Visual Fiction

Noyes Capehart

Show Dates: August 9 - 26

Open House: Saturday, August 12th, 4 - 6 pm

LIVE Event: Artist Talk with Noyes Capehart — Saturday, August 12th, 3 - 3:30 pm

“Visual Fiction”, an exhibition featuring cherished regional artist Noyes Capehart, is now available at the Art Cellar Gallery. This feature solo show will focus on one of the most important values of Noyes’ art: storytelling.

Noyes uses surreal imagery and prose in his works to guide the viewer into his story while leaving enough room for subjective interpretation. The painter has also written several fiction and nonfiction books. The title “Visual Fiction” references Noyes’ willingness to play with reality, like placing Monet in North Carolina in 1893. Or an experiment he did while volunteering at the Avery/Mitchell Correctional Institute in the late 2000s. Here, where he presented an ‘expressive drawing’ class, Noyes showed the pupils one of his own drawings from 2000 that featured a giant figure lurking over a house in the night. When asked to describe their interpretations of the figure, 9/10 students gave protector-like descriptions with adjectives such as ‘benevolent’ and ‘familiar’, even relating the giant to their own grandfather. Only one student noted that the figure appeared to them as a threat, rather than a guardian, imagining the giant was waiting for the family to fall asleep before striking. The stark contrast in interpretation opened Noyes’ eyes to using the viewers own imagination to his advantage. In his own words, Noyes describes his role as “not to teach, but give them visual outlets for their emotions."

It is this theme of subjective interpretation that Noyes derived his show title, “Visual Fiction”. Guiding the viewer through the nuances of a painting and the story behind it engages them by allowing room to develop their own interpretation of meaning. To Noyes, the intent is not for the viewer to develop a specific emotional response to his work, but rather to be ushered to a self-actualized story about how the work impacts them personally.

Certain thematic subjects have reappeared in Noyes’ works throughout his long history as an artist. These subjects manifest in different compositions as tokens giving insight to his life’s journey. Whether it be a sign from his time working for Coca-Cola or his childhood home, Noyes calls back on these subjects like characters in his stories giving them different meaning and personality based on the setting they’re placed in. Character arcs are portrayed through his works based on how his own relationship with that subject changed throughout his life.

Noyes is eager to share these stories with his collectors in this exhibition. It is not only a show for his art, but a story about his own life and journey through the art world. Noyes will be providing further insight on the meaning behind “Visual Fiction” the day of his open house. Join us at the Art Cellar Gallery for for a LIVE Artist talk from 3 - 3:30 PM. Stay afterwards for refreshments and a chance to discuss the intriguing works and meet the artist.

Noyes Capehart’s open house is August 12th, from 4 - 6 PM. The exhibition is presented August 9th until August 26th.