilson will have an exhibition of works, studies, sketches, and drawings from the series at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science Nature Gallery from September 6 – 30. His work has been represented and featured in galleries across the state and was the subject of a feature article in the March issue of “Our State” magazine. Wilson will be featured in the upcoming season on UNC-TV’s “Our State” program and in a documentary about the East Coast of the United States produced for German and French television.
His work has been shown in galleries and museums throughout the Southeast. Wilson’s work is also in numerous public, corporate, and private collections in the Southeast, England, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
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