ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601310092
SECTION: NEW RIVER ECONOMY PAGE: 19 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS-BANKS STAFF WRITER
Are they feasting on caviar and champagne...
...or standing on street corners holding those heart-rending signs:
``WILL PAINT FOR FOOD!''
The New River Valley is swarming with them - painters, photographers, sculptors, jewelry makers, calligraphers, even clothing designers. Artists make up a small army in the valley's work force.
But are they feasting?
Or are these starving artists?
"I'm lucky to pay for my supplies," said George Ann Johnson of Narrows.
Johnson, a talented artist who works with colored pencil, likes to dine out.
"I offer to draw pictures to pay for my meal," she jokes.
Johnson moved to the New River Valley two years ago after studying at the Danforth Museum of Art outside Boston.
"Boston has a large wealthy population," she said. "Of course, there's more competition there, too."
Johnson thinks professional artists are not taken seriously in this country, particularly in rural areas.
"In Europe, artists are at the top of the totem pole," she explained. "In the United States, people ask, `What else do you do?'''
The majority of New River Valley artists do, in fact, have a second job to support themselves. Either that, or they depend on working husbands or wives for financial help.
"The only reason I'm keeping my head above water is because I'm teaching," said Barbara Capps.
Capps, a Christiansburg artist, said she keeps about 40 students all the time. They range in age from 8 to 80.
"We have quite a few artists trying to make it, but most are supported by their husbands or wives," said Capps, who is single.
An activist for local arts, Capps has done several things to promote business in the New River Valley. She found some empty wall space at the Sports Car Clinic and convinced the owner, Marshall Overstreet, to set up a gallery showcasing works by children and teens. She also helped establish the Gallery of Local Artists, an annual event for the holiday season. The cooperative gallery features works by a variety of artists.
Capps recruits new artists for the gallery. She spotted Kanta Bosniak on the streets of downtown Christiansburg, heading for the antique shop.
"She was wearing the most gorgeous cloak," Capps recalls. "I said, 'She must be an artist.'''
Capps followed Bosniak into the shop and inquired about her unique, fashionable clothing. As it turned out, Bosniak designed and made her own raiment.
Capps convinced her to participate in this year's gallery at New River Valley Mall. Bosniak's one-of-a-kind garments are works of art, Capps said.
"We have the best artists in the country right under our noses."
Two years ago, Nell Fredericksen moved from Christiansburg to State College, Pa. She comes back each November to show her work at the Gallery of Local Artists.
"The arts community is nowhere near as vibrant or diverse there," she conceded.
Fredericksen said she's "holding her own" as an artist.
"Because I work in three different media - stained glass, pottery and jewelry - I can make a living. Talent is part of it, but a lot of it is how you market that talent. You have to sell yourself as well as your artwork."
Blacksburg artist Nadine Allen believes in the unity factor. A member of the Blacksburg Regional Art Association, she helped launch a project to show local artists' work at business places. The association arranges exhibitions at such shops as Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea, Dean Witter and See Mark Optical in Blacksburg.
"I think people who would never think of going to a gallery see the work at the participating businesses," Allen said. "A number of artists have sold their work through the exhibitions. We have to work together if we want to make the public aware of the talent in the area."
Allen, who started painting in 1975, says the number of artists in the New River Valley has grown steadily.
Bob Abraham, a retired Christiansburg businessman, started pursuing his art seriously about five years ago when he took up scuba diving. He now does award-winning underwater photography.
But "I would hate to think I had to make a living at it. I'd go broke."
Not all artists living in the New River Valley are struggling for recognition, however. Some have arrived already - in a big way.
Since moving to Radford, Z.L. Feng has been getting more recognition in his native Shanghai, China. The artist is, in fact, making a name for himself all over the world.
Feng has been painting portraits for the past 10 years. He has won more than 100 national art awards and has been teaching art at Radford University since 1992.
"Sometimes," he said, "my paintings aren't for sale. I don't paint for a living. I paint for my heart. I so love the people, their faces, their images."
The first thing an artist must do, Feng believes, is "nice, quality work." Talent, he asserted, isn't everything. "You have to work hard and train well. You have to develop your technique."
Entering his work in national competitions brings him honor and, more importantly, the encouragement to pursue art as a career, Feng said.
"The local [market] is too narrow for a good artist," he said. "If people like your work, it will sell well anywhere. I don't paint for the market. Any good painting will sell - eventually."
One Feng original, an award-winning portrait, sold for $10,000.
"If I sell one piece for a high price, people think I'm getting so rich," he said, laughing. "I spend a lot of time on one piece - hundreds and hundreds of hours. I don't think of the time involved."
"If you don't think about the financial part, you'll do better art," he said. "I don't want to mass produce art. I want to produce quality, not quantity."
Robert Tuckwiller, who lives in Newport, has been making his living for the past 14 years with his landscape painting. His works have become regional favorites.
He said his success is "hard to explain."
"I'm proof that you can make a living at it, but I don't know why me instead of another artist. I know good artists who can't sell their work. I think you have to be half businessman and half artist."
"From a Distance," one of Tuckwiller's landscapes, sold for $5,000. But much of his income comes from his sale of prints, which are much less expensive than originals.
After working at Blacksburg's Wolverine Gasket Company for the past 16 years, Kathy Jo Sledd finally decided to go after her dream.
"I was in customer service for the last several years. I was so burned out. I was tired of it," she said.
Sledd found her dream in a vacant building in the historic district of Pulaski County's Newbern. Although it was built in the 1800s and has no running water, she considers her studio, Kathy's Kottage, a wonderful place to work.
Using watercolor and pastels, she completed 20 paintings last year. She's hoping to start selling prints soon.
"I'm establishing a reputation, gradually," she said. "Advertising by word of mouth is the best kind."
Sledd considers herself fortunate to have a husband who supports what she's trying to do.
"I feel like I'm a different person now. I have no stress. Oh, I miss the socialization around the coffee pot in the morning, but I feel like I'm doing what I was put on this earth to do. I believe in fate."
Sledd also believes in faith. She's putting her faith in the local economy.
"I know that if the economy's bad, artwork is the last thing people will buy. They're going to buy groceries before they buy something to hang on the wall."
"Of course," she added, "artwork can be a real good investment."
LENGTH: Long : 155 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. & 2. ALAN KIM/Staff Retired print company owner Bobby CNBAbraham (left) is an award-winning underwater photographer now.
Blacksburg artist Nadine Allen works hard to make sure artists' work
is visible. color
3. Cartoon by George Wills. color