AFTER HOURS: Blown away by Macon Arts' April exhibition

The Gallery at Macon Arts Alliance on First Street opened its April exhibition on First Friday to the most ardent art devotees, willing to brave the storms to see "Colorful Distraction," the name given the pairing of a glassblower and a photographer for one of the most impressive shows this season.

Kelly Robertson of Lawrenceville started blowing glass as a student at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, furthering his education in the art form at workshops at Corning Museum of Glass in New York and at the Penland School of Crafts nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

The fluid designs of his pieces make the glass appear malleable, the accents of brilliant color molten. On display in the gallery are exquisite vessels and delicately swirled paper weights, the layering of colors reminiscent of Venetian glass. The organic shapes of Robertson's series of clear mobiles and sculptural pieces are a serene departure from the fused sleekness of the various vases and shaped pieces. His primary and ocean blue colors were a fine complement to the backdrop of digitalized photography.

Macon born Doug Nurnberger identifies himself as a digital artist who manipulates his images in the darkroom to create "various types of my work from high dynamic range photography to star/cloud stacking and panoramas." His scenes may seem familiar, but with an other-worldly interpretation in vivid colors.

Nurnberger uses a multitude of lenses, from the most recent on the market to "some that are older than I." He said his interest in photography was nurtured by binge-watching Stanley Kubrick films and reading every National Geographic magazine he could find. The results are bold in color and skillful in execution.

JAPANESE ARTISTRY FOR THE WOODRUFF HOUSE

The Japanese art of arranging flowers, called ikebana, follows rigid guidelines in its many schools of design. According to Roberta Smith, president of the Middle Georgia chapter of the international organization, there are classical and contemporary disciplines. However, despite the differences, the inspiration, styles and philosophy are universally shared with other ikebana members.

For 32 years, the local chapter has supported the Cherry Blossom Festival with floral arrangements for several events. Each year, members have volunteered their time and talent to the Woodruff House on Coleman Hill, maintaining the freshness of the arrangements, located in every room of the house. This year, the creations were most appropriate for the furniture, niches and mantles they decorated.

The container for an ikebana arrangement is an integral part of the composition, its symbolism as important as the materials it holds. In the more formal rooms, tall containers with specimen flowers and waxed leaves were as significant to the design of the room as a priceless porcelain urn. On a period chest in the front parlor, a long arrangement of windblown branches in a shallow container completed the montage against the deep gold walls.

Despite its reputation as a disciplined approach to flower arranging, the local chapter welcomes novices. While taking a break from her duties as a docent at Woodruff House, Wilma Blackwell said she has been a member of the group for at least 30 years. The stress on the appreciation of nature's bounty is part of the appeal of the Japanese tradition. The Middle Georgia chapter of Ikebana International meets the third Thursday of each month from September to May.

GAINING MOMENTUM

Like a powerful orchestral crescendo, the April fool's storm whipped old trees and did its best to dampen the outstanding exhibit of contemporary paintings that opened March 31 in Coulby Glen's cottage gallery. The irony of the name given the contemporary collection of five artists' work, Momentum No. 5, did not go unnoticed.

Four of the painters are familiar to Macon art patrons -- Daly Smith, Carol Griffin, Noreen White and Maureen Persons, owner of the Coulby Glen events venue and gallery. The work of Athens artist Ansley Perno had a distinctively different perspective, defined shapes and dashes of color. Having seen Smith's travelogue of paintings of well known city scenes and vistas, his interpretive paintings, heavily layered in warm swaths of color, are indicative of his curiosity for exploring other techniques.

Griffin, whose plein air paintings of bucolic scenes are sold in galleries throughout the Southeast, has taken the leap to a more impressionistic interpretation of her surroundings with bolder use of color. White is impulsive enough to paint on any surface and the spontaneity of her work on paper and canvas reflects the abandon with which she paints.

Persons' penchant for pastels was evident in "Festival," its colors a reminder of the livery on a carousel horse. Her goal to establish Coulby Glen as north Macon's answer to downtown galleries is gaining momentum.

Katherine Walden is a freelance writer and interior designer in Macon. Contact her at 478-742-2224 or kwaldenint@aol.com.

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 7:59 PM with the headline "AFTER HOURS: Blown away by Macon Arts' April exhibition ."