Two FSU Grads Honored as State's Emerging Artists

Two Fairmont State University graduates took top honors at the Emerging Artists of West Virginia Exhibition in Charleston earlier this month.

Best of show was awarded to Lauren Adams for her painting "Prickett's Creek-February 7th" and second place was awarded to Derek Overfield for his work "Painting 34."

"I am completely thrilled. It's a purchase award, so the winning piece has become part of the West Virginia State Museum's collection. I'm still in a slight state of disbelief," Adams said.

The exhibit will be on display in the newly renovated State Museum at the Cultural Center through Oct. 25.

Lauren Adams is an oil painter who focuses on capturing the authentic feeling and nature of the state's terrain through abstraction. She graduated from FSU with a B.A. Interdisciplinary Degree in Studio Art/French in 2006. She earned a B.F.A. in Painting from West Virginia University in 2008. Her landscapes are created en plein aire, painted rapidly on location with a palette knife. The process involves smearing, scraping and thickly layering the paint until the essence of the landscape is found. Nature has always been an important component in her work; Adams says she thrives on working from life. Currently her solo exhibit, "Paths: Landscapes in Oil," is on display at Gallery 62 in Grafton. For more information about Adams, visit http://www.laurenadamsart.com/.

Derek Overfield is a figure painter living in Fairmont. He graduated from Fairmont State in 2003 with a B.S. degree in Graphics/Fine Arts and received many honors as a student. Professionally, he has exhibited his work in many competitions and exhibitions. His work was included in the show Creative Drive at the Hammond Harkin Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. His work is currently on display at Tamarack's David L. Dickirson Gallery as part of the Best of West Virginia Juried Exhibition. His solo show titled "New Paintings in Enamel" will be exhibited at the Robert C. Byrd Federal Building in Charleston in March and April 2010. For more information about Overfield, visit http://www.derekoverfield.com/about.html.

 

"Prickett's Creek-February 7th" by Lauren Adams

 

 "Painting 34" by Derek Overfield