JIM and LYNN LEMYRE
Jim Lemyre is a native South Jersey artist, born and raised in Mount Holly. Jim and his wife, Lynn, are collaborative artists. The both have been making art since they were children. They met at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ where they were both studying art. Their collaboration started almost immediately by just talking about ideas with each other. These conversations became essential ingredients of each other's work. As their relationship developed, they became so close that they felt comfortable working on each other's painting as they progressed. The birth of their daughter Julia was the catalyst they needed to make their art more than just a part of their lives, but their whole life and how they make their living. There is nothing like the miracle of birth, a new baby, to confront you with the mystery and beauty of creation. Instead of feeling overwhelmed with responsibility they were filled with creative energy".

The surrealist movement and the work of the psychologist Carl Jung are major influences on their painting. Surrealism taps into what Jung called the "collective unconscious". Suspending the reality of our conscious, rational minds allows us to see the poetry in objects and hints at the mysterious connection we all have with each other. There are symbols that resonate across time and cultures. It is through metaphor that we get a glimpse of the universal and find our connection to other human beings, the world, and the eternal.

As American author Joseph Campbell said, "Follow your bliss and doors will open". That has definitely been the case with them. Jim and Lynn moved back to Mount Holly to raise their daughter. Every place an artist lives has an impact on their work. They have always sought out places with history and so have lived in some very inspiring locations; a 1920's apartment building in the middle of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, a tiny cottage by a creek, and now a 100 year old Victorian house in Historic Mount Holly, NJ. Places with history attract them because they give them a sense of connection with those who have come before and those who will come after. In addition, Mount Holly was home, close to all their extended family. Its tree-lined streets, walkable downtown and sense of community attracted them to put down roots there.

They were lucky enough to move in at the beginning of Mount Holly's renaissance and became very involved in the community driven Main Street Program who's goal was to revitalize the downtown, preserving the historic architecture and making it the center of community life again. This tied right into their desire to be part of a vibrant community. They have both taken turns being the Chairperson of the Main Street Design Committee, which focuses on the visual elements of the downtown. Lynn also spent two years as the Main Street Program's director. She has now stepped back down to a volunteer position to have more time to make art. Through the Main Street Program, Jim and Lynn became involved in bringing art into the downtown. It started with a simple program called "Windows for Art" that put artist's work in empty storefront windows. This progressed to spearheading, in partnership with the Mount Holly Town Council, a Public Art Ordinance for Mount Holly and obtaining a NJ State Council on the Arts Grant to paint two murals downtown. Lynn wrote and received a grant this year for Main Street to purchase a piece of public sculpture for the town. Lynn is on the Burlington County Culture and Heritage Board and has helped to coordinate an annual bus tour of the arts in South Jersey, visiting Smithville Mansion, the South Jersey Arts Center in Marlton and Downtown Mount Holly. Each location featuring fine art exhibits and demonstrating artists. This year will focus on the art galleries in Mount Holly. Now there are three; Home Fine Art, the Burlington County College Art Gallery, and High Street Art. Jim and

Lynn also works with the Mount Holly Rotary Club on the annual Burlington County First Night, an alcohol free, family friendly, arts celebration each New Year's Eve, coordinating the creation and installation of the annual sculpture exhibit that celebrates the lunar new year. In 2004 it was the year of the monkey, last year was the year of the rooster and 2006 is the Year of the Dog. The idea of getting local artists to decorate fiberglass animals and display them around town began with a Cows on Parade exhibit in Zurich during the summer of 1998, moved to Chicago in 1999, and came to New York in the summer of 2000. Since then, dozens of towns have done it: pink flamingos in Miami Beach, mustangs in Sante Fe, bears in Berlin, donkeys and elephants in DC. Mount Holly was the first town in South Jersey to host such an exhibit. The proceeds from the auction of the sculptures benefit the non-profit Main Street Program.

In addition to volunteering their time for the Main Street Program, Jim and Lynn opened an art gallery in downtown Mount Holly in 2003, called Home Fine Art (www.HomeFineArt.org) at 2 Church Street in the Mill Race Village. It is a cooperative art gallery, with 11 member artists. Exhibits change monthly, so there is always something new. It is also a working studio where member artists can work and teach classes. Collaboration is an integral part of their lives, working with each other, their community and fellow artists. Artist's Statement In our paintings, we aim to provoke an awareness of the mysteries of the unconscious, that rich collective well of primal symbols and experiences we all share. The paintings become the threshold between the imagination and reality, the dream and consciousness, the individual and the collective.

Our work is collaboration. The real value of this collaboration comes in the more conceptual states of the artistic process; inspiration, criticism, and refinement of ideas. Inspiration comes from dreams and conversations, distilled by a combination of free associative and conscious thought into a coherent, symbolic whole. It is art as dialogue rather than monologue, a fabric of conversation, in which we invite the viewer to participate.