Local Artists Exhibit Paintings in Cook Library

News item published on: 2016-02-24 09:09:56

Paintings by Chatham Meade Kemp and Andrea Kostyal artists are currently on display in the Cook Library Art Gallery. Kemp received her Bachelor's of Arts degree from The University of Southern Mississippi in 2004, and Kostyal, a native of Hungary, serves on the board of The South Mississippi Art Association. The exhibit will be on display through March 25.

Kemp teaches painting and drawing at William Carey University. From early on in life, Kemps's life centered around making art, traveling to museums and interacting with arts. She is the daughter of James W. Meade who has been an art faculty member at The University of Southern Mississippi for over 40 years, and Myra Meade who taught art and ceramics to high school students and elementary school students in addition to being a landscape painter.  Her work is largely inspired by the southern Mississippi landscape and walks a line between representation and abstraction. It is her pleasure and privilege both in teaching and artistic production to give back to her native south Mississippi.

After moving to the United States in 2001, Kostyal has specialized in abstract collage paintings. She has extensive experience exhibiting at a variety of venues such as art galleries, business environments, restaurants and cafes. Her paintings have been viewed by the public in New York, Boston, Providence, Atlanta, and most recently in Hattiesburg, New Orleans, Jackson and Gulfport. Most of Kostyal’s paintings are inspired by urban landscape and nature, and reflect experiences from her childhood. She grew up in a small village in Europe where playing outdoors, gardening and exploring nature was commonplace and later studied art in the city of Pecs, Hungary, a city filled with beautiful historic buildings, and architectural masterpieces. Both influenced who she would become as an artist.

The Cook Library Art Gallery is open Monday11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Tuesday 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. – 6 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.and Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The gallery is accessible by requesting entrance at the circulation desk. For more about the artists, visit http://andreakostyal.com/home.htmlor http://www.chathampaintings.com.