By Staff
special to The Star
Aug. 31, 2003
The Meridian Museum of Art is set to open two new exhibits by Southern artists Brian Thompson and Christopher Payne.
A reception for "Ignoring the Divine: Recent Work by Brian Thompson and Christopher Payne" will be Saturday from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the museum.
The reception is not only the kick-off for the exhibits, it's also part of a special evening of art and music presented by the museum and the Meridian Symphony Orchestra.
The gallery talks will begin at 6:30 p.m., beginning with presentations by the two artists themselves.
They will be followed by Meridian Community College art instructor John Marshall, who will talk about Walter Anderson and his work.
Following Marshall, MSO conductor Dr. Claire Fox Hillard and guest pianist Stanislav Iuodenitch will speak about the concert to follow, explaining the pieces to be performed and answering questions from the audience.
Artist Thompson
Thompson hales from Deatsville, Ala.
His drawings, pastels and mixed media works have been featured in solo exhibits at the Durham Arts Council; Louisburg College; the Center Gallery at the Arts Center in Carrboro, N.C.; Huntingdon College in Montgomery; Telfair Peet Theatre in Auburn; and Biggin Gallery in Auburn.
His work has also been featured in more than 60 group shows and competitions throughout the country including those in Wisconsin, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi where he is a two-time award winner in the MMA's own Bi-State Art Competition.
Writing about his work Thompson said: "My life-size figure drawings dramatize pure emotion. I use a subtractive method to render the figure that is based on imagination, rather than working directly from the figure. Even though the figures are nude they are generally asexual, accentuating inner moods rather than external sexuality."
Thompsons drawings are similar to photographic negatives in that they are dark figures on black backgrounds.
Artist Payne
Payne is an associate professor of art at Huntingdon College.
His sculptural work has been featured in solo and two-person exhibits at the Armory Learning Art Center Gallery; the Center for Cultural Arts in Gadsden, Ala.; Clayton Stapes Gallery in Wichita, Kan.; and Telfair Peet in Auburn.
His work has been in nearly 70 invitational exhibits and juried competitions, including the SceneUnseen National Juried Exhibition in Portales, N.M.; All-Media in Cedar City, Utah; the National Print and Drawing Exhibition in Buffalo, N.Y.; Object D'Art in Indianapolis, Ind.; Art With a Southern Drawl in Mobile; and the MMA's Bi-State Art Competition
Payne said he values imagined worlds.