Welcoming lovers of both art and chocolate, the Carnegie Art Center celebrated the opening of its newest exhibit, entitled “The Human Figure,” on the evening of Feb. 1 with a special “Chocolát & Wine Bistro.”
The exhibit, which features local artists using a variety of mediums, seeks to highlight the depth and breadth of the human body, said Cheryl Williams-Cosner, executive director of the Carnegie Art Center.
“This exhibit is focusing on a classical subject matter but in many different interpretations. … The idea is to see how many different ways and how many different views and approaches and mediums each artist can take,” said Williams-Cosner.
“I have always loved drawing and painting the human figure,” said featured artist Katherine Treffinger of Cove, Ore.
Treffinger, who often sprays her drawings with water and then wipes them down, says her goal is to make sure she remains more loosely rendered in the artistic process.
“I may even take a power-sander to my drawings. It rips through the paper sometimes. But that’s okay with me because I understand that it’s all a discovery…I try to find the emerging figure when there is less, not more, control.”
Other artists whose works are featured include Glen Greenwalt, Francesca Spoonhower, Sara Wyman and Whitman alum Elizabeth Harris Matschukat.
“The work I have at Carnegie currently represents personal artistic research on alternative painting processes. Egg tempera is my current medium of choice, and I have barely begun,” said Matschukat in an e-mail. Matschukat, who graduated from Whitman in 1971 and went on to earn a MFA from Portland State University in painting, currently teaches in the art department at Walla Walla Community College.
Friday’s “Chocolát and Wine Bistro,” a special for Valentine’s Day, was a fund-raiser for the Carnegie Center and featured chocolate from Bright’s Candy and wine from the Walla Walla Valley’s Abeja and Northstar wineries.
“The event was very well-attended, especially given the weather,” said Williams-Cosner.
Among the attendees were several Whitman professors.
“This is more coherent theme from other exhibits that I’ve seen, and so that’s kind of fun because you get to follow all these different styles of painting the human figure,” said Biology Department Chair Ginger Withers.
“Sarah Wyman, one of the featured artists, did portraits of people I know that are just absolutely wonderful,” said Biology Professor Chris Wallace.
The majority of the event’s attendees seemed to be equally impressed by the center’s setup, organization and candlelit atmosphere.
“I really like painting people myself, so this is very exciting for me to look at,” said Walla Walla University student Canda Lodge of the exhibit.
“We go on every Art Walk at the beginning of each month, and this is one of the more interesting exhibits I’ve seen here,” said attendee Heather Austermuhl.
