Pump Gallery presents:
Bob Rhea
Opening Reception Saturday September 4, 7 - 10pm
Exhibition runs from September 1st - September 30th
The highly graphic paintings of Bob Rhea tend to stand out on the gallery wall. The juxtaposition of
black India ink against each stark, colored wooden background only serves to underscore the sentiment
of each striking subject. Each image evokes a strong emotional reaction, as in “Rollercoaster,” which
tends to make folks grin and feel a tad lighter due to Rhea’s unusual use of negative space.
As an avid thrift store book hoarder, Rhea’s paintings are inspired by carefully selected portions of
obscure vintage photos that evolve into the emotional images that have become his calling card. In
his inaugural piece entitled, “Seeing Red,” a young angry Catholic school girl was just a tiny seething
spectator in the image from which she originated. At the time of its creation, Rhea was dealing with the
death of his mother.
You’ll notice that the canvases Rhea uses are atypical. Having been a professional prototype model
maker, Rhea’s canvases are all close to perfect. Now a custom woodworker, he creates each canvas
from a simple, clean painted wooden box. His acute attention to detail is obvious when you see him
paint his images with a modified toothpick paintbrush.
In stark contrast to his painting style are Rhea’s wood & metal sculptures. In sculpting along the wood
grain, he makes the wood seem to flow into shape, and almost drip onto the base. By stacking and
gluing hundreds of flat pieces together, Rhea painstakingly layers and shapes each rough figure before
sculpting the final form with a pneumatic pencil grinder. Amazingly, each undulating sculpture is
balanced and weighted to stand on its own.
As for his metal sculptures, Rhea has thus far used found pieces of steel to give form to striking
organically shaped garden sculptures. Says Rhea about their inspiration, “They’re just fun.”
Rhea’s current exhibition “Inkling” pays homage to the space and form that goes unexplained in his
paintings. He describes his work as “simple, accessible, having no shades of gray,” much like Rhea’s
personality. “Everyone has their own point of view. I present a part of the idea and leave the rest to the
viewer, so each image says something special to each person. Everyone walks away having had a unique
experience.”
Writing Paper Spirits
Opening Reception Wednesday September 1, 5 - 8pm
One Night Only
This body of work will exhibit both art (mixed media on canvas) and poetry created by a group of young women, ages 12
to 17 years old, from Eliada Home who are part of the Residential Program at Eliada which serves high-risk students.
Gracie McCarroll, who spearheaded this summer art program for the students at Eliada Home is a student of poetry and
creative writing at Warren Wilson College. She has been a volunteer running Eliada’s poetry program for three years
now. “I get so much satisfaction from seeing troubled young women create poetry, or a work of art from their own
feelings and imagination. It gives them an amazing sense of accomplishment, and it is a wonderful channel for turning
their anger and frustration into something so much more positive”, says McCarroll.
The Flood Gallery is excited about this exhibition. “We had to fit it in between shows which is why it’s only going to be
up for the evening of September 1st. But it is really an important exhibition for a lot of reasons. Artistic endeavors have
repeatedly proven to boost learning and achievement for students from economically disadvantaged circumstances and
kids with anger management issues. Art also can work to shore up self esteem.” says Jolene Mechanic.
In the spirit of cooperation and giving, the Flood Gallery will be waiving the percentage they usually take for work sold in
the gallery. This way, one hundred percent of all monies collected will go directly to the students whose works sell during
this opening. “Each of the works of art will be priced at $100, but I’m hoping people will like them and offer more than
that to these young ladies,” says Mechanic. “They really need it, and they deserve it.”
© Phil Mechanic Studios 2008
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