Opening Feb. 13 in the Jewish Cultural Center Gallery is "A Sense of Place." The exhibit highlights the work of four artists who have focused on specific locations or spaces that intrigue them.
"A sense of place is important to most people and perhaps more so with artists," said Ann Treadwell, curator and director of programs for JCC. "The intrinsic character of a place captures many of us and often is the muse for artists."
Treadwell asked each artist to create at least two images of the same place, but they were allowed to submit images from more than one place.
Jere Chumley, former head of the art department at Cleveland State Community College for 36 years, focused on Avallon, his home and property in Georgetown, Tenn. All of his paintings combine the mediums of oil and Dorland's wax and were completed with his hands -- no brushes or palette knives were involved.
Mark Fink is a painter and printmaker who divides his time between homes in Chattanooga and Bass Harbor, Maine. For the exhibit, he created hand-pulled intaglio etchings that depict the landscape in Acadia, Maine.
"My work is an attempt to convey a sense of drama through the contrasting fields of light and dark and dynamic composition," Fink says in his artist's statement.
Rachel Schulson's color photographs were taken in Spain, New York City and Chattanooga. A resident of Chattanooga since 1997, her favorite pastime is "urban hiking." Many of her images are souvenirs of memorable treks.
She says she doesn't have the eye of a naturalist, but put her in the city and she can walk for 15 miles without even realizing it. Schulson responds to the ever-changing scenery, the shapes and the unexpected she finds in the city.
Alan Shuptrine, a native of Chattanooga, used his realistic watercolor skills to depict a specific farm.
"The common thread in each of the paintings is obviously the terrain, the twisted tree, the sage field and of course Henrietta (a woman in one painting) within this sense of place," he says in his statement accompanying the show. "When you look at the group together, it will be obvious that this is the same farm, and it has great appeal -- you will see what I am trying to say."
A reception for "A Sense of Place" will be held Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m. The exhibit will continue through March. 16.
JCC, 5461 North Terrace, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and by appointment. Call 493-0270 for information.