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former school teacher who has turned her life-long passion for the
creative arts into a bold, brilliantly-colored outlet for spiritual and
religious expression.
A Roanoke Rapids native and graduate of the Univeristy of North
Carolina Chapel Hill, Watson moved back to her hometown in 1975,
married her high school sweetheart and began teaching at local schools.
After retiring from Manning Elementary a year and a half ago, following
two decades as the schools art teacher, Watson finally found the
opportunity to concentrate on personal work, something she had little
time for while teaching 750 students every week. “I taught clay
sculpture, print making, drawing and art appreciation. When I got home
I was just drained,” said Watson during a recent interview.
Watson said as she began exploring the world of painting last summer,
she lacked a firm idea of where her work was headed, but through
experimentation coupled with trial and error, she finally settled down
and discovered the style and themes that have come to dominate her
creative output. “Besides color, my driving force is my faith, which is
expressed in my art. A lot of my paintings are religious/Christian. I
am a disciple of Jesus and have a joy and love in my heart that is
expressed in my art work.”
One of Watson’s paintings, Yam Suph — which is Hebrew for the Sea of
Reeds — is an abstract representation of the Biblical tale of Moses
leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Bold strokes of white and red
represent pillars of cloud and fire which helped guide them through the
desert, while subtler bands of umber act as visual reminders of the
staff of Moses.
One of Watson’s larger pieces depicts the Nativity of Christ. Set among
a vibrant background of subtle blues, bright reds and greens, the
figures of Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus are not immediately
discernible in the contrasting field of shapes, calling to mind the
cubist experiments of Pablo Picasso. “I don’t want anyone to walk up to
it and immediately see it,” commented Watson about the work. “I want
people to be thoughtful about their faith when they look at my art.”
Recently, Watson has completed a series of abstracts dealing with the
crucifixion of Jesus, a theme she recognizes as controversial and
potentially gruesome.
“One reason I do this in an abstract fashion is because so much of
Christianity is painful and unpleasant, in the sense that there was
blood involved, he died on the cross which was a horrible death … That
is so difficult for people to look at. I didn’t want it to be
offensive,” Watson stated, explaining that her work, with its bold
colors, shapes, and design elements, is meant to draw people toward God.
Watson said she has drawn artistic inspiration from artists as diverse
as Dutch post-impressionist Vincent Van Gogh and North Carolina native
Romare Bearden, famed for his painting and collage work depicting life
in the rural South. According to Watson, she has also been influenced
by the shapes of the stained glass windows in her church.
Though she is clearly enjoying the freedom she’s gained since her
retirement, it’s equally as evident that Watson cherishes the years she
spent introducing the world of art to her former students. “I just
loved seeing children think, be creative and produce art, and I miss
that a lot,” she stated with a hint of sadness.
Watson said she also learned a valuable lesson from her time in the
classroom. “Knowing when to stop working on a piece is hard. I used to
tell my students ‘You’re finished, it looks great. Don’t muddy it up by
doing too much. If you want to come back to it later you can.’ I’m
learning how to know when I’m finished.”
Having completed some 30 paintings, Watson has decided to share her
inspirational art with the community at large. The Halifax County Arts
Council will be host to some 30 pieces of her work from June 1-6. As
part of the Sip & See series, a reception will be held from 6 to 8
p.m., June 1. The event is open to the public. Her work can also been
seen at Riverside Mill in Weldon and the Blount-Bridgers House in
Tarboro. She will be represented in a show in the Mims Gallery at
Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount that will include work by fellow Valley
artists Tina Gregory and Jan Volz.
Though she’s progressed since her early experimental work, Watson said
she continues to learn and gain confidence. “I still have so much to
learn, about my subject matter and technique as an artist. How do you
show spiritual principals and lessons in paint as an artist? How do you
show the attributes of God? That’s what I’m still working on. That’s my
goal.”
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