WILSON, N.C. — April 13, 2015 — Barton College’s artist-in-residence and North Carolina landscape artist J. Chris Wilson will present an illustrated lecture on the continuing landscape series that has been developed over the past 10 years on Thursday, April 23. As part of the Barton College Friends of Visual Arts (FOVA) Art Seminar Series, the lecture will be held in the Barton Art Galleries on the campus of Barton College from 4 to 5 p.m. A reception will follow at 5 p.m. The lecture is open to the public at no charge, and the community is invited to attend. This lecture will be the final presentation in Wilson’s series as artist-in-residence.
Wilson currently has nearly 35 paintings on long-term exhibition in three significant state buildings in the Capital District in Raleigh. The paintings are from a major series of large-scale scenic North Carolina landscapes “From Murphy to Manteo—An Artist’s Scenic Journey,” which are on exhibit at the Museum of History, the State Library of North Carolina, and the House of Representatives Chamber in the North Carolina Legislative Building. Wilson is the first artist to have paintings featured in the House of Representatives Chamber.
A number of Wilson’s works were recently featured in the 2015 Charleston Symphony Orchestra League Designer Showhouse from March 19-April 19. His work was the subject of a feature article in the March 2013 issue of “Our State” magazine, and his historic home and art were featured in the August 2013 issue of “Salt Magazine.” The artist was featured on UNC-TV’s “Our State” program and in episode two of a five-part documentary series focusing on “The U.S. East Coast” produced by Vidicom Media of Hamburg, Germany, and co-produced with ARTE and SWR Fernsehen. The production, which aired on the French-German cultural channel ARTE, is a series about the people and the shores stretching from Florida to Maine.
In the recent past, Wilson and his North Carolina painting series were featured on WRAL’s “Tar Heel Traveler” and “WTVD’s Heart of Carolina Perspectives.” His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the Southeast, and his art is also represented in numerous public and private collections in the United States, especially in the Southeast, and in England, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
Wilson has been involved in symposia, community presentations, and publications on art, decorative arts, and historic preservation, and he has engaged in extensive community service throughout his professional career, currently serving on the Wilmington Historic Preservation Commission and the Blount Bridgers House/Hobson Pittman Memorial Foundation.
Originally from Waycross and St. Simons Island, Ga., Wilson earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia, where he also completed post-graduate work, with Lamar Dodd as his major professor. Wilson served on the faculty of Barton College from 1974-2012, and received professor emeritus recognition following retirement. He has been Barton College’s first artist-in-residence from fall 2012 through spring 2015. Wilson makes his home in Wilmington with his wife, Kathleen, and has two adult children: a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Singleton.
For additional information about the artist or to view Wilson’s work, please visit www.jchriswilson.com.
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