Reception Friday opens new In-Town exhibit
“All That Blooms and Grows,” a show by potter Laurie Graham and painter Julie Turner, will open with a reception Friday, July 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. at In-Town Gallery, 26-A Frazier Ave., where their work is the featured collection this month.
Their love of nature and Chattanooga’s colorful, textured landscapes are the inspiration for this collection.
Graham received her bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Technological University’s Appalachian Center for Crafts. Although she has worked in other media, she says, “After my first clay class I knew I was called to be a potter.”
She creates pottery on the wheel and building by hand. Not feeling bound to a narrow approach when working in clay, she will often press leaves and other organic materials into clay as part of the creative process. Whether she’s creating a 3D face on a flower pot or a painted sunflower, all are intended to bring joy to those who see her work.
Turner’s passion for art started at age 5 with drawings she made to adorn her love letters to Elvis. Throughout her life she continued creating art in her free time as she pursued a successful corporate career.
However, Turner truly began following her journey as an artist after surviving breast cancer. Largely self-taught as a fine artist, she began taking art workshops in 2003 at the studios of artists she admired.
“My life experiences,” she says, “and my study of the perspectives of other artists helped me to see my subjects in a new way and to translate this vision into highly personal paintings. I’m obsessed with clouds and exploring various landscapes, and although I can’t seem to keep a plant alive, I love to paint flowers from life.”
In-Town Gallery is an artist co-op gallery. Hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
For more information: 423-267-9214.