“Troubling Beauty” showcases original paintings and hand cut paper collages on view at the Lee Gallery at the Clemson University Center for Visual Arts with a artist talk and closing reception Feb. 8.

Culling through scattered memories of the past and current experiences with her daughters, Yvette Cummings art explores the complicated path of youth, beauty, femininity and transitions from childhood into self-awareness.

“Yvette’s work is provocative and dynamic referencing human development in a world filled with paradoxes and complexities,” said Director Woodward-Detrich.

Her use of strong and brightly colored backdrops and decorative motifs draws the viewer into a world that is both overpowering and disarming. Juxtaposed to the backgrounds are innocent exchanges between various figures that evoke a tenuous uncertainty. The relationship between these moments presented in the work and the artist skill at painting, present complex and emotional paradoxes for the viewer.

“This body of work is perfect to showcase on a university campus as it poses important questions about society, social expectations and boundaries for all to ponder,” said Woodward-Detrich.

Originally, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Cummings currently lives in Conway, South Carolina where she teaches at Coastal Carolina University. She received a master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning, where she was the recipient of the Wolfstein Travel Fellowship to Spain. She taught as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina (USC) Department of Art in Columbia, S.C. and was awarded the Stephen J. Dalton Teacher of the Year from USC in 2011.

The commitment of the Lee Gallery at the Clemson University Center for Visual Arts continues to support the university’s Clemson Forward strategic plan to provide educational activities that expose students to research through artistic means.

There will be an artist gallery talk and closing reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8. The artist talk and reception are free and open the public. For more information about this exhibit, contact Lee Gallery Director, Denise Woodward-Detrich at woodwaw@clemson.edu.