Full Circle Arts Welcomes New Members

Full Circle Arts welcomes three new exhibiting members; Rose Mary Cheek, Hannah Grace, and Ernest Sills. The artists will be featured in a special display at the Full Circle Arts Gallery running through August 24th.

Rose Mary Cheek has been one of North Carolina’s premier portrait photographers for 25 years although now she concentrates more on fine art, painting in Photoshop and landscapes. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and competitions nationally. Ms Cheek has received certifications and a Photographic Master’s degree from the Professional Photographer’s Association and is a former President of the Professional Photographers of North Carolina.

Hannah Grace is an oil and acrylic painter from Hickory, NC. She began painting and drawing as a child, and went on to graduate with Honors from UNC Asheville’s Fine Arts program in 2013. She teaches formal drawing and painting lessons at her dining room table with wonderful students; she goes to local breweries and galleries to teach non-artists the joys of painting and sipping, so that they can better appreciate the arts while relieving stress from their lives; she sits home in her studio and makes loads of paintings for galleries, festivals, stores, and patrons. It’s a life surrounded by paints. Her subject matter ranges widely from landscapes to pets to portraits, and really centers around any theme that will bring joy and connection to her audience. She strives to keep her work as affordable and unique as possible so that someone might feel the happiness of taking home a piece of artwork they love. She’ll have prints, small mixed media pieces, and affordable originals available for purchase at FCA.

Ernest “Ernie” Sills is the recently retired president and managing partner of CBSA Architects in Hickory, NC and has more than 51 years of experience with all facets of architecture and planning. Ernie started painting as a young person, which he continued through college. (By chance, Ernie was in the same art class in high school as Tommy Stine and Joe Lafone). He continued painting for a short while after graduation from NC State University and two years in the Army, but kids and demands of work finally got in his way.

About eight years ago he promised his wife, Cindy, that he could re-create a painting they had seen of Santorini while visiting there. The picture now hangs in their living room and Ernie has renewed his love of painting. He has exhibited in several Downtown Hickory Art Crawls and tells us he has even sold a painting or two.

For additional information please visit www.fullcirclearts.org.