“Les Trois Artistes,” a story of three artists, debuts at the Macon Arts Alliance on First Friday, September 2 from 5-8 p.m. Experience the collaborative harmony of Cherry Brewer, Travis Hart, and Michelle Lisenby. The opening reception will be on display through September 30. The exhibit is always free and open to the public.
Brewer, Hart, and Lisenby have known each other for years. Their friendship is one of inspiration and encouragement whether on canvas or in life. “We all have a similar expression to our work,” states Lisenby.
As a child, Brewer spent hours on end with her sketch pad getting lost in drawings. “My dream was to become a commercial artist. Instead, as a young adult, I became a hairstylist and ultimately owned a salon for a number of years. I realize now, that becoming a hairstylist was a way for me to earn a living, and still keep a connection with the creative process.”
It wasn’t until after choosing to stay at home and raise her children, that Brewer realized her desire to create was very much alive and thriving. “Over the years, I have experimented and painted on anything from furniture, walls, canvas, glass, wood, columns and more…I tend to lean toward acrylics, using vivid, intense color combined with texture and glaze to achieve the desired effect,” states Brewer.
Hart considers himself a natural born artist as he has been painting and drawing virtually all of his life. 2004 was the start of his professional career and today hang in private homes and collections from New York, Chicago, Miami, and Paris.
“My work can be described as either contemporary impressionism or abstract. Both styles employ my personal technique of deconstructing realism,” states Hart. “I’ve spoken to a number of groups on the subject, describing the step-by-step method behind my process in the talk From the Real to the Unreal.”
Viewing a Mark Rothko at the Whitney Museum in NYC was a life changing moment for Lisenby; that’s when she knew she loved art and started playing around with paint. Lisenby mixes every medium from watercolors to oils to create subtle yet powerful works that reflect her personal philosophy. “I like art to speak for itself, allowing each person to experience it differently,” says Lisenby.