CAL’s February show RHYTHM! explores how aesthetic building blocks normally associated with music can just as easily find expression in the visual arts. While meter, pulse and beat are concepts easily understood when experienced within a musical composition, the underlying proportions that define rhythm are just as important to visual composition. The show opens during the South End Gallery Crawl on Friday, February 5 at 6:00 PM, and runs through February 26th.

In addition to the gallery exhibit, starting this month at the gallery crawl selected CAL artists will be speaking about their creative process, techniques, and other subjects relating to the development and production of their art. This month’s speaker is Jerry McQuay, a professional artist who works out of a studio at CAL.

Jerry was raised in Charlotte and graduated from CPCC with a Commercial Arts degree. He worked for many decades in the commercial sign trade, painting signs and logos by hand. When the industry switched over to digital medium, Jerry began to use his keen artistic talent to paint large scale paintings using vibrant colors and current themes.

Jerry will discuss the inspiration that led him to paint a montage of 9-11-01, among others. He will discuss the process of composition and his painting techniques and answer questions from visitors.