36 / ’southern
FEATURES
Lessons In3D
JAMEY GRIMES ’00
j
JameyGrimes
describes his three-dimensional
sculptures as fragments of a conversationwithnature.
“Thedialogue canbehostile, soothing, or both,”
he says. “Reflectingonmyown vivid experienceswith
nature, I realize that imaginationplays apowerful role,
transformingobservations intounique, dream-like
forms.”
SomeofGrimes’most notableworks arehis large-
scale sculptures, especiallyhis honeycomb-likepieces
hemakes out of corrugatedplastic that hang close to
the ceiling and literally transform a room. Bothof these
pieces, titledWash IX andWashX, arebeing exhibited at
ChipolaCollege inMarianna, Fla., until the endofMay.
“It’s an abstract installationdrawn frompatterns in
nature,”hedescribes. “I’vebeenworkingwith these
organic forms for awhile.”
Anativeof Tuscaloosa, Grimes says he grewup in a
very artistic family. He graduatedwith aBFA inpainting
fromBSC.
“Birmingham-Southernprovidedmewithmany
diverse and enriching experiences. I have tremendous
respect for the talent and commitment of the art faculty
and strive still tomeet their standards of excellence.”
Grimesworked at the Florida SeaBase for theBoy
Scouts of Americabefore enrolling at theUniversity
of Alabama for anMFA. Since then, he’s had the
opportunity to teachdesign anddrawing full-time at the
university.
“I never saw an important differencebetweendrawing,
painting, and sculpture—it’s just fun tomake things,”
he says. “I do enjoyphysically exploring imaginative
environments, so the threedimensionalwork caughtmy
attention.”
Grimes has exhibitedwidely at thenational and
regional level andhas receivedmanyhonors, including
a2012-13Visual Arts Fellowship from theAlabama State
Council on theArts. He andNatalieDunham ’07, who
is director of theRhymerGallery inNashville, displayed
their artwork together at the “Chroma” exhibition, which
was held this pastNovember on theBSC campus.
His sculptureworkwill be exhibited at theKentuck
Art Center inNorthport, Ala., on July3, and theDinah
WashingtonCultural ArtsCenter inTuscaloosaon July11.
Grimes
Wash IX
