Art by E&H Professor Selected for 'New American Paintings'

The chairman of the Emory & Henry College Art Department recently had three of his paintings reproduced in the nationally distributed and highly selective art magazine, New American Paintings.

The works by Charles Goolsby were selected from approximately 1,000 applicants. The works were selected by Barbara O'Brien, curator of the Kemper Museum.

The three works by Goolsby that were chosen for the publication depict scenes from Southwest Virginia. They are titled "Hungry Mother Lake: Diving Platform," "Coeburn," and "Above Ground Pool." All three are oil paintings on linen.

Goolsby's paintings are a visual response to landscapes that have been reshaped by human intervention. Thematically, the works explore solitude, death, anxiety, transience, speed, isolation, confrontation and collision.

The emphasis on these concerns places the work in a long tradition of American Romantic landscape painting, including artists such as Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper. At the same time, his work is created within the context of the present, a time of pluralism in terms of visual expression.

The Open Studio Press, which publishes New American Paintings, was founded in 1993 as a vehicle for facilitating contact between artists and art enthusiasts. While included painters receive international exposure, those with an interest in contemporary painting are provided with an invaluable resource for discovering new artistic talent.

Thousands of artists participate in the selection process each year, but only a limited number make it through the jurying process. The publication works closely with renowned curators to select artists whose work deserves to be seen by a wider audience.