CAC Features Art by County Natives

The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County presents recent works by Marsha Chandler and Janet Deal during the month of April. The exhibit features more than 50 works by the two Douglas County – bred artists. The exhibition opens today and will be on view through April 26 at the Cultural Arts Center.

Hosted by the Douglas County Chamber Singers, the exhibition reception will be on Thursday, April 4 from 6 until 8 p.m., at the Cultural Arts Center. Pianist and music teacher of the Cultural Arts Center, Neil Pollock, will perform with a guest cellist Bobbe Jacobs-Toub. On Sunday, April 7, from 3 until 5 p.m., a special gallery talk and exhibition tour will be offered. Gallery admission, tour and reception are free and open to the general public.

Well-known local watercolorist Marsha Chandler will be contributing about 30 pieces to the exhibition: “I paint in a representational style, but I like to complicate my paintings with the distortions of reflections, refractions in glass and silver, and shadows that move in and out. I try to evoke a feeling of intimacy in the viewer and draw him or her into the intricacies of the painting to see and experience a new perspective or thought about the subject.” In her Atlanta studio, she creates unique still lifes that are bold, dramatic and express her love of detail and reflective objects. She finds subjects for her paintings in common objects that surround her daily — even a trip to the farmer's market for fruits and vegetables inspires her to paint.

Since becoming a full-time artist, Chandler has studied extensively and taken workshops with regionally and nationally known artists such as Mel Stabin, Christopher Schink, Sue Archer, Chris Krupinski and Judy Morris, among others. Her paintings have been accepted into numerous regional and national juried exhibits and have garnered numerous awards. In addition, she has had several solo shows. One of her outstanding achievements is the publication of a painting in Watercolor Artist magazine’s June 2013 issue. Chandler is an Advanced Merit Member of the Atlanta Artists Center, Signature Member of Watercolor Society of Alabama, Juried Member of Women Painters of the Southeast, Signature Member of the Georgia Watercolor Society, Juried Member of International Guild of Realism and Member of South Carolina Watercolor Society and Southern Watercolor Society. Currently she serves on the board of the Georgia Watercolor Society and is a former board member of the Atlanta Artists Center. Marsha is represented by Frameworks Gallery, Marietta, GA and Artelier Gallery, Charleston, SC. Her original works have been selected by Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ to be in their online gallery, Xanadu Studios.

Artist and CAC Curator Janet Deal will be exhibiting about 30 pastels and acrylics on paper for the April show. In 2010, Deal retired and started two art blogs expressing her interest in painting and crocheting. Deal has been painting for three years with her favorite mediums being pastels, watercolor and acrylic. Deal has found much of her inspiration in working with several teachers including Karen Margulis, Barbara Jaenicke, Ann Cockerill, Margaret Dyer, Jack Shields, Catherine Hills, Dr. Majid Ejlali, and Pat Fiorello. Deal is a member of the Southeastern Pastel Society, Georgia Watercolor Society and Douglas County Art Guild and has shown work at the Red Cockerill Gallery and the Cultural Arts Center.

Many of Deal’s works focus on flowers, fields and other natural spaces and objects. Her ability to layer, blend and manipulate pastels creates brilliant colors, like the ones in “Purple Wildflowers” that are truly dramatic. Deal also creates very interesting lighting and atmosphere in her art works. For example, “Shady Path” depicts a quaint path through a wooded area with sunlight pouring through the canopy of leaves above, while “Marsh Greens” shows a lush marsh filled with warm light.