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By Ted McIrvine, Hendersonville Times-News
November 19, 2006
Icard Excels With New Works
Carol Beth Icard, one of our important local artists, was recently
recognized by Appalachian State University when they purchased her
oil painting "History of the World" for the permanent collection of the
new Carol Grotnes Belk Library.
For some years, her work has reflected her interest in Italian culture
and Italian landscapes. She makes frequent visits to Italy, painting
and photographing scenes that she later ponders as she paints her
final art. Primarily an oil painter, Icard also incorporates photographic
transfers, water-based paints and other materials into mixed media
pieces.
Icard is represented by Silver Fox Gallery in Hendersonville. She has
worked at that gallery and at the Conn Gallery in Landrum, S.C., where
she lives and has her studio. As a result of her frequent presence in
these galleries, I have had many conversations with her, coming to
admire her knowledge of art as well as her technical skill.
Paintings from her "Black Doorway" series have appeared in solo
exhibitions in Adams, Mass., and Charleston, S.C., group exhibitions
in at least six local communities, and other exhibits in Atlanta,
Chattanooga Tenn., Great Barrington, Mass., and Berkeley, Calif.
While I admired the "Doorway" theme, I found the series somewhat
repetitive. Now she is moving in new and exciting directions in her
current work at the Silver Fox.
New works
"I Awoke from my Dream" is a small canvas with mixed materials. An
Ionic column centered laterally is painted in oils. A piece of Claybordª
at the head of the column contains photo transfers and acrylic painting.
The composition resembles a human figure, with the column forming
a masculine trunk, the volutes resembling strong shoulders and the
mysterious composition above the column hinting at the human head
and its complex contents.
Claybordª is a composition board made by Ampersand that includes a
thin clay layer, providing a matte quality conducive to this sort of detail.
To me, the dream of the title must be Icard's longing to be absorbed
into Mediterranean culture to the point that she becomes a part of it.
"Reflections" is dominated by earth tones. An ancient Roman
casement window and window seat (photographed in Montalcino) is
accompanied by calligraphy. Above these elements is a dominant
field that explodes with a glorious Tuscan light -- simultaneously
luminous and earthy. "I felt a kinship with the light through that
window," reports the artist.
"Bird Soaring" is my favorite. Contemplating the similarities of a "bird
soaring" and a "leaf wafting," the artist has produced a stunning work
in earthy reds and pale blues with the words softly written in a script
that reflects the motion of the depicted bird and leaf. One rises; the
other falls; they complement each other.
"Sacred" was the first painting in which the artist incorporated legible
writing. Icard considers it a crossover piece, since it contains the
architectural themes of her "Black Doorway" series. In this painting, a
tower -- characteristic of a Tuscan hill city -- is topped by a roof that
forms the letter A. The other letters constitute a part of the horizon's
landscape, supplementing conventional poplar trees.
"I always feel a goal of communication when I work," says the artist. "I
just want to touch people with my work." Her recent work shows a
continuing ability to touch people's hearts.
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