Area artists to participate in "Books and Brushes" at Lenoir-Rhyne College

Eddie Hamrick

Noyes Capehart Long

David Merck

Norma Suddreth

Dottie McHugh

Susan Powers

Carol Turner

Pat Pilkington

Eight artists from Western North Carolina, including a woodworker and two sculptors, will participate in the “Books and Brushes” event at Lenoir-Rhyne College’s Rudisill Library on Sept. 15.

The Friends of the Rudisill Library event will feature an evening of fine food and an opportunity to meet the artists. Work by the artists will be for sale, and 25 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Rudisill Library. Tickets are $35 each and should be reserved by Sept. 8.

This year’s artists include master woodworker Eddie Hamrick, sculptor and novelist Noyes Capehart Long, sculptor and painter David Merck, and painters Norma Suddreth, Dottie McHugh, Susan Powers, Carol Turner and Pat Pilkington.

Eddie Hamrick, 50, is a Newton native who has received numerous state and national awards for his furniture and woodcarvings. He graduated from Newton-Conover High School, studied in the Furniture Program of Catawba Valley Community College and developed his skills at several area furniture companies.

He also studied at the John C. Campbell Folk School and took master violin maker classes from German master violin maker Alfred Michels in Crossnore, N.C. Hamrick also completed an apprenticeship in 18th Century Cabinetmaking at Colonial Williamsburg.

He has received two Governor’s Business Awards in Arts and Humanities, one from Gov. James G. Martin and one from Gov. James B. Hunt. He was chosen N.C. Official Craftsman by the Department of Travel and Tourism in 1990. He was chosen as Artist in Residence by the Catawba County Council for the Arts and received the Governor’s Medal at the N.C. Juried Exhibition of Craftsmen at the N.C. Museum of History.

Hamrick has been featured on “Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt” and “Carolina Camera.” His work has been displayed at numerous galleries, including the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian, the N.C. Museum of Art and the Richmond Museum of Art. He has been an instructor at the John C. Campbell Folk School. Hamrick’s studio is currently housed in Twisted Tree Studio and Gallery in downtown Hickory.

Noyes Capehart Long was born in 1933 in Nashville, Tenn., and grew up nearby. He attended the University of the South (Sewanee) before transferring to Auburn University, where he earned a degree in illustration. He earned a master’s degree in printmaking from The University of Missouri. In 1969, he joined the faculty at Appalachian State University and remained there until his retirement in 1997.

Long has exhibited at the regional, state and national levels for nearly 50 years. His work has been shown at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City; The Brooklyn Museum; The Mint Museum in Charlotte and The N.C. Museum in Raleigh.

In addition to his involvement in art, he has written a number of short stories, the novel “Potato Eaters” and novella “Ghenna’s Child.” He recently published “The Private Diary of Noyes Capehart.” He will autograph his book at the event.

David Merck is a North Carolina artist who has been painting and sculpting professionally for nearly 10 years. He specializes in decorative painting and large-scale murals. While developing a body of bronze sculpture, Merck has modeled clay for more established sculptors including Jon Hair, Grace Parker Napper and Tom Clark. Merck studied commercial art at Gaston College in Dallas, N.C., and spent 15 years in the graphic arts business before pursuing a full-time career as an artist.

Norma Suddreth of Lenoir earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She has also pursued graduate studies at several other colleges and has studied at the Penland School of Arts & Crafts in Penland, N.C.; Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tenn.; and St. Michael’s Institute & School of Sacred Arts in Mystic, Conn.

The Norma S. Suddreth Merit Award was named in her honor in recognition of her work as chair/co-chair/fundraiser for the national annual Sculpture Celebration in Lenoir. Suddreth is represented by galleries in North Carolina and South Carolina. She currently has studios in Blowing Rock and Lenoir.

Dottie McHugh was a dramatics major at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. After moving east, she took a number of drawing and painting classes. In 1980, she returned to Oxford, Ohio, where she took college art classes and studied with prominent area watercolorists. In 1996, she retired to Hickory, where she was encouraged by the strong artistic community. She has now begun expressing herself in other media, including acrylics and oils.

McHugh’s paintings have won numerous critical reviews through juried contests, exhibitions and gallery sales. She is a juried member of the Piedmont Painters Association and the Brush and Palette Artists. She now spends much of her time teaching art and promoting the arts through various organizations.

Susan Powers of Lenoir paints architectural portraits in watercolor. She also paints landscapes and still-life works in watercolor, oil, gouache, collage and acrylic. She holds an associate of science degree from Montreat College and graduated with a geology major from Appalachian State University.

“I have always been fascinated by the colors and shapes in the natural world,” she said. “Trying to capture some of these wonders with paint and paper has brought me joy over the past 35 years.” Powers’ artwork has won awards in regional competition and is in permanent collections in this area and abroad.

Carol Turner is a retired educator and watercolorist. She grew up in Washington State and moved to Hickory with her husband, Kermit Turner, L-R English professor emeritus. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., and a master’s in English from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She taught English in the public schools and area colleges. Since her retirement in 2003, she has devoted more time and attention to her painting.

Pat Pilkington was born in Greensboro, N.C., in 1944 and grew up in Wilmington and Goldsboro, N.C. She studied music at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and later moved to New York City with her husband. In 1970, she enrolled at Appalachian State University, where she studied learning disabilities. She and her husband have lived in Boone for 36 years. She worked for Samaritan’s Purse for 25 years and began painting after being diagnosed with cancer. She has developed her talent through various workshops. Pilkington has had several showings, including the one-person show “Wake Up!” at Solo Art Gallery in Winston-Salem, N.C., in 2006. She is an exhibiting member of Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, N.C., and is represented by several North Carolina galleries.

Books and Brushes will begin at 6 p.m. with a wine and cheese reception and introduction of the artists in the Belk Centrum.Dinner will be served in the Carl A. Rudisill Library at 7 p.m. At 8 p.m., guests will be free to tour the art on display and speak with the artists. Tickets to the event may be reserved by contacting LeeAnne Kale at 828-328-7345 or kalel@lrc.edu .

©2006 Lenoir-Rhyne College