By Chuck Whiting
Motlow Buzz Editor-in-Chief
SMYRNA, Tenn. -- Internationally
awarded Nashville visual artist Camille
Engel will share insights on her art exhibition at the Parthenon during a
one-hour talk in the STAH Student Lounge on Oct. 24 (Tuesday).
Engel will speak from 2-3 p.m. as part
of Motlow Smyrna’s “Famous Communicators Speakers Series.” Her exhibition, “My Tennessee Home,” features original
contemporary realism paintings that depict state symbols such as the state
beverage, cultivated and wild flowers, fruit, wild animal, insects, butterfly,
gem, reptile, fish and more.
"I plan to encourage students at
Motlow to follow their dreams," said Engel, who has won dozens of awards
from organizations such as Southwest Art
Magazine, International Artist
Magazine, and the International Guild of Realism. "Every day is a
fresh new opportunity to find extraordinary joy in the most ordinary things. My
paintings spring from that joy."
Students, faculty and others will be
able to view some of her paintings during a PowerPoint presentation. The “My
Tennessee Home” exhibition will continue at the Parthenon through Dec. 31,
2017. Engel has spent the past two and a half years researching, referencing
and creating these contemporary realism, trompe l'oeil, and encaustic paintings
that present unique and surprising depictions of state symbols.
"I am thrilled to celebrate my
beloved state in the 'My Tennessee Home' exhibition," added Engel. "I
have had so much fun learning about each subject and creating these
artworks."
The “Famous Communicators Speakers
Series” was created to give Motlow Smyrna students the opportunity to learn how
authors, musicians, visual artists, journalists, government leaders and others have
used their success to communicate to mass audiences.
Highlights of Engel's "My
Tennessee Home" paintings include
* "Glory!," an oil
painting on canvas measuring 66 inches by 44 inches that features the state
cultivated flower, a purple iris. The artist’s focused view of this flower
closely examines the inner quietude of a single iris to evoke much larger
atmospheric feelings of awe. "I used a variety of soft lavender tones and
flowing curves complemented by brilliant golden strokes to illustrate a breathtaking
grandeur that is always within reach," Engel said. Interesting Fact: In
1919, the schoolchildren of Tennessee chose the wild passionflower as the state
flower. However, in 1933, the Legislature designated iris as the “State Flower
of Tennessee” but failed to formally rescind the passionflower as the state
flower. To eliminate confusion, in 1973, the General Assembly designated the
passionflower the state wildflower and the iris the state cultivated flower.
*
"Tough Crowd," a 24-by-24 contemporary realism painting on
panel, depicts a red tomato seemingly hurled and splattered against a crisp,
white surface. "My choice portrayal of this fruit with its insides exposed
and juices forming seed-filled puddles, intrigues the imagination with questions
as to what actually happened and why," the artist added. Interesting fact:
The tomato was designated Tennessee’s official state fruit in 2003. While
commonly considered as a vegetable, the tomato is, botanically speaking, a
fruit.
*
"Little Rascal," a 24-by-24 oil on panel, features a friendly
raccoon curiously popping through the artist’s crumpled canvas. "His eyes,
though masked, shine with playful innocence," Engel noted. Interesting
fact: Named the state's wild animal in 1971, raccoons were hunted aggressively
in earlier times, mostly for their water repellent fur. In the days of Davy
Crockett and Daniel Boone, the coonskin cap was a common clothing item.
* "Revealed," a 24-by-24
trompe l'oeil on panel, is a painted display of simplicity. Engel’s linear
composition of various river pearls is flanked by the iridescent interior of an
opened shell. According to Engel, "the elegance of this shimmering
arrangement against a pure white background brings forth the feeling of an enlightened
balance." Interesting fact: Named the state's gem in 1979, Tennessee river
pearls are remarkable iridescent products of nature, emerging from the
indigenous washboard mussel in the fresh water rivers and come in various
shapes and colors and are among the most beautiful and durable in the world.
* "Fish Tale," a 12-by-12
trompe l'oeil on panel, is a clever trick of the eye. The artist suggests that
an instructional card describing the smallmouth bass is taped to a weathered
board. "A trick of surrealism suggests the fish tail is flipping up off
the card," Engel continued.
Interesting fact: Named Tennessee's sports fish in 2005, the smallmouth
bass will fight ounce for ounce harder than any other species of sport fish in
Tennessee. The current state/world record of 11 pounds, 15 ounces, was caught
by D.L. Hayes at Dale Hollow Lake on July 9, 1955.
* "The Way The Cookie
Crumbles," a 12-by-12 trompe l'oeil on panel, suggests that a tasty photo
is taped to a weathered board. "In truth, I have painted every last crumb,
crease and indentation in this appealing rendition," Engel said. "The
featured glass of creamy milk, the cookies and the jettison crumbs, all stir
the viewer’s senses with memories of this legendary snack." Interesting
fact: Milk became the state's official beverage in 2009. Tennessee is home to
approximately 45,000 milk cows that live on 317 dairy farms.
"Camille Engel’s trompe l'oeil
paintings, with their clever ideas, take the Tennessee state symbols and make
them active participants in each picture plane," said Susan Shockley,
curator of The Parthenon Museum. "Her vision invites interest."
Engel, whose paintings have been
chosen or commissioned by art collectors from around the world, has emerged as
one of America’s most respected realist painters. She was named an "Artist
to Watch" by Southwest Art Magazine in 2014 and Fine Art Connoisseur
magazine in 2010. A self-taught oil painter known for her passionate oil
paintings with rich lighting, colors, textures and intricate detail, Engel
works in the "indirect layering" techniques of the Dutch Masters to
create her art.
"Realism, for me, is the most
intrinsic and true form of self-expression," the Nashville artist added.
"Much like the notes in a musical composition, every stroke is a statement
and each one an essential part of the whole."
Pursuing the aims of the realist
movement with passion and skill, her oil paintings have been accepted into
prestigious museum tours and art exhibitions from California to New York City.
She has won numerous awards, and her paintings have been featured in magazines
such as Fine Art Connoisseur, American Art Collector, Western Art Collector,
Southwest Art, The Artist's Magazine, American Artist, and International
Artist. Major commissions include the Tennessee State Museum, Children's
Hospital at Vanderbilt, and Middle Tennessee Medical Center.
