SOUTHERN GOTHIC
September 7-28, 2018
SOUTHERN GOTHIC
Opening reception: Friday, September 7, 5:00-9:00 PM
Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
SOUTHERN GOTHIC includes a collection of paintings by Stephen Brayfield with poems by Tonya Wade.
Stephen Brayfield began drawing at an early age which lead to his acceptance into the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1981-82. There he studied drawing, printmaking, anatomical rendering and scientific illustration. He left the Art Institute to begin a career in illustration and portraiture while taking courses at the American Academy of Art, the Palette & Chisel and the School of Representational Art. In 1994, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeastern Illinois University with a major in studio art and a minor in earth science. As an illustrator he contributed to World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia which won the 2001 Golden Lamp Award for Children’s Publications by the Association of Educational Publishers. He has done numerous illustrations for magazines and books over the years and has provided illustrations for the Kids Ark Christian Children’s Magazine since 2005. Brayfield relocated to Knoxville in 2008 and soon received the portfolio award in the New-to-Knoxville Juried Exhibition held by the Arts & Culture Alliance as well as awards in the Southern Watercolor Societies 35th and 39th annual Juried Exhibitions.
SOUTHERN GOTHIC includes a series of Brayfield’s watercolor paintings exploring southern gothic themes with an emphasis on the portrait and figure. Although there is always an element of darkness present, gothic doesn’t always mean darkness.
At an early age, Tonya Wade made friends with the monsters hiding in her closet. Through them, she awakened to the subtle beauty only darkness possesses. Tonya enjoys various streams of poetry, but it was Emily Dickinson who gave her the courage to discard rules. She also credits Andre Breton’s automatism with widening her approach to poetry. She and artist Stephen Brayfield have been together since he found her haunting his closet two years ago. Tonya lends poetic titles and suggests content for many of Stephen’s paintings, and he will also create a painting inspired by one of her poems. His encouragement means everything. Tonya Wade spent her formative years in beautiful Mississippi and currently resides in Asheville, NC.