Art in 'Constant Motion' - Colorful exhibition on display at River Gallery

photo "Mind and Spirit" by Clara Blalock.

IF YOU GO• What: "Constant Motion" featuring Clara Blalock, Pat Snyder, Cal Breed and edie Manley• Where: River Gallery, 400 E. Second St.• When: Through July 31• Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday; by appointment• Admission: Free• Information: 265-5033, ext. 5

photo Pat Snyder titled this piece "Central Park West."
photo 0713 WEB e Arts_

The newest River Gallery exhibit is called "Constant Motion" and, for at least two of the four artists showing their works, that title fits their art and their methods of working.

Both Clara Blalock and Pat Snyder say they start their paintings with a color or shape in mind, then see where it goes from there. Each piece is constantly changing as new shapes and colors emerge in the abstract pieces.

And, for Blalock, painting is as much an aerobic workout, with arms and feet in constant motion, as it is a way of expression. Her studio floor is covered with tarps to catch any globs of paint that might get pushed off the canvas as she works. She says likes to clear her mind and let things happen.

"I don't like to get my head too much into what I'm doing," she says.

She normally paints large pieces -- seven, eight and nine feet wide or tall -- but the 13 abstract pieces in this show are in the three- and four-foot range.

Blalock lives in Georgia and is a past president of the Atlanta Artists Center and a member of the Fredrix Canvas Board and Plein Air Painters of Georgia.

Tennessee is home for Snyder, who likens her acrylic-on-canvas paintings to a quilt, filled with repeating colors and shapes.

"It happens organically," she says. She might have an idea or a color palette in mind when she begins a piece, but she often changes directions -- and colors -- in mid-stroke.

"Sometimes going in I might have a primary color or colors in mind, say blues and greens, but as I add the under colors, I find something else that attracts me and it might be on other end of the color wheel. The whole process happens as I go along."

Also exhibiting in Constant Motion are Tennessee-based painter edie Maney (yes, she lowercases her first name) and Alabama resident Cal Breed, who works in glass.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.

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