 | ||||
| ||||
Cammie Harris Collier
Oil on Canvas, Acrylic on Canvas, Intaglio Etching,
Color Reduction Wood Cut, Monotype
Artist Statement
“To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.”
-e.e. cummings
My artwork is varied in style and subject matter. I am changed everyday by things I see and experience and by people I meet, and thus, so does my artwork. Life is an evolving process and it is my belief that ones artwork must be as well. My pieces are snapshots of where I am at that moment in my life; who I am with, what I am thinking, experiencing, remembering, believing, seeing and feeling.
My current concentration is on portraiture, both figurative and abstract in various media. I especially enjoy the power of one stroke being able to change the emotion in one's face and the expressions captured on the canvas. There is such power in the eyes especially. I find it all very magical and will enjoy the exploration to come.
2002-2006 Sawbriar.com. All Rights Reserved.
If you encounter problems on this website please press here.
Andrew Before
Oil on Canvas
approx 20 x 54
NFS- artist collection
Untitled Jar
Oil on Canvas
approx 48 x 66
Sweet Kitty
Acrylic on Canvas
approx 24 x 30
nfs- artist collection
detail view
Somber
Acrylic on Canvas
24 x 30
Scott
Acrylic on Canvas
24 x 30
nfs- collection of the Gentry family
Laura
Acrylic on Canvas
20 x 24
detail view
detail view
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
Mornings at Claudia Mae's
oil on canvas
approx. 36 x 48
Spring 1989
Part of a two piece series. There are often objects that in a way take on the essence of someone, a specific personality to me. This lamp was representative of my Grandfather on my Mother's side. I recall it was on his bedside, as long as I can remember. This piece is about the time period where my Grandfather was growing older was diagnosed Alzheimer's Disease. This painting with the lamp being on and shining, represents when he was able to express who he was to the world on his own. Light equaling, in this painting, expression. The companion piece to this, is a smaller piece with the same composition with the lamp turned off. The lamp is only able to be seen by the reflected light from the outside, ie. his family's light reflecting back on to him. He is no longer able to express, shine his light, he is only seen now by the reflected expression or assumtion of others. His light is at that point off, gone, even thought his body was still with us.
Lonliness
Acrylic on Canvas
24 x 36
| ||||
Soulular
Color Reduction Wood Cut Print on
Handmade Mulberry Paper
24 x 24
Framing available.
| ||||
| ||||
Gestation of the Soul
Intaglio Etching on Zinc hand inked and printed on handmade linen paper.
12 x 18 image size
Framing available
Spring 1998
Growing up some of my fondest memories were canning the fruits and vegetables my family grew in the garden; greenbeans, corn, tomatoes. When I started painting I was always drawn to the shape and form of a mason jar. It represented to me a vessel of goodness. A container of love. A holder of the spirit. One of my Grandmothers had a shelf on her back porch where she stored much of her canning. When the sunshine would come in, in the mornings you could see these sparkling jewels of reds, greens and yellows, in the sunshine. This piece is representative of my memories of those wonderful times with both sides of my family and also, setting aside the vessels in various relationships to eachother set them as being individuals. Some are bold and in front, others hiding or barely seen, but still there.
November 2004
Simply, this is my cat who brings our home much joy. Needing some inspiration she seemed like the appropriate subject.
November 2004
I have begun the exploration of the human face and the emotions it expresses. How with the slightest stroke of the brush, the mood can change entirely. This piece is representative of that study.
February 2004
This is a continuation of the study of the human face, and deeper study of the capture of a person's essence in their eyes. This painting is my husband. I will continue to do paintings of my friends and family in this format and style composition as I think we most deeply connect on an emotional level in our creativity with those that mean something to us, our friends, our family, our community, our surroundings.
December 2004
Laura Blackley is a blues artist from the Asheville, NC area. Her performance at the Sawbriar was especially emotional and powerful. This photograph that I took at her performance showed that. I asked if I could paint the image of her and she thankfully oblidged.
Painted 1992-1993
This is an abstract image from a memory of my childhood. A coffeepot that symbolizes for me family around the table in the mornings before getting the day started. Happy, alert, alive.
January 2005
This piece is to me, "What Lonliness Looks Like". A hopeful smile, a quiet desperation in the eyes.
Summer 2003
During the period of July and August 2003 I was doing independent study at Wake Forest University in their Printmaking Studio under the guidance of my former professor David Faber. My theme of exploration was that of birth, growth, metamorphosis. There are two figures in this piece, one standing in the middle and one in the cellular structure. They are the same. This is a color reduction wood cut created during that time period. Life brings events that effect us not only on a cellular but soulular level. This is my vision of that.
Summer 2003
This is a continuation of the representation of cellular, gestation, growth, cacoon imagery done in the media of Intaglio etching. This print was developed while doing independent study at Wake Forest University.
Accepting the Gift
Acrylic on canvas
20 x 24 image size
nfs- collection of artist
| ||||
December 2004
Often times we do not allow ourselves to fully embrace our uniqueness and our place in the world that God presents to us. We often aren't willing to walk into the blessings He has instore. Whether it be from fear or self doubt or perhaps feeling we don't deserve them. We bind His hands and question His ways and sometimes miss the wonderful possibilities offered simply by not accepting them. This is my representation of finally accepting that gift and trusting in the blessings that gift holds for all of us.
All pricing includes simple yet elegant framing.
Shipping and crating costs are not included.
more images coming soon...
Education:
BA: Fine Art: Wake Forest University 1990
Concentrations in:
Printmaking: study under David Faber
Painting: study under Paige Laughlin
additional study:
Sculpture: study under David Finn
Drawing: study under Alix Hitchcock
Black and White Photography: Instructor: Phil Perricone
Independent Study: Wake Forest University
Printmaking: 1990-1991
July-August 2003
Ben
Acrylic on Canvas
24 x 30
nfs - artist collection
December 2004
This painting is of a friend, and fellow musician in my band, Scott Gentry.
| ||||
Fall 1987
My first attempt at oil painting. A study piece. A hat, an umbrella, a pair of overalls, a stool and a ribbon. What a mix of still life objects.
Picking Sticky Flowers
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 35
nfs-artist collection
2005
This is painting from a photograph of me as a child. My grandparents lived next door, as did uncles, aunts and cousins too on the other side. We all grew up working (and myself playing while I was still little) on the farm. My Grandfather was a tobacco farmer and peddler of vegetables and farm meats (homemade sausage and pork, eggs and chickens) and wood and other farm wares. All of the family pitched in. This painting is from a day where, while everyone else was working hard topping (to cut or break the flowers off the tops of the tobacco plants so that the nutrients would boost the leaves rather than nurish the blossoms) tobacco plants, I was happily in the field "picking sticky flowers". I wasn't even in school yet, so I wasn't very helpful, other than providing entertainment and someone for everybody to pick at. Some of my fondest memories were of the summers when things in full swing. My cousin Danny (who is a year older than me) and I would hook our feet on the runners the tobacco sleds and ride back and forth from the barns to the fields. I remember the cool soft dirt under my feet inside a shaded tobacco barn where I played.
May 2005
An abstract portrait of my nephew, Reid. This painting is best viewed from about 30 feet away or if you squint your eyes down it actually becomes a clearer picture of what he looks like. He's a cute and sweet boy. He's 11 years old. I actually painted this picture in this method, the large, high contrast, vibrant chunks because his Grandmother, my mother-in-law is visually impaired and I thought if the chunks were large enough and bright enough, it would perhaps be easier for her to see. It seemed to work quite well, I'm happy to say.
Reid
Acrylic on canvas
12 x 18
nfs
| ||||
| ||||
May 2005
This is Chris a wonderfully talented and creative mandolin player that plays with my band Alleghany Moon. I'm doing portraits of all my band members. They will be incorporated into our CD package when it's all done. We're in the studio now and it's coming along quite nicely. We're excited about its release.
Chris
Acrylic on canvas
9 x 12
nfs- collection of the Campbell family
| ||||
John
16 x 20
Acrylic on canvas
nfs-collection of the Boulding Family
September 2005
This is John a master instrument repair person along with being an incredible musician. He plays banjo and resophonic guitar with his own band "The Shady Grove Band" and sits in with my band Alleghany Moon now and again.
| ||||
Untitled
16 x 20
acrylic on canvas
September 2005
A self portrait of sorts. I have begun study on the artwork of Frida Kalo and her many self portraits. I will be doing more self portraits, as who better do I know than myself. I hope that perhaps connecting with my own image will help me connect and bring out the emotion in my paintings of others that I am seeking.
| ||||
| ||||
David
20 x 24
acrylic on canvas
currently nfs
October 2005
David LaMotte is an internationally touring acoustic artist from the Asheville, NC area. I met David actually in a round about way through one of my best friends from college. They went to their Sr. prom together. When Ben and I opened the Sawbriar, I was speaking with her and she said, "I know someone you should meet". So I called him, invited him to perform at the Sawbriar, and the rest is history. At David's second performance at the Sawbriar, I took several photos, this one in particular really showed David's confidence. A quiet knowing, a subtle smile and captivating eyes that draw the audience in. David is a master at creating a magical musical experience.
Still life
Oil on Canvas
nfs- artist collection
| ||||
Spring 1988
Figure done in guache (opaque watercolors) in life drawing class in college.
Figure
Approx 9 x 9
Guache on black cotton paper
| ||||
1988
There is a shadowy figure coming out of the wood grain behind the carved face. I was intrigued by this as I used a wire brush to bring the grain up into the print. To see a detail of this print click here.
Untitled
Approx 12 x 8
Woodcut in black ink on Chinese Mulberry Paper
| ||||
1992
This is a painting about my Grandmaw Sells. My Mother's mother. I lived next door to her growing up and spent just about as much time at her house as I did mine. I've done several paintings about her and have written songs about her too. She was a great influence on me, in my life. She taught me many things. She was a great cook. And two of my favorite things she made were "Strawberry Pies". There's nothing like them. And I loved her potatoes and green beans actually. She cooked them together in a pressure cooker. At any rate, I thought that pressure cooker pot she made them in just had to be magic. My mother's potatoes and green beans just never ever tasted the same. It had to be the pot. Before she passed away, she gave it to me. It is a treasure to me. Funny how certain odd little things are so special to you when they come from someone you love so much. This is a painting about that magic pot.
Claudia
Approx 48 x 48
Oil on Canvas
with mixed media
| ||||
detail view
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
