The Queen of Spades
by Jane Ellithorpe
by Betsy Birkner Betsy Birkner is from Mount Airy and now lives in Charlotte. She has studied art since grade school. Her parents enrolled her in the Famous Artists School course when she was in 7th grade since she could copy the drawing from the school’s ad on a matchbook. She later studied advertising design at Central Piedmont Community College and earned a B.F.A. from Win-throp University. Since then, Birkner has worked as a book designer for UNC Press and as a botanical illus-trator and photographer for the UNC Botany Depart-ment. Currently, she works as a freelance advertisingg designer in Charlotte and teaches color theory in thee Interior Design Department at CPCC. Her work hass been displayed at the Garments Show in Chicago, and d she won the American In-House Design Award from m Graphic Design USA for designing a developmentt package for McColl Center for Visual Art in 2005. “I thought the crown motif was perfect for one off the queen playing cards. I like for unforeseen trans-formation to occur in my art,” explains Betsy, who iss greatly interested in beadwork. “In my card design,, the crown has a mirror image, which creates anotherr object. You may not see a crown at first, or maybe.”
Giving back Originally from Toronto, Goyette followed her husband south for his career and immediately found the area inviting. “I have always lived in areas with a very competitive art scene,” says Goyette. “But when I came here, everyone was so accepting and excited about it.
in Hand.
Hand. in tesy of Art Photo cour
The he Q Queen ueen of Diamonds
Mitchell Phillips is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte working towards a B.F.A in Graphic Design. Originally from Goldsboro, he now lives in Cornelius and has been interested in various styles of art since he was a child. He now concentrates on graphic design and has had his work on display at several UNCC student gallery shows. Although still developing his style, Mitchell tends to focus on elements with a direct and meaningful impact. “I chose to design the Queen of Spades because the Queen of Spades is known as ‘the most dreaded card’ in the game of Hearts,” says Mitchell. “The vibrant colors are meant to resemble an oncoming storm, and the player should definitely beware. I included the city skyline as a homage homa ho magg to The Queen City. y”
Everyone is very enthusiastic. No N onee is is pushpush sh ing you away.” Once she settled in, she began to volunteer at local art galleries and soon discovered the Creative Art Exchange in Cornelius. “I Continued on page 23
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Lake Norman Currents | May 2009 Lak
Included in the mix of styles are painting, photography, graphic design, beadwork and fabric art. The artists are of all ages. Some are students, while others are well established. And there’s also a noble side to this project with the participating artists donating their original art to be auctioned off for charity.
by Mitchell Phillips
Photo courtesy of Art
Hand. Photo courtesy of Art in
Jane Ellithorpe lives in Davidson and is a full-time artist. She is known for her watercolors of gardens and her ink renderings of homes. A graduate of Syracuse University, Jane is self taught. She teaches drawing, watercolor and oil techniques, and enjoys instructing young and old alike. In describing her Ace of Diamonds, Jane says, “I am a flower person, and the best reds come from nature. I love the tulip as a subject, and the parrot tulip is especially intriguing. It grows differently, like a parrot has feathers. It also seems to have motion even though the subject is one dimensional, but you feel it when you look at it. This is a watercolor with its natural transparency. If you look carefully, you notice the variations of color over color.”
Rip Currents |
The Ace of Diamonds
4/18/09 7:09 PM