Rufus Morgan's paintings to show in East and North Wing Galleries at TRC

Release Date: 7/11/2007. Expired: 8/25/2007

Rufus Morgan received three drawing lessons from an elderly woman while stationed in Italy during WWII. That was the extent of his formal training.

Morgan took that small sampling of direction and aimed it toward his desire to learn more. He read books on art and picked up tips and pointers wherever he could on his own time. It was this desire that led Morgan to begin exhibiting his paintings with wide success.

The Renaissance Center in Dickson will exhibit works by Morgan in its East and North Wing Galleries July 11-Aug. 25. An opening reception will be 6-7:30 p.m. Friday, July 13. A special reception will be 5-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, when the center celebrates its eighth anniversary open house and Arts Fusion III.

“Morgan’s work itself is straightforward and without frills – he paints quickly and without preparation, letting the paint influence him as much as the subject,” said Armon Means, curator for The Renaissance Center. “His love of nature and wildlife are dominant themes, though the undercurrent of memory and childhood often play their respective roles. Glazing layers of rich color often work their way into new paintings and sometimes even over top old ones.”

Each painting is still merely a canvas until Morgan sees them as completely finished – final pieces that may take days or even years. A frequent subject is the area around the Sequatchie Valley where he practiced medicine for many years as he continued his personal artistic ventures.

“Maybe it is that same level of intensity required to be an ER doctor that has allowed Morgan to dive so headlong into his painting -- the delicate precision of a doctor’s hands, mirroring the delicacy of the oils and brushstrokes across the canvas,” said Means.

For more information on The Renaissance Center’s exhibition of paintings by Rufus Morgan, call (615) 740-5600 or visit www.rcenter.org. The galleries at The Renaissance Center are open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and admission and receptions are always free.

The Renaissance Center is a fine arts education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

Visit the Visual Arts Gallery page for more about the gallery.

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