Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:27:27 -0400
From: Forrest Greenslade
Subject: Reborn
Something Borrowed, Something New at the Carolina Brewery
Tamera Mulanix and Rita Spina know a thing or two about recycling — with a twist. They transform cast off objects into objects of art.
Mulanix says, “There’s nothing I enjoy more than taking a rusty piece of scrap metal and turning into something beautiful. Spina adds, “I find most of the materials in scrap yards, walks in the woods, rural roads and often on my front deck, as people who know my work pass “junque” along.” Along with the comforting food and award-winning beers served up at Pittsboro’s Carolina Brewery, folks will be treated to an exhibit of “Reborn Beauty” in August and September.
You can meet these unique artists at a free brew and bar snacks reception from 4 to 6 PM on Sunday, September 14th at the Brewery on Highway 15/501.
Tamera Mulanix grew up in Grand Blanc Michigan, the youngest of three girls. Our personalities span the spectrum and I ended up as the tomboy. “I come from a family of welders. My grandfather, my uncle and my cousins are all welders, and the process has fascinated me as long as I can remember.” she remembers.
She studied welding and blacksmithing at Carolina Central Community College, and continues learning on her own. She feels. “It is so fulfilling to finally take my vision and make it come to life.”
“Tamera has the ability to give old and new industrial materials an almost spiritual quality,” notes Forrest Greenslade, President of the Chatham Artists Guild, the organization that produces the art shows at the Pittsboro Brewery. “I try to pull inspiration from the Source of our Oneness when I am in the process of creating and try to breathe that energy into each of my pieces,” stresses Mulanix.”If I can make something that moves someone to feel a small sense of peace, or brings a bit of joy to their heart, then my life as an artist is a life well spent.”
Rita Spina, in her previous career as a Psychologist, put “people and ideas” together. Now, as an artist she puts “materials and ideas” together. “Life’s cycles, the power of nature and her changes, the tension between natural form and emerging technologies, the remnants of progress and the coexistence of variables are an endless table from which to choose for my work – nothing ever remains the same,’ she explains.
“The materials often stimulate the origins of what I do.” Spina’s work symbolically combines organic and manmade materials, to make a statement about what is happening around us. Although somewhat abstract, natural forms are often obvious to the observer. She has been part of the Guild’s Studio Tour since its inception 16 years ago, and has had several one person shows, as far away as Montana.
The Chatham Artists Guild (www.chathamartistsguild.org) is a non-profit organization of regionally and nationally recognized visual artists. Each year, Guild members open their studios to the public through the
Chatham Open Studio Tour. Visitors travel throughout lovely rural Chatham County to meet artists in their own work spaces, and share their ideas on art and the creative process.
Carolina Brewery (www.carolinabrewery.com) a locally-owned brewery and restaurant, has drawn international attention for its handcrafted beers and traditional bar fare in its Chapel Hill and new Pittsboro locations.
Caption: Tree of Life, a metal sculpture by Tamera Mulanix and Web, a multimedia assemblage by Rita Spina.
—
Forrest C. Greenslade. PhD, DTM
Artist, Writer, Speaker
sculptor-at-forrestgreenslade.com
http://www.forrestgreenslade.com
http://chathamartists.blogspot.com/
[ad#336×280]