Check out Clemson Alumna, Elizabeth Snipes, MFA ’07 works on exhibit in Uptown Pickens from now until March 9. Also, be sure to go enjoy the “3rd Friday” festivities from 6 to 9 pm tonight! http://www.courtstreetgallery.net/blog/
Elizabeth Snipes is originally from Pickens, South Carolina. She attended Furman University, where she received her BA in Studio Art in 2003. She then attended Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy, where she received her Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in painting. She earned her MFA from Clemson University in 2007 and taught as Assistant Professor of Art in the painting and drawing area at Missouri State University before beginning her current position as Assistant Professor of Art at Lander University. There, she teaches undergraduate Painting & Drawing courses and Master’s of Art in Teaching (MAT) graduate courses.
Elizabeth’s interest in the subject of the human figure is the commonality in all of her work. Through a combination of expressive mark-making, gestural sketching, blind contour drawing, painting from direct observation, and painting from mediated images, she presents the figure in a state of flux. Each individual depicted seems to fluctuate between being recognizable and confusing, present and absent, familiar and foreign, representational and abstract, and, at times, physical and digital. She believes that presenting the figure in this way reflects the complex nature of interacting with people and places in the twenty-first century.
Most recently, her paintings have appeared at Gallery 825 in Los Angeles, Cincinnati’s Manifest Gallery’s INPA: International Painting Annual Competition, the Lower Adirondack Regional Art Council in Glens Falls, NY, and at the Riverworks Gallery in Greenville, SC.
She and her husband Wes Rochester happily reside in Greenwood, SC.
Artist Statement
My understanding of self and my relationship to others stems from the sensitive perception of moments in time, which are characterized by physical, psychological, or social stimuli. In the artwork for this exhibit, I represent these moments through implied and actual painted and drawn edges in a variety of media, which occur within and around each figure. The stylistic, formal and/or material shifts created by these edges cause the figure(s) to fluctuate between recognizable and confusing, present and absent, familiar and foreign, representational and abstract, static and dynamic, redundant and altogether incomplete, and at times physical and digital. To me, each of these edges represents the physical, psychological, philosophical, and social aspects of human introspection and interaction.
Each painting or drawing was inspired by my self-conscious analysis of specific intrapersonal and interpersonal moments. These include reflections on my own sense of self as well as the people around me, the nature of human relationships, the challenges of interpersonal communication, the simultaneity of contemporary human interaction, the persistence of memory, and the passage of time.
Having grown up in Pickens, it is my sincerest pleasure to share this work with the community that has encouraged my artistic and professional development. I am thrilled to be invited to contribute to the cultural life of my hometown. I welcome your thoughts, comments, and questions.
