By CATHERINE LEGG / Community Columnist

The current exhibit at Parnell Memorial Library Gallery is the work of local artist Amy Feger. The show is sponsored by the Montevallo Arts Council and will be open throughout May and June with a reception and gallery talk honoring the artist on Sunday, May 19, from 3-5 p.m. in the gallery.

Describing her paintings on maps, Feger said, “The selections for the exhibition explores the conceptual and narrative potential of the map as a means of describing the conditions of and experiences in the place that I call home. Relocating and commuting for education and employment, I was immersed in a lengthy journey composed of ritual road trips. Each painting is the archeological remnant of a re-constructed memory and reflects my journeys within the landscape and my discoveries there.

“These metaphoric landscapes propose that I am a part of the local landscape, both the natural and built environment, and the landscape is part of my individual and local identity. Thus, I delicately stake my ground.”

The artist explained the prints along one wall were completed in 2010, and began as an exploration of transitions, erosion, movement and changes over time. She used the same 12-by-18-inch zinc plate matrix to create and edition five different images of a spider’s web that are presented side by size as a unified work.

Feger’s work has been shown in many galleries; the last being the Emerging Alabama Artists exhibition at the University of Montevallo.

When asked why she chose a career in art, she said, “Well, I always loved art and drama, but when I was compelled to choose, I decided I’d rather starve for art than acting.”

She grew up in Louisville, Ky,, and moved to Montevallo 11 years ago. Now she admits that she has been here long enough to call herself an “Alabamian.”

She earned a BFA from the University of Louisville and an MFA in painting from the University of Alabama. Currently, she is an art instructor at UM.

 

Catherine Legg can be reached by email at clegg2@bellsouth.net.