Lyda Rose Art Gallery

Trained both as an architect and as a sculptor, James Rodger Alexander has consistently utilized form to articulate and delineate space rather than to simply define the sculptural object. His work finds its formal foundations in minimalism and its formal vocabulary in architecture. His sculptural installations focus primarily on a single reoccurring issue: the resolution of the conflict between opposing forces. The opposing forces may be literal and physical or conceptual and philosophical. The artistic response to those issues is integral and innate rather than constructed and contrived. The recognition of dualities and the quest for resolution is the consistent element in his work whether the response is sculptural or photographic and whether the resultant work is temporal or durable. These works have been widely exhibited at various invitational and juried venues throughout the country. In addition to exhibiting sculpture and photographs, he has curated exhibitions and published works on architectural terra cotta, vernacular architecture, public posters as political propaganda, and the conceptual relationship between architecture and sculpture.

Nada Boner is a local artist from Homewood whose work is as diversified as her life. She has entwined the study of art and experiences of raising a family. Her sculptures are influenced by nature, enhanced with plants, animals, and the human form. Clay is Nada's chosen medium and Raku being her favorite glaze technique. The extremes of nature's elements, fire, air and water influence the effect. Each piece is unique, impossible to duplicate. This method is a constant surprise and challenge to the artist. A number of successful shows have made her name stand out among local artists. She teaches at local community facilities. The classes are for beginners in the art of hand building and sculpture. Nada's work may be seen in a number of local galleries and stores and is included in a number of private collections.

Caroline Caldwell lives and works in Birmingham as an artist and a high school and junior high teacher at Oak Grove. She has a bachelor's of art in art history and a master's degree in art education from UAB. Ms. Caldwell works in oil. She painstakingly layers thin glazes of oil onto canvas resulting in a highly-glazed finish in which the images seem to shine. Her subject matter depicting fruit in strong light is reminiscent of Dutch still-life and Italian and Spanish Baroque painting.

Maud was born in Geneva, Switzerland to a French father and a Swiss mother. She has lived all over the world but now resides in Birmingham with her family. Graphite and oil are Maud’s favorite mediums; however assemblages, collages and live figure studies command her artistic interests as well. She has become especially well-known locally for her realistic pet portraits, which capture the spirit of each animal in a unique and loving way. Maud has relatives in the south of France where she has recently traveled and had extremely successful exhibitions.

Joan Wyers Cole is a free lance photographer and teacher who has owned and operated Joan Wyers Cole Photography in Pelham, Alabama since 1986. She specializes in photography, restoration, portraits, custom printing and hand-coloring of black and white photographs in light oils. In addition to her commercial assignments and teaching, she exhibits in local galleries and has been published in a number of local and regional publications.

Tom Dameron is a local artist and producer of shows and exhibits at Lyda Rose Gallery. He works in pencil, serigraphy, oils and stained glass. The primary focus in his two dimensional work is portraiture. Images in pencil are converted to signed and numbered serigraphs and in some cases executed in oil. The serigraphs are hand printed by the artist and each one has its own distinctive character. The body of work has many stories to tell about the real people it represents. It is a celebration of people and a celebration of the passion of life.

Originally from southern Indiana, my photographic roots lie in photojournalism. I am a self-taught photographer/artist, and have contributed in several venues (such as ‘The Saturday Evening Post’ and NBC’s Today Show) during a time long before the existence of the internet. In my work, I attempt to prime the sensory memories of the viewers by presenting images that enable the viewer to relive fond and significant experience; much in the way that the smell of a pre-autumnal morning can take us back to our first-ever day of school. Most of my work is fine art by nature, but some pieces employ a style ‘somewhat left of traditional,’ where the images take on a hint of surrealism and added drama. My photo art is well represented in private collections throughout the U.S. and was chosen as the inaugural exhibit in the reopening of the Tutwiler Gallery. James Nelson of the Birmingham News described the exhibit as “a lovely collection of studies that reach beyond mere representation…as seen through a unique lens.” You can visit his site here.

A self employed house painter by trade, Frank Emory is also a very talented local and regional artist. Self taught from the age of eleven, he later studied under John Spicer at the University of Montevallo. He has maintained a constant interest that has enabled him to mature artistically over the years. Frank’s work consists of landscapes and abstracts in acrylic and nature photography as dye transfer prints. His portfolio of dye transfer prints is the only one of Alabama nature ever produced.

At 86, Nathan Glick is one of our oldest, and most admired artists. His mediums include oil, watercolor, and offset lithography. Some of Nathan's accomplishments were Art Director of Pagagon Press during the 1930's and Associate Art Editor and Illustrator for Progressive Farmer Magazine between 1957-1977. His illutrations have appeared in numerous publications such as The London Illustrated, Life and Parade. Nathan has assisted in painting fourteen murals for the U.S. Forestry Museum in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, and illustrated three books on American indians.

Nick Gruenberg graduated from Columbia College in 1967. He was raised in the northeast and has lived in many cities throughout the country before moving to Midfield, Alabama. Gruenberg’s photographs focus on images of unexpected beauty and occasional humor found in the working class and industrial areas of Birmingham and Bessemer.

Bill Hill is an extremely popular local artist who resides in Trafford, Alabama. Bill's paintings hang throughout the United States and have won well over 300 awards in the twenty plus years that he has been showing his work. His is an easily recognizable and very personal style with a lot of his personality coming through the brush and onto the painting. He allows the subject matter, the pigment, and the painting surface to dictate what the painting will finally look like. Bill Hill is a unique man and so is his work.

Martha Hopkins is a native of Birmingham, Alabama and is an accomplished painter and sculptor, having earned a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Alabama in 2004. She has exhibited in juried and solo shows throughout the southeast. Her monumental sculpture, RED TIDE, is owned by UAB and is located near the Alys Stephens Center at 10th Street South and 10th Avenue South. Her work is represented in many private and corporate collections across the country.