May Issue 2002
Fish or Cut Bait Gallery in Edisto, SC, Features Pentimento
Lisa Boykin
Adams & Zenobia Washington
Fish or Cut Bait Gallery in Edisto, SC, will feature two SC artists, Zenobia Washington of Georgetown and Lisa Boykin Adams of Boykin in their personal version of "pentimento." The exhibit will be on view May 11 - June 30, 2002.
pen.ti.men.to n. An underlying image in a painting that shows through when the top layer of paint has become transparent with age.
The cavemen did it, the great masters perfected
it, and Lillian Hellman made a literary classic depicting it.Pentimento
has been used throughout the ages to describe something new arising
from the expression of another or the collective experience of
an individual. Its history dates back to the days of Neanderthals
when expressions of life were carved and scratched on cave walls.
Through the ages, new tenants put their imprimatur on the neighborhood,
but time and the vicissitudes of weather and war caused surface
erosion and a new art form. Old drawings emerged through the new.
Lifestyle changes as they appeared on cave walls literally became
some of the earliest recorded history of mankind.
The exhibit, Pentimento, is the vision
of the gallery's owner, Brailsford Sutton, a native of Pinopolis,
SC, who lived in Columbia before following her heart, mind and
spirit to the SC coast. "This is where my soul has come to
rest after a lifetime of loving art, and it encompasses how "pentimento"
has been evident in my life," she said.
Sutton actively encourages her artists to discover treasures in
their own works, as well as each other's art. Adams paints wood
constructions and Washington makes African-American dolls. Little
did the gallery owner know that the two artists would take the
creative spirit of their individuality to mirror each other's
lives. And that's how Pentimento was born."Both women
will produce an original work inspired by each other's art,"
Sutton states. Washington's African-American dolls reflect her
heritage. Adams' wood constructions have been shown across the
Southeast.
It's unique that these two women experience so much in common by creating art based on their own unique backgrounds, as well as the other's very different work," Sutton said. "That's why I've shown their creativity in Fish or Cut Bait since the day I opened."
The idea for Pentimento came about when Sutton overheard the two artists recalling their African-American women caretakers. Though one artist is black and the other Caucasian, Pentimento is their way of paying homage to those who loved them and nurtured their upbringing.
"The first time I saw Lisa's work," said Washington. "I knew she had experienced a close relationship with the woman in her painting. I felt there could be a common thread between us."
In participating in Pentimento, each artist seeks to create a piece of art based on one the other has created. Both artists look to honor those women who have loved and nurtured them, but not without creating a statement of their own.
For Lisa Adams, who is Caucasian, African-Americans are a familiar and warm memory as a portion of her upbringing. But her memories are not without conflict. "Being cared for by black women, but being told not to associate with them socially was painfully confusing. My work may not always replicate what they looked like, but it represents the impact their love had on me," Adams said.
Washington's art also reflects characteristics of the women who nurtured her. Through her dolls, named Women of Inspiration, she seeks to place the nurturers in higher esteem. "For years, I walked away from those who have molded me. But the journey of self-discovery has made me realize that knowing myself today begins with embracing those women from my past," Washington said. "To see the beauty in somebody and not celebrate it is worse than to not see the beauty at all."
"I hope that in working with Zenobia, I can attain a greater awareness of her individuality and heritage in addition to my own," Adams said.
After seeing the two artists share their thoughts and work, Sutton believes harmony can be achieved through the intertwining of the artistic expression of two individuals. "If one person can make the world more beautiful, then two might even change it," Sutton declared.
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