3/8/02
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History will unveil the exhibition, Canal Journeys: A Personal Log, a new series of works by Betty Warner on March 21 in the Balcony Gallery of the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex, Charleston. An opening reception to meet the artist will be held that evening from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The reception and free exhibition are open to the public. The show will remain on display through May 12.
An artist hailing from Charleston, Warner is best known for her realistic watercolor paintings; her works currently hang in institutional and private collections across the eastern United States and abroad. She has been drawing and painting since childhood, and though essentially self-taught, credits Agnes Huston, a former teacher at Charleston High School, and Gary Fagin of the Art Students League in New York with providing support and inspiration.
Warner’s works have appeared frequently in juried shows, group invitationals and solo exhibits. In addition to local and regional venues, her art has hung in the National Museum of American Art and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; Burke Arts Council in N.C.; Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio; and International Artists in Watercolor in London, England, among others. She produced a cover painting for American Artist Magazine in 1995 and a book cover for Kanawha County Images.
This debut of the exhibition features more than 20 watercolor paintings. Warner says of the show, “I wanted to see a group of paintings of some of the exciting and fascinating trips I’ve taken involving canals in Europe and North America.” Using slides and sketches of her journeys to aid her memory, she created this series of paintings to “collect moments of pleasure I’ve experienced on and around canals.”
For more information about the exhibition, Canal Journeys: A Personal Log, contact Stephanie Lilly, exhibits coordinator for the Division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 128.
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. Visit the Division’s website at www.wvculture.org for more information about programs of the Division. The Department of Arts, Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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