January 5, 2000
Library exhibits diverse artistry
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Practical in his art, Walter Chmura will recycle without shame to create his sculptures and three-dimensional 'paintings.' Phone wire is his medium of choice these days, in every color possible, and he scrounges supplies from anywhere and everywhere: construction sites, sympathetic phone company employees and other artists.
For his paintings, the wire provides a riot of color and subtle texture that captures the attention and, like a puzzle, invites the viewer to find the hidden story woven in the work. Don't look too hard for the story, though, because Chmura has his feet planted firmly in the abstract school.
"I try to get a rhythmical pattern of movement and direction and then just let my imagination fly," said Chmura, a retired art teacher, who worked at the Traverse City state hospital for 22 years. "I try to attract interest using various shapes and forms, and everyone sees something different in my work."
Living a life as colorful as his work, Chmura can think back to days in the Navy when he was the ship's artist on the USS Sigourney, serving under Ensign Ross Perot. He also had a chance to dine with famed sculptor Henry Moore on his farm near London. Chmura had boldly called him one day when his ship was in port and respectfully requested a chance to talk with him.
"I told him I was in the Navy and how interested I was in being a sculptor and he invited me to have dinner with his family," recalled Chmura, a Detroit native and resident of Traverse City since 1969.
"I went to his cottage and he showed me his private collection, his library and his studio. He advised me to study anatomy, finish art school and develop a technique that will set you apart. When you are ready, present your work to the world. That is what I am doing now."
Four of Chmura's works are featured this month in the main meeting room at the Traverse Area District Library, part of an ongoing display of local artists and craftsman. Caricature artist Joan Worth and watercolor scenery painter Dale Berg are also displaying this month. Given the eclectic mix of media and styles, the theme of this show could be People, Places and Things, noted Worth.
A caricaturist working summers at art shows and Friday Night Live, Worth is displaying a dozen abstract drawings of famous people and the animal she perceives them to be most like. She combines the likes of Bill Gates with a kangaroo, Richard Nixon with a serpent and Albert Einstein with a sphinx, putting an ironic twist on a famous person's public persona.
"I like to draw people and what's fun about caricatures is that they allow me to use my imagination," said Worth, a city resident. "I like to make up stories in the drawing and, with caricatures, you can't take yourself too seriously."
Berg's realistic watercolors of local scenery capture images of northern Michigan, especially rural Leelanau County. While he occasionally will invent a scene, usually he works from photos taken of actual places that caught his eye. While he has been painting for just three years, he has already won an honorable mention in a juried show sponsored by the Traverse Area Art Council.
"There's a lot of interest in local scenery and I find my scenes sometimes just by driving around," said Berg, a retired car designer for Ford Motor Company. "One place I drove by many times and didn't think anything of it until one day I saw small picture of it in the Record-Eagle in a story about tourist cabins. That picture caught my eye and I went back to take my own and paint it."
The library has been featuring the work of local artists and craftsmen since moving to its new location last year. Barb Nowinski, assistant director of the library, coordinates the display and each month brings in new work.
"It is really exciting to have this space to showcase the work of local artists," Nowinski said. "We've had no trouble filling that room or the display cases because people are always calling us."