The Catwalk Community Gallery was created to provide an exhibition space for the range of artists found right here in Boone and the surrounding communities. The work featured here may be created by established artists, faculty, Appalachian students, public school students, and – as in this case – a self-taught artist. Artist James Fickling recalls that from his earliest memories he possessed a vivid and active imagination paired with the need to express this imagination in images. The artist confesses that he often found himself in trouble for drawing much of the time … especially in church and at school. Over the years, Fickling found that his work tended to investigate themes of warfare, monsters or the macabre. That continues to be the case for Fickling, and this exhibition provides insight into his current explorations.
Until 2005, the artist focused exclusively on drawing-mostly with graphite. However, for the past two years the artist has dedicated his studio time toward the development of his painting skills, and in 2006 moved away from more traditional imagery such as landscapes to focus on the type of images he created in his earlier drawings. The artist says, “I don’t know what my work will look like next year, next month or even tomorrow, I am in a constant state of becoming and am always progressing, leaving little time for relationships and even less time for planning. People who want to know who I am and what I believe are much better off studying my paintings for the answers; I am, by nature, a very reclusive and nebulous person.”
James Fickling, Revenge (detail), 2007. Acrylic on canvas.