WS Chronicle

The Elberson Fine Arts Center Gallery at Salem Academy and College is currently featuring the exhibit “Finding Place,” an exhibition of multi-dimensional works by Ollie Singleton, curated by Kimberly Varnadoe.  The exhibit runs through Dec. 16 and can be viewed Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Ollie Singleton is a visionary, born with an artistic streak that she has nurtured authentically throughout her life. She taught herself to be an artist, producing work in multiple genres: printmaking; painting; mixed media collage; clothing refashioning; and wood art. She has lived, worked, and practiced art over several decades and from many “places,” both physical and metaphysical.

Singleton’s work reflects on the complex and tangled nature of Heirs property, juxtaposing the beauty of the inherited land and acknowledging the abandonment of the farmland that once gave so generously of itself. When she paints, she imagines herself on the farm, looking out over the once fertile fields that provided crops, yielding now to the overgrowth of time.

A centerpiece of the family property was the 100-plus-year-old shed. The ‘shed’ collapsed in 2020 and Singleton lovingly collected the wood which she has adapted into wood art and assemblages. The raw wood is astonishing with the evidence of age, insects and weather that have affected it over these many years. Singleton adds her hand to the aesthetics of the surfaces and considers herself in collaboration with nature in the creation of these works.

Singleton approaches her work with spontaneity and intuition. Her paintings are often conceptual in nature. Her broad range of influences and art practices is a reflection on her life. Her experiences have been varied and it is demonstrated by the variety of art forms she explores. 

While working in both the public and private sectors as teacher, trainer, administrator, and interior decorator, she has used art to encourage learning and engagement, and to feed her insatiable appetite to create. Her childhood crayons have morphed into paint brushes and sewing machines, utilizing numerous approaches to share her vision.

Singleton has been quick to adapt to new settings – if only for short periods of time. Now retired from the public sector and living in North Carolina, she is fulfilling her dream of creating art and sharing her love of “place” with others.

The Finding Place exhibit is open to the public and runs through Dec. 16. It can be viewed Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Elberson Fine Arts Center on the campus of Salem Academy and College, 412 Rams Drive.