Paintings by Danielle Owens (Class of 2014)

Selected pieces from this online exhibit were featured in the 2014 Senior Art Exhibition in Berea College’s Upper and Lower Traylor Art Galleries as part of recent Berea College graduate Danielle Owens’ senior art project. The Loyal Jones Appalachian Center has supported this project, and continues to support it by featuring two selected pieces in Faber Library and the entire collection of powerfully poignant paintings in this online exhibit. Read below for Danielle’s description of the project.

Artist’s Statement:

I was born and raised in the heart of Southwest Virginia to a family deep-rooted in coal. Trammel, a once thriving coal camp close to my home, is a symbol of personal heritage that is rich with music, stories and the proud individuals whose hard work fueled the country in the early 1900s. My paintings are my reflection on Trammel. I recall memories of the town as it once was; and even now, it serves as a reminder of a way of life. The older generations tell stories about this time in Appalachia, and local music recalls the struggle of miners and their families, but few people from outside the coal fields of Trammel, Virginia understand its deep history. I chose to work with watercolor because of its delicate, ethereal quality, emphasized by the fading lines and faint colors. I believe this softness evokes a sense of memory, which is often dissolved and unclear. The paper I selected has a light sepia tone which reminds me of old family photographs. Just as photographs document moments passed, my work documents a place and time in Appalachia that is quickly fading away.

To learn more about this project, email Danielle Owens at berealady9@gmail.com.