If you’ve ever traveled somewhere new and felt a sudden burst of inspiration, well, then you already understand what the No Boundaries International Art Residency is all about.
Since 1998, the group founded by Wilmington artists Pam Toll, Gayle Tustin and Dick Roberts has assembled annually on Bald Head Island south of Wilmington for two weeks of creation. Each year sees a different configuration of artists, with artists from all over the world mixing with those who live in or near Wilmington.
At the end of each residency is an exhibition of work created during those two weeks, and for the past several years that exhibit has been held at Cape Fear Community College’s Wilma Daniels Gallery at 200 Hanover St. across from the Wilson Center.
This year’s show, the “No Boundaries International Art Residency 2024 Exhibition,” which opened Jan. 20, will close 6-9 p.m. Feb. 23 with a reception for Fourth Friday Gallery Night. (The gallery is also open from noon-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.)
Of the 10 full-time No Boundaries artists with work in this year’s exhibit, seven are from North Carolina: Renato Abbate, Sarah Collier, Phil Covington, Madison Creech and Anne McCombie from Wilmington; Rena Powell from Southport; and Martha Thorn from Raleigh.
The international artists are Wafa Alsleem from Saudi Arabia, Michele Del Campo from Italy and Guillermo Oyàgúez Montero from Spain.
Not surprisingly, most of the work created at No Boundaries is inspired, directly or indirectly, by the beauty and sights of Bald Head Island. Let’s take a look at a few of the dozens of pieces.
‘Captain Charlie’s’
Southport oil painter Rena Powell has a couple of different paintings of Captain Charlie’s cabins in this year’s No Boundaries show. The cabins are where the No Boundaries artists live and work each year.
‘The Stroll’
This oil painting by Italian artist Michele Del Campo, which gorgeously captures the light on Bald Head, has a narrative quality centering on the truck parked alongside a sandy road and the lone figure walking off into the brush.
‘Night Ride’
Whimsical oil paiting by Phil Covington is one of the few works in this year’s No Boundaries to capture life on Bald Head at night.
‘Nest of Turtles’
These adorable ceramic turtles created by Wilmington’s Renato Abbate cut very cute figures in the Wilma Daniels Gallery.
‘Silence’
Not every piece created at No Boundaries is beachy. This mixed media piece by Wilmington’s Sarah Collier has a very pop art vibe.
‘Bald Head Island Lighthouse’
This painting of “Old Baldy” looks like it could be in a beachy art gallery somewhere in Southeastern North Carolina. But it was painted by Saudi Arabian artist Wafa Alsleem.
‘My Room V’
Sometimes, the most mundane things can serve as artistic inspiration. Guillermo Oyàgúez Montero of Spain did a whole series of oil paintings at No Boundaries inspired by the beach house room he stayed in.
Aquatic animal triptych
Wildlife on Bald Head Island is well-represented at No Boundaries, as shown by these pieces depicting a fish, a jellyfish and a turtle by Wilmington artists Renato Abbate and Anne McCombie. The pieces were done in copper repoussage, a kind of metalworking technique.
