ARTIST'S SATEMENT

Mano a Mano, or hand-to-hand, is a metaphor for my creative process. In the beginning of the work, or beneath it but invisible to the eye, is a lineage to which I am always connected, the hands of those whose work precedes mine and influences it in a genuine, though not always apparent, way. Continuity and discovery are perpetually interwoven. Paths cross and recross, while a dead-end can leap suddenly into the unknown and surface anew somewhere else. These daily discoveries are perceived in the trance of work, and their remnants leave a living mark on the surface.

As a lover of lines, I use both coarse and fine lines when I paint, i.e., a light hand and a heavy hand. These "hands", the light and the heavy, speak to each other, as one will often be part of one layer of the piece, while the other will play a role on another level. Too, they are at odds at times. As with the samurai whose daito and shoto are, respectively, his long sword and short sword, I ply my craft with different tools for varying effects.

When this works for me, I declare a truce and the work is finished, despite temptation to often to "do more," the artist's perennial unease at the end of a painting. Art is a physical craft. It is always, for me, mano a mano.

About the artist:

Ms. Ledbetter is a graduate of the Memphis College of Art. She has studied with the acclaimed painter Gregory Amenoff at workshops in both Santa Fe and Provincetown Ma. Other studies include painting with Nathan Oliviera and Fred Burton. From 2000 through 2003 Ms. Ledbetter taught drawing at the Memphis College of Art. She is represented in several corporate collections including Trustcorp of America, Perkins Restauraunts, Holiday Inn, Embassy Suites and Plough Inc.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2009   Solo exhibition   "Mano a Mano"     Darnell Fine Art   Santa Fe
2008   Solo exhibition • "In Medias Res" • Darnell Fine Art • Santa Fe
2007   Solo exhibition • "Lift" • Darnell Fine Art • Santa Fe
2006   Solo exhibition • "No day without a Line" • Darnell Fine Art • Santa Fe
2005   Solo exhibition • "Impulses" • Darnell Fine Art • Santa Fe
2004   Solo Exhibit • New Work • Jay Etkin Gallery • Memphis
2003   New Work • Jay Etkin Gallery • Memphis
2001   Best in Tennessee Exhibition • Tennessee State Museum • Nashville
          New Work • Jay Etkin Gallery • Memphis
2000   Paintings • Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects • Memphis

1999   Art Santa Fe: 1999 • Art Forms • Santa Fe
          The Spring Show • Sara Howell Gallery • Jonesboro, AR
1997   Decorators Showcase • Memphis
1996   Coming Home • Art Forms of the Spirit • Memphis
1995   Open Your Inner Eyes to the Magic • Art Forms of the Spirit • Memphis
          Habitat for Humanity Exhibit • Memphis
          Spirits in Flight • Art Forms of the Spirit • Memphis
1993   The Nude: A Celebration of the Human Form • Doggrell Studio • Memphis
          A Totally Different Kind of Exhibit • Albers Fine Art Gallery • Memphis
1992   The Art Studio: 4 Women • Askew Nixon Ferguson & Wolfe, Inc. • Memphis
1991   An Exhibition of Miniatures • Albers Fine Art Gallery • Memphis
1990   New Talent • Albers Fine Art Gallery • Memphis
1989   Holiday Exhibition • Albers Fine Art Gallery • Memphis
1987   Gallery Artists • Albers Fine Art Gallery • Memphis
          Horn Island • Memphis College of Art • Memphis
1986   New Work • Albers Fine Art Gallery • Memphis

HONORS AND AWARDS

2001   Best in Tennessee Exhibition • Tennessee State Museum • Nashville
1994   Open Studios ‘94 • Sponsored by Number, Inc. • Memphis
          Who’s Who in American Universities and Colleges
1993   Featured Artist • Memphis Arts Council Calendar
1988   Memphis College of Art • Mary Louise Dinsmore Memorial Drawing Award
1985   Portfolio Award Scholarship • Memphis College of Art

CORPORATE COLLECTIONS

Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects • Memphis
Embassy Suites • Memphis
Gardner Construction • Memphis
Holiday Inn • Corpus Christi, TX
Perkins Restaurant Corporate Offices • Memphis
Plough, Inc. • Memphis
ScheringPlough • Bernardsville, NJ
Taylor Haliburton Ledbetter & Caldwell • Memphis
Trustcorp of America • Memphis
Cochran Law Firm • Memphis
Commercial Bank & Trust • Memphis

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

BFA Memphis College of Art (Major: Painting) • 1988
2004   Painting Workshop with Gregory Amenoff • Provincetown Fine Art Workshop
1999   Painting Workshop with Nathan Oliveira • Santa Fe Art Institute
1998-99   Independent Study with Fred Burton • Memphis College of Art
1996   Painting Workshop with Gregory Amenoff • Santa Fe Art Institute

TEACHING APPOINTMENTS

2000-03   Instructor, Drawing & Community Workshops, Memphis College of Art