center spread layout - artist mindy winburn

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Page 8 | Friday, June 17, 2005 Culpeper Star-Exponent | Page 9IN & AROUND

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Emotionally driven artistSTAFF PHOTOS VINCENT VALA

ABOVE: Mindy Winburn creates many portraits of people.

LEFT: Winburn stands next to one of her pieces ondisplay at Another Dimension on East Davis Street.

STAFF PHOTOS VINCENT VALA

ABOVE: This steel sculpture is half skull face, half helmetwith squares of sheet metal stacked in rows over the head.At back, a metal spine descends from the nape of the neck.

BOTTOM: A sculpture entitled “Blindside” depicts a hunchedover rock star in wire, clutching a microphone in one hand.The singer is actually a Christian rock star by the name ofChristian Lindskog — led vocalist for the band Blindside.

Mindy Winburn does not fit into any one categoryBy Allison Brophy Champion

STAFF WRITER

Mindy Winburn, like her art, is hard to pindown.

The 18-year-old rising sophomore atVirginia Commonwealth University inRichmond is serious to the point of shyness.At the same time, there is a sense of hushed,but uncontained passion for her art.

Winburn’s art does not fit into any one cat-egory.

“Basically, it’s whatever my mood is,” shesaid. “I don’t have a certain style.”

One stunning pen-and-ink drawing por-trays a Chinese girl carrying a baby on herback. Behind them, golden fields seem tomeet up with the sun. Winburn’s inspirationfor this piece — entitled “Labor of Love” —was a photograph snapped by her grandfa-ther in Hong Kong.

Several of her works feature faces fromthe East, including one of her great grandfa-

ther, a Korean medicine man. Another color-ful piece in pastel depicts a European streetscene at dusk, lamp lights only recently litbehind a still blue sky. Faceless figures wan-der the “Rue des Bouchers” in Winburn’sdepiction of a corner in Belgium, a place shevisited in person.

Then there are her sculptures. Winburn —a 2004 graduate of Culpeper County HighSchool — recently discovered steel and solderas art.

“My new discovery,” she said with a slightgrin. “I wanted to prove that I could do 3-D,”added Winburn, who said her boyfriendtaught her how to weld.

A sculpture entitled “Blindside” depicts ahunched over rock star in wire, clutching amicrophone in one hand. The singer is actu-ally a Christian rock star by the name ofChristian Lindskog — led vocalist for theband Blindside.

“Hardcore metal,” said Winburn of themusic style. “He’s my favorite singer.”

Another of her steel sculptures is halfskull face, half helmet with squares of sheetmetal stacked in rows over the head. At back,a metal spine descends from the nape of theneck.

“That’s my favorite part,” she said of thespine effect. “Welding is a lot of fun.”

Many of the pieces in Mindy’s extensiveportfolio are portraits, faces captured withsmiles or frowns. Some are intense like the“Mysterious” girl in scratchboard; others areplayful like “Sisters” in charcoal and chalk.

Winburn’s self-portrait in color pencil isdark in browns and black, and her expressionis not amused.

“At the time, I was kind of frustrated,” saidWinburn of the self-portrait she created as afreshman at VCU. “I wasn’t satisfied with itand had to restart a couple times.”

As with any artist, there are often first,second and third drafts and so on until thecreation is just right. Mindy has been honingher artistic ability since childhood.

“Ever since I was old enough to pick up apencil, I was drawing,” she said. Winburn haswon several awards for her artwork, includ-ing first place in the 2003 Virginia SchoolBoard Association Art Contest and Best inShow in the 2004 Seventh DistrictCongressional Art Contest, sponsored byCongressman Eric Cantor.

She is studying communication arts atVCU, which is one of the top art schools inthe nation, her father, Mark, pointed out.After college, Winburn said she hopes to pur-sue a career in which she can visually com-municate — illustrator, advertising, graphicdesign, etc.

Her passion is re-creation.“Being able to show things in my perspec-

tive,” she said.Winburn named Rembrandt — the 17th

Century Dutch painter from Amsterdam —among her influences, noting that she loveshis contrasting colors.

“The dark work,” she said. “I love thedark.”

At the same time, Winburn prefers pastelsto any other artistic medium.

“You can manipulate them a lot,” she said,“and the vibrant colors can represent a lot ofthings.”

Dark, light. Pen, pastels. Steel and por-traits.

Somewhat enigmatic like any good artist,Winburn experiments with it all. She’s notfitting into anyone’s box.

ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION825-0771 ext. 102.

abrophy@starexponent.com

Mindy WinburnMindy Winburn, Culpeper

County High School class of2004, is featured artist of themonth at Another Dimension,located at 172 E. Davis St.She will host an artist’sreception this Saturday after-noon from 1 to 5 p.m. in thedowntown gift shop/gallery.

Winburn, 18, is studyingcommunication arts at VCUand is a talented portraitartist available for commis-sion work. For more informa-tion, check out mindywin-burn.com or via e-mail atmindy@mindywinburn.com

“Ever since I was old enough topick up a pencil, I was drawing.”

MINDY WINBURN | ARTIST