FEATURING: Erika Lawrence-Painter: Mixed Media; Clay Sculpture
PERFORMING: Susan Savia
Fourth Friday Gallery Nights are free monthly events where downtown area galleries, studios and art spaces open their doors to the public in an after-hours celebration of art and culture. Taking place from 6:00-9:00 p.m. on the fourth Friday of each month, the self-guided tours have made the downtown area downtown Wilmington a popular destination for art lovers.
The ArtWorks™ is planned art village providing art studios, gallery space, and an event venue-- fostering a creative environment for artists, educational opportunities, and enhancement of the Wilmington community. Once part of the original Block Shirt factory, the ArtWorks™ on Willard Street, is central to the developing district between South Front Street and Third Street, now known as the Cape Fear Historic Byway; Near Greenfield Lake.
Visionary Art from Heart and Soul
TheArtWorks™, located at 200 Willard St.is featuring a resident artist for September, Erika Lawrence, with her “Visionary Art from the Heart and Soul” collection of oils and hand built sculptures on September 26th during the 4th Friday Gallery Walk in downtown Wilmington. A Reception, open to the public, will be held on September 26th from 6pm to 9:00pm at theArtWorks™ with live entertainment by Susan Savia during the evening.
Erika Lawrence was born in Hungary and immigrated to the United States with her family as a refugee during the Hungarian Revolution. She has been painting and sharing her creative talent for close to 40 years. In the last 17 years she has evolved as an artists and now considers herself as a “Visionary Artist”. In her studio back in Western New York, she was experimenting with trying a new technique in painting when she suddenly realized that she was starting to see faces emerge on her canvas even though there was only a mixture of several colors on the canvas at that time. The faces where American Indians with elaborate headdresses. Even though she was startled by this experience she remained curious enough to continue and finish a painting with these images on them. Later she discovered that her newly built home was, in fact, on an old Indian trail and possibly an old Indian burial ground. She soon came to the realization, as faces continued to appear on her canvas, she was able see beyond what most people would call normal. Struggling with this new found gift and visions on a canvas, she kept it to herself thinking that people could misunderstand and perceive her as being odd. She chose not to reveal the nature of her paintings and how it all started until now, sharing her original experience for the first time with the public. Erika trusts her inner guidance as her source and force as she continues to use the original technique and process of painting she discovered many years ago to create her art work today.
Erika, calls her faces “icons”, and upon seeing her work one would also think that her artwork has also been influenced from her eastern European heritage. Her art is vibrant in color and has spiritual connotations with such titles as “Transformation”, “Guardians” and “Together As One”. Her unique paintings are done in oils and she believes that the icons in her creations, which she also refers to as “Spirit Guides”, are meant for someone special. In the last 3years, she has started to expend her talent into working with clay and hand building sculptures. Her sculptures include vessels with carvings of icons or 3D icons emerging, sculpture of a 2 ft. icon with an ancient “tree of life” symbol for her crown as she is kneeling holding the world in her hand and an icon holding a bird riding an elephant. A recipient of several awards for her creations throughout the year she maintains that the greatest honor for her is when someone really connects and falls in love with one of her creations. Her desire and ultimate goal with her creations is to “Capture the eye, delve into the essence of the mind, uplift the spirit and stir the heart of others”. Erika Lawrence has had her work in several galleries in Western New York, Raleigh, Southport, and Wilmington. Currently all her paintings and sculptures can only be seen at theArtWorks™ where she is now a resident artist maintaining her own working art studio and personal gallery space. Erika can be found working most days in her studio and is happy to meet clients anytime in her studio by appointment by calling her at 910.792.9378 or when theArtWorkstm is open to the public.
In the process of becoming an Art Village, theArtWorks™ is also available for events, workshops and much more. It is located in an area known as the Cape Fear Historic Byway and currently theArtWorks™ is only open to the public on 4th Fridays (Wilmington Gallery Walk) and every Saturday from 10:00am to 3:00pm when residents artists open their studios to the general public. For more information about theArtWorks™ call 910.352.7077.
For more information contact:
Erika Lawrence
One of Erika's Hand-Built Sculptures
Come hear Susan Savia sing- IN her own words "Two notes shy of 4 octaves, clear voice, I can sing in ANY style (covers, enchanting/mellow, standards, folk/Americana, twangy country, rock, jazz, blues). When I perform, I usually mix it up pretty well. Over 800 songs in my repertoire!! " #susansavia
