Dalton's Creative Arts Guild pairs works by mother/daughter duo for first time

"Window to Another World" by Phyllis Burkhart Wilson

"Texas" by Phyllis Burkhart Wilson

A mother/daughter duo from Chattanooga will showcase their art at the Creative Arts Guild this month in Dalton, Georgia.

Mother Phyllis Burkhart Wilson has 29 mostly abstract watercolor paintings that will be for sale. Burkhart Wilson says she also uses watercolor pencils. All of the paintings she has on view will be under glass.

Daughter Lana Wilson will have six paintings on view, including four under glass and two large acrylics on canvas. She also has artwork with water media.

The paintings range from $115 to $3,600.

They both specialize in nonobjective abstractions.

"It's basically based on the elements of painting," says Burkhart Wilson. "There's about 12 elements of painting such as texture, space, lines, movement and color."

In a news release, the younger Wilson explains that she takes a contemporary, even unorthodox, approach to painting, in that the act of making art becomes more important than the image.

"I am involved in each creation by responding to forms, which develop images over images, lines, spacial formats and colors pleasing to the eye and stimulating to the mind," she says.

The mother and daughter art show will be featured during an opening and reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 13.

Their paintings will be in Jonas Hall, one of three galleries at the Creative Arts Guild. Continuing in galleries Five20 and One11 is an exhibition of works by self-taught artists, "The Genius & Ingenious: The Obsession and Influence of Outsider Art." Local sculptor Chris Beck served as guest curator for the exhibition, which includes works by R.A. Miller, Thornton Dial and Purvis Young.

Burkhart Wilson says painting has been in her family for generations. She's a self-taught artist. Her daughter took art in high school and at one time made a living as an artist.

Works by both mother and daughter have earned juried recognition. Burkhart Wilson's work was selected for the 2016 Bluff Park Art Show in Hoover, Alabama, the 2016 Tennessee Craft Fair in Nashville and Tennessee Watercolor Society exhibitions in Memphis in 2016, 2014 and 2010. In addition to the CAG gallery, Wilson's work has been chosen for the Dogwood Arts exhibition in Knoxville and the Tennessee Allstate Art Exhibition in Nashville.

"We basically paint from our inner spirit," says Burkhart Wilson.

Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.