Wanamaker exhibit ...shows artist's growth By AMY SATTERWHITE Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard Odd as it may seem, there was a time when Monty Wanamaker didn't create. Disenfranchised by life in the Big Apple and Washington, D.C., even though he was successful as a serious artist, Wanamaker returned home to his native Tennessee and couldn't muster the energy to take a brush to paper or even listen to classical music. For those who were familiar with Wanamaker before he left town to pursue a serious art career, the transformation may have seemed strange. Today, that period is long behind him and Wanamaker is left to ponder his personal and professional growth. "Four Decades of His Art" is on display at The Station Pure Art until Oct. 14. The exhibit follows a lifetime of professional achievements. Formally trained and with several overseas study trips, solo exhibitions and accomplishments in writing and poetry to his name, public scrutiny is nothing new. Names of places he is affiliated with include the Parthenon Museum and Galleries in Nashville, Chathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York and The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. What is new, he said, is to see his work change over time.

PHOTOS INFO: Clockwise from top right, among Wanamaker's "Four Decades of His Art," are local historical figures, like this watercolor of Civil War diarist and writer Lucy Virginia French. Monty Wanamaker's early art included psychologically stimulating lithographs, while more recent work like a watercolor entitled "Norma Jean," is intended to be less thought-provoking but exude emotion, he said. Lisa Shepherd takes in the exhibit at The Station Pure Art. (Amy Satterwhite Photos) _____________________________________

Wanamaker's latest exhibit includes watercolors, oils, pen and ink drawings, lithographs, photography and collages. Dated work shows how his interests have evolved - from early expressive lithographs that are intentionally designed to provoke thought, to subtle works decades later that provoke emotion.

One example of Wanamaker's more recent work is a portrait entitled "Norma Jean," where Wanamaker captures an obvious sadness to the woman's eyes.

"They've changed. It was, when I first started, very deep within. All that came out from very deeply within me," he said of the 1960s-era lithographs. "Now, my psychological stuff is more veiled, like the portrait of Marilyn."

Wanamaker pondered showing it locally, however, because her torso is bare.

"People love that portrait. We wondered how it would be taken here in McMinnville. She's had only accolades. Not one person has criticized her and that's been amazing for McMinnville," he added.

A public favorite is an oil painted with a palette knife of his mother, which was painted in 1962. As a history enthusiast, there are also several drawings of local historical points of interest, but Wanamaker is especially proud of an oil painting of a Smoky Mountain landscape because an oil painting is a rare accomplishment for him.

From his early life in Tennessee, where he always knew he would become an artist, to becoming the curator of Parthenon early in his career, to traveling, creating poetry and costumes for choreographed pieces, his life has been all art, all the time.

To take in the exhibit at one sitting is more than nostalgic for him, especially since he has major art accomplishments in every decade of his professional career to reflect upon.

"It's a very emotional experience for me because bringing them all together brings back the memories of the years in which I did them. The years that I did the early lithographs, I was living in Washington D.C. and New York City and the whole thing about my life comes back to me," he said.

"It's very interesting to see it all together and there's something quite wonderful about the wholeness of it for me. I feel like I've kind of come full circle."

Created on ... March 02, 2003

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