Cultural Arts Center Presents Two Old Masters

The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County proudly presents “Two Masters: Richard Clark & Anatoly Shlapak” for its September exhibition. This exhibition features the works of two master painters who have had long careers cultivating their craft. The reception will occur on September 6, from 6 until 8 p.m., at the Cultural Arts Center.  On Sunday, September 9, from 3 until 5 p.m., a special gallery talk and exhibition tour will be offered.  Both events are free and open to the general public.

Richard Clark is a self-taught African American watercolorist from Atlanta. Born in 1943, Clark attended Albany State University where he majored in Social Science. Clark has been an illustrator for Lockheed Georgia, a graphic artist for the Atlanta Regional Commission and then for Bellsouth Telecommunications. He retired in 2003 and has continued to work as a professional watercolorist.

Much of Clark’s work focuses on realistic portraits of African Americans from the first half of the 20^th century. His hope is to “capture the souls” of his subjects, expressing their struggles and their essence, in order to allow the viewer to share in their experiences. Her Kitchen, a portrait of a middle-aged black woman in the act of washing the kitchen dishes, is a wonderful example. The woman is observed from a glassless window surrounded by the worn, unpainted wooden planks of her humble home. The nameless woman’s expression is neither sad nor joyous, but of a silent focus found in the calm endurance of carrying through with the day’s chores. The natural lighting of the setting is captured brilliantly by Clark, adding to the authenticity of the scene with the figure half illuminated by the bright sunlight and half-hidden by the shade of the wooden siding and dark kitchen.

A portrait of a young woman standing by the side of the road and glancing at the observer illustrates another everyday cameo from earlier days in another of Clark’s paintings, Waiting. Like many of his pieces, the expression of the figure is somewhat muted, inviting the viewer into the internal state of his painted characters.

Clark’s influences include artists Norman Rockwell, Andrew Weyth, Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer. He is a signature member of the Georgia Watercolor Society, South Cobb Arts Alliance, AAFTA and NAAHBCU. Clark has won several cash and purchase awards through juried shows and national competitions, has work in the permanent collection of Alabama State College and has received the coveted Signature status in the National Watercolor Society.

    Academic oil painter Anatoly Shalpak was born in Russia in 1929 in Odessa near the Black Sea. There he met his wife, Elena. They both attended the College of Fine Arts in the Ukraine and married in 1948 shortly after their graduation. They then moved to St. Petersburg, where Elena became a pattern maker and costume designer, even working on productions at the Bolshoi Theatre, and Anatoly created Russian movie posters and murals. In 1979, the couple moved to New York to escape repressive national politics and an impoverished economy. Anatoly found work as a textile painter and sought-out gallery artist, and Elena worked for fashion designer Norma Kamali as well as creating her own designs with a fellow Russian dressmaker. The Shalpaks retired to Walton in upstate New York in 1995, but after a terrible flood, they moved to Lithia Springs in 2007, where they currently live.

    Shalpak’s personal work revolves around bright, impressionistic still lives mixed with figurative works and landscapes.  While impressionistic, his work is highly detailed, showcasing both a depth of color and richness of light and shadow. In Flowers, a still life of several bouquets of vibrant flowers bundled in a variety of planters and vases, each petal is accented by an energetic stroke, almost as if the piece is vibrating with life. The same can be seen in Shalpak’s rendering of two copper vessels holding large bouquets of fresh-cut pink roses titled, Roses. The vivacity of the flowers is mimicked in the richness of tone and movement of the reflective copper of the vases, and Shalpak’s love of flowers can be seen in both paintings.

The artist’s work has been exhibited in international art expositions and professional galleries in New York, Russia and Paris. His portrait of Ronald Reagan was recognized by the White House in 1981; and one of his landscapes now resides with the Walton Historical Society. Shalpak continues to paint on a daily basis, and his eye for movement and color are enduring features of his work.

The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County is located at 8652 Campbellton Street in historic downtown Douglasville. Hours of operation are Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The Cultural Arts Council and its exhibitions at the Cultural Arts Center are supported by its members, sponsors, the City of Douglasville, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, and the Georgia Council for the Arts, which is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art. For detailed directions and more information, please contact the Cultural Arts Council at 770/949-2787 or visit our web site --- www.artsdouglas.org.