“Studebaker Memories” is one of the paintings in the latest In-Town Gallery exhibition.
“Old Blue”IF YOU GO* What: “End of the Road,” paintings and photos by Gay Arthur.* Where: In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave., through Oct. 31.* Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday* Opening reception: 5-8 p.m. Oct. 3.* Admission: Free.* Phone: 267-9214.* Website: intowngallery.com
To some people, there’s nothing that embodies waste and desolation quite like the sight of derelict vehicles dotting America’s backyards and byways. That’s assuming they pay attention to them at all.
On her way to walk her dogs at Chester Frost Park last year, Gay Arthur noticed a green Jeep perched in oxidized splendor atop a hill, like a king in the weeds. In this rusting eminence, the Hixson-based oil painter says she saw inspiration, not an eyesore.
The tableau provided the initial impetus for “End of the Road,” her series of paintings and photos depicting abandoned automobiles that will be on display throughout October at In-Town Gallery, where Arthur has been a member since 2007.
Since graduating in 2003 from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in painting, Arthur says her eye often has been drawn to scenes of obsolescence. Previously, that inclination was reflected in her series of works about mailboxes and the now-shuttered U.S. Pipe factory on Broad Street.