THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 18, 1996 TAG: 9607180009
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 66 lines
EARLIER THIS week, Norfolk painter Ray Hershberger was giving a tour of an exhibit he organized for the d'Art Center, the meandering architectural maze in downtown Norfolk that contains studios for 38 area artists and galleries to showcase their art.
The d'Art Center turns 10 this month, and the exhibit, ``Action Heroes and Not: From Classic to Pop Icons,'' celebrates the anniversary.
A show reception honoring d'Art's first decade takes place tonight at the center, with live music by Jim Newsome and the Porch Rockers and appearances by Hagar the Horrible and Popeye.
Dozens of works were submitted on the heroes theme, and Hershberger had the task of installing the wide-ranging results in themed areas. In his mind, he's divided the show into the toy corner, the myths and stories section, and the nurturing wall.
Most of the artists came up with unexpected heroes. Karen Kinser - among the participating d'Artists, the nickname for the center's resident artists - created a portrait of the wife of Egon Schiele, an intense Austrian artist. ``Karen said anybody who put up with Egon Schiele has got to be a hero.''
Another artist painted her mother asleep and floating in the cosmos and titled it ``Dementia Woman.''
``Her mother has just been diagnosed as having Alzheimer's. This is her way of saying her mom's still her hero,'' Hershberger said.
D'Artist Beverly Furman made a painting of her own living room, then painted cutouts of figures lifted from well-known paintings by her artist-heroes, Henri Matisse and Edgar Degas. The cutouts are installed on the gallery floor in front of the painting.
``I think I handed in the most conservative piece of all,'' Hershberger said sheepishly, ``which is why I hate these theme shows. I come up with my first idea and I can't get it out of my mind.''
He made a superhero out of action painter Jackson Pollock, giving him a muscular physique, dynamic stance and hands made of paintbrushes. Wearing black leather briefs, the hero strides across a field of rhythmic paint drips resembling Pollock's art.
The piece is titled ``I Dreamed I Was Jackson Pollock in My Maidenform Leather.''
``Action Heroes and Not'' is another in a series of lighthearted summer exhibits staged at the d'Art Center. In 1994, the theme show ``Geeks and Goddesses'' was mounted. In 1993, artists interpreted the common chair in offbeat ways. In 1992, artists made weird and funny art about rats.
Hershberger got his show idea from a course he has been teaching for two years at d'Art, a class for young people called ``Action Heroes.''
In talking to area art teachers, he learned that many were averse to allowing students to draw comic-book style superheroes for their art assignments, he said.
``But this is what the kids want to do. I feel this is your entry to getting them interested in figure drawing,'' said Hershberger, whose paintings generally feature the human figure.
While the exhibit has broad appeal, Hershberger was especially hoping that the show would inspire his 12- to 14-year-old students. ``If they see Steve Wolf's sophisticated figure painting of a man flying in space, it might motivate them to learn more about modeling the figure. If they see how concisely Arleen Cohen can tell a story with her forms and shapes, it could inspire them.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
CANDICE C. CUSIC/The Virginian-Pilot
Artist Ray Hershberger, curator of the ``Heroes'' exhibit, gets
chummy with Susan Downing's artistic tribute to Mother Teresa. by CNB