Artist captures history of past and looks to future of Bull City

BY DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN

dvaughan@heraldsun.com; 419-6563

DURHAM -- As artist Annemarie Gugelmann was hanging her five 6 by 6-foot paintings of Durham at the Durham Arts Council Wednesday afternoon, she was told that one already sold. Before it even hung on the wall for an exhibit that opens tonight. Gugelmann's "New Glimmers of Old Glamour: Painting Durham" features five scenes from around downtown -- Golden Belt, Brightleaf Square, Durham Performing Arts Center, houses on Dunstan Street and the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which was the one that is already sold. Each costs $2,500. Gugelmann used an acrylic base and then oil paint for the urban images.

She likes cityscapes and recently painted a series of San Francisco displayed at Open Eye Cafe in Chapel Hill. She lives with her parents in Chapel Hill, after graduating from Bryn Mawr College two years ago. She'll head to the Rhode Island School of Design in January to study industrial art.

While Gugelmann likes Chapel Hill and Raleigh, Durham was her chosen subject for this project, funded by a 2009 Durham Arts Council Emerging Artist Grant.

"I felt like Durham is such an interesting city, with a fascinating history that is somewhat exceptional in a way," she said. Guglemann chose to paint houses on Dunstan Street because of their historical symbolism of the rise of Durham's African-American middle class. She first saw the homes in a photograph from the 1930s.

Gugelmann painted from photographs she took around Durham. "I actually prefer pictures that are blurry so I can make it my own," she said. She distorts the images how she wants. The painting of Brightleaf Square along Main Street was created from an out of focus photo. For her painting of Golden Belt, she attended an American Dance Festival performance in July, and liked how the dancers interacted with the space.

"It was a perfect time of day. I really like playing with light and dark lighting effects," she said. She painted a new Durham arts space, the Performing Arts Center, to show a modern comparison.

"It's a symbol of Durham now, an amazing space that will bring a lot to Durham culturally," Gugelmann said. She felt that the images of Durham needed to be painted on 6 by 6-foot canvases because cities need to be shown on a large scale. The project has made her interested in future large scale installations.

She's not sentimental about selling her work. "The reason I enjoy painting is to share it with other people," Gugelmann said.

She shares her painting process for the pieces on her Web site, www.annemariegugelmann.com.

'New Glimmers of Old Glamour: Painting Durham'

by Annemarie Gugelmann

Opening reception is from 5 to 7 tonight, followed by a Historic Preservation Durham walking tour.

Exhibit open through Nov. 1 at Allenton Gallery, Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris St., Durham.

For information, call 560-ARTS, or visit www.durhamarts.org