MECC’s Slemp Gallery Features ”A Portrait of Appalachia”

 

Mountain Empire Community College’s Slemp Gallery is pleased host an exhibit by acclaimed artist Jeff Chapman-Crane titled “A Portrait of Appalachia.”

The exhibit will run September 14 through October 23. A reception for Chapman-Crane Reception for the artist Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015, 2 to 4 p.m. in the lobby of MECC’s Robb Hall.

Jeff Chapman-Crane is a full-time professional artist from the southern Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, where he has lived and practiced his art since 1982.  His art focuses on the culture of Appalachia, with an emphasis on portraits of mountain people. He has been painting for over 35 years since being challenged and inspired by his high school art teacher, Don Hilton.  Following the tenets of the American Society of Classical Realism, Jeff’s work encompasses the highest principles of traditional representational art – fine drawing, balanced design, harmonious color and skillful craftsmanship.  While not in the stylized realism of American Regionalism, his work shares a strong identification with a particular region – conveying geographic features of the land and unique human, cultural and social characteristics. 

Chapman-Crane’s work has been featured in American Artist magazine and he is a four time finalist in the Artists Magazine’s annual portrait competition. He was the illustrator for the children’s book “Ragsale” which won Best in Show at the 1995 New England Bookfair.

Together with his wife, Sharman, and son, Evan, Jeff operates the Valley of the Winds Art Gallery in Eolia, Kentucky, where works by all three Chapman-Cranes can be seen.  Jeff’s work is represented by the Phyllis Weston Art Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

MECC’s Slemp Gallery is located in the Wampler Library in Robb Hall. The library is open is Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 276.523.2400 ext. 468.