August 15, 2009
The Coleman Center for the Arts is pleased to present a new project by Walton Creel. Creel’s work is on display in the Coleman Center gallery from June 22 to August 29. A closing reception and community paintball event will be held on Saturday, August 15th from 6-9 PM.
Creel’s work investigates various aspects of Southern culture. In his recent series, De-weaponizing the Gun, Creel renders iconic images from nature with a .22 caliber rifle. The pointillist “drawings,” which include a deer, a wren, and an owl, among others, are presented on four by six foot painted aluminum panels. Creel states that his recent work is meant “to manipulate the gun into a tool of creation.” The irony of these dynamic images bring both humor and weight to Creel’s subject matter.
Over the last several months Creel has visited with residents of York, Alabama and the surrounding area. Preceding the exhibition event, Creel offered a demonstration of his methodical process at a local resident’s camp house. In the participatory elements of Creel’s project he embraces a spirit of generosity. The artist shared his unique process, distributed an artist made memento at the closing event, and will facilitated a community paintball event in which participants create a collaborative art work through group play. These endeavors are all contextualized by Creel’s larger desire to investigate tools for creative potential.
Walton Creel was a member of the artist group Quaint. His work has been featured in ART PAPERS and New American Paintings. In 2008 he was featured as the emerging artist at the MAgic City Art Festival. Creel currently lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama.
This work is made possible by support form the the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, and the generous contributions of our individual supporters.
For more information please contact the Coleman Center for the Arts at (205) 392-2005 or e-mail colemancenter@gmail.com.