By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Campbellsville University will display artwork of Chris Carney of Campbellsville Nov. 17-25 in the Art Gallery across from Gosser Fine Arts Center.
This is Carney’s senior show and will consist of two dimensional graphite drawings, color pencil drawings, mixed media drawings, paper masks and kaleidoscope.
A reception for him will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, in the gallery. The public is invited to attend at no charge.
Carney will graduate in December with a bachelor of science with a major in art and minor in business administration.
Carney has lived in Arizona and California, having been mostly raised in California. He has lived in Kentucky for about eight years.
He has entered work in an art show in San Diego at Job Corps. His work won the drawing part of the contest over all other Job Corps locations west of the Mississippi River. His winning piece was entered in Washington, D.C., where it took second place in the nation.
“Most of my work is done using some type of drawing medium,” Carney said. He said he likes photorealism and, when he draws, he tries to make his drawing look as realistic as possible.
“I like to draw faces because they are challenging and unique,” he said. “With each face I draw, I try to capture the person’s essence. For example, a face with a lot of lines and wrinkles on it tells you something about that person’s life.
“When I draw, the challenge is to convey that person’s life onto a two-dimensional surface. I try to portray that person’s inner self in my drawings.”
Carney said he draws other subjects besides faces, but “people seem to intrigue me the most.”
He said he has started working with the figure, and most of his work is in graphite. “I feel I can catch the subtle shades and hues that black and white photos have, with the benefit of detail and focus not possible with photographs,” he said.
He likes to work with pen and ink, but says drawing with pen and ink can be “very time consuming and tedious when trying to draw a highly detailed, shades and formed drawing, which looks realistic and not sketchy.”
Some of his color pencil drawings are in the show including drawings of famous women and models. “Color pencil is challenging because it involves the blending of color.
“I don’t want the drawings to look too cartoony. I want more of an oil painting effect on them,” he said.
Carney said he hopes the viewer will catch a glimpse of what he was seeing and feeling when he drew his work.
The sources from his imagery come from photos he has taken, public domain photos as well as well-known photos of well-known people.
His sources of inspiration are the Old Masters including Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo and Rubens. He also likes more contemporary artists such as Boris Vallejo, Lee Hammond and Burne Hogarth.
For information about the exhibit, contact Judy Clark at (270) 789-5233.
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,601 students who represent 93 Kentucky counties, 27 states and 31 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report’s 2009 “America’s Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South for the second consecutive year. CU has been ranked 16 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America’s Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his tenth year as president.