Everywhere Spring is in the air, and at In-Town Gallery “Spring is in the Art”, beginning the first week of May. This semi-annual seasonal exhibition makes a clean sweep of the entire gallery, bringing in exciting new original work from 34 regional artists. This occasion also introduces the newest members elected into the art cooperative - jeweler Barbara Murnan and photographer Spears McAllester. Come and meet them at the festive opening reception from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on the First Friday, May 4. The exhibition continues through the entire month.
Barbara Murnan brings exceptional copper creations for women’s adornment. Her twisted wire neck pieces and intriguing earrings make a fashion statement much in demand. “I’ve always loved unusual, striking jewelry,“ she says, as she explains her path to creating her own. Murnan’s curiosity was piqued when a friend had a thriving handmade jewelry business in Atlanta, and she inquired about the process of turning individual designs into finished pieces.
Murnan first took classes in making earrings at a bead shop. She began with beading on sterling silver wire, but found that metalsmithing had become her passion. Once she held the needlenose pliers in her hand to create the bends and swirls of the silver and copper that allowed her bold offerings to flow freely, she knew that her creative juices that had been simmering just under the surface had risen to the top. She incorporates semi-precious stones into her one-of-a-kind pieces. She expresses her philosophy, “As far as I am concerned, jewelry should be an extension of your inner being. It is the final stroke of creativity on the palette - which is you.”
As well as creating her own jewelry, Murnan teaches classes in cuff and collar making for beginners to advanced students. She is a member of AVA, Georgia Goldsmiths Group, and the American Craft Council. Her work can be found in several states and as far away as Italy and Hawaii.
Spears McAllester has spent a lifetime with a camera in hand, and just recently turned this casual hobby into a serious pursuit, resulting in professional images that astound the viewer. His exquisite snow scenes which capture nature’s magic may look like classic black and white photographs, but they are full-color images exactly as captured by his Nikon D7000 digital camera. Other works present the astounding abstract beauty that can be found in nature when an observer slows down enough to see the world in detail.
Inspiration came from workshops in California and Canada. McAllester honed his skills at the “Winter Light” and “Focusing on Nature” workshops conducted by Keith Walklet in Yosemite, CA in February and November 2011. He observed different territory in the “Canadian Rockies Workshop” with Paul Zizka and Anne Strickland in August 2011. McAllester increased his technical knowledge by learning Adobe Lightroom and utilizing NIK software online tutorials.
McAllester’s photography is a departure from his duties as a full-time Clinical Engineering Department Head at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga. That’s why, at a Craft Fair there in October 2011, when he displayed his photography to the public for the first time, one of his colleagues exclaimed, “Spears, we never knew you had a creative side!”
