September 2021
Meet Chris McIntosh
Chris was born and raised in Michigan. He studied commercial art and has been an artist since he can remember. For the last 25 years, Chris has worked in home remodeling, construction and maintenance. He moved to North Carolina in 2008 and became a Mooresville resident in 2010.
Chris made his way to Mooresville Arts by another artist who invited him to join an exhibition. Since that time he has volunteered on numerous projects, served as vice president in 2012 and then as president shortly thereafter. Chris is the chair of the Building & Grounds Committee and was the construction leader on the Warehouse to Center Gallery Renovation Project in 2018-19. He continues to serve as a board member.
His artwork is inspired by boldly colored landscape images. He mentally processes those images and transforms them into abstract versions using mixed media.
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August 2021
Meet Sandie Bell
Living in the Carolinas provides daily inspiration, from the breathtaking colors of
sunrises and sunsets to the ever-changing views of Lake Norman, the fascinating
flora and fauna around Sandie's home, and the beautiful mountains and beaches.
Sandie also enjoys painting still life and the occasional abstract just for the fun of it. Experimenting and working with many different media and different styles is exciting for her. She is currently working mainly in acrylics and mixed media, but also enjoys pastels, alcohol ink, collage and watercolor. Sandi is always open to trying something new
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She am an active member of Mooresville Arts and often exhibits work here as well as in
other locations. To see more of Sandie's work, please visit her website at www.sandiebellart.com or Facebook Sandie Bell Art.
July 2021
Meet Brad Lephew
Brad is a new artist that got his start last year by taking up drawing at home and then proceeded to take drawing and painting classes last fall at Mooresville Arts.
"I've always had an interest in art and have been a past member of the North Carolina Museum of Art and recently became a member of Mooresville Arts. For me, becoming a member was a way to participate in the local art community, increase my art education and skills, make new friends, volunteer, and expose my art to the public. I've been pleased with the opportunities that Mooresville Arts provides. I had a drawing shown in the last Artoberfest and next month I'm showing a new oil work in the Poems and Paintings event."
Brad retired from Dell Technologies last year and resides in Mooresville. Brad also has an interest in history and has a relationship with the University of South Carolina wherein he provides German World War II documents to the University for translation and research publishing by their German language department.
June 2021
Meet Larissa Kamp
Larisa was born and raised in Maryland, earned her Bachelor's Degree in Studio Art and Psychology from the University of Maryland and a Master's in Art Education from New York University. She returned to MD to teach middle school art in Baltimore for 12 years before relocating to Mooresville, NC in 2016. At that time, she began concentrating on her young family and on making art, while also teaching classes and summer camp at Mooresville Arts and serving on the Education Committee.
Larisa creates commissioned pet portraits in acrylic. Her energetic, bold and colorful style of painting lends itself to capturing the vibrant personalities and beauty of animal subjects! She also volunteers weekly at FeedNC, leads her daughter's Girl Scout troop, and recently started a t-shirt company called LKN Local.
Check out her paintings at www.larisakamp.com and her tees at www.lkn-local.com!
May 2021
Meet Dick Handshaw
Dick is fairly new to our organization but he has been very helpful with so much already!
He has been bringing prominent leaders of local and regional photography groups to visit Mooresville Arts Gallery and he has been actively encouraging regional photographers to participate in the upcoming photography show.
In conjunction with the 17th Annual MA Photography Show, Dick is giving a free talk on “What Makes a Fine Arts Photograph” on June 13.
He and the MA Education Committee are working together to expand and promote photography at Mooresville Arts. His efforts include locating and engaging top class regional photography instructors to teach at MA. He is also working on developing free monthly photography meetings for sharing ideas and reviewing their works of art.
Dick recently served on the Board of Directors for the Light Factory in Charlotte, NC. He also served as the head of the Education Committee at The Light Factory where he designed and taught courses. He spent 35 years of his career as a learning and performance consultant as president of his own company, Handshaw, Inc. Before that he earned his living as a professional photographer for ten years.
Dick has a BFA in photography from Alfred University and a MS in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. He also served on the Board of Directors at the Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, NC, where he taught courses in Bird and Wildlife Photography. He has been passionate about photography since he was 14.
You can see samples of his work at www.handshawphotography.com
April 2021
Meet Anne Parker
Ann is one of the nicest people you will meet, is always willing to lend a hand, and has served in multiple roles for our organization!
Thank you, Ann, for everything you have done and continue to do for Mooresville Arts!!!
Ann received her BFA from Auburn University, majoring in Graphic Design. She then moved to Tampa, Florida where she worked in the design field for a short time before moving on to teach elementary and middle school art while also raising two children. She and her husband Richard moved to Mooresville in 2016 where she discovered Mooresville Arts. She immediately knew that she wanted to become a part of the great opportunities that Mooresville Arts provides.
Throughout the years she has worked in several different mediums including acrylics, gouache and hand-building ceramics but is currently enjoying linoleum printmaking and painting in acrylics.
Ann has volunteered in various roles at Mooresville Arts such as serving on the Board as Membership Director, serving as Docent and serving on the Gallery Committee.
She feels that volunteering at MA has been a great way to get involved and become enriched in the art community!