Ethel Darline Guest (born June 9, 1929) was an African American women artist. She taught at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Early life and education Guest was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on June 9, 1929. Her two parents were custodian and craftsman Alfonzo Guest and schoolteacher Pauline Gardner. She attended received her BFA in North Carolina A&T State University, and also studied at Howard University in 1950, New York School of Interior Design in 1951, and Boston University in 1954.

Work Guest was primarily a painter who worked with oil and acrylic paint. Her work tends to be nonrepresentational; she usually focuses on the relationship between colors and textures, creating rhythm and harmony from geometric forms and shapes. Her work is inspired by and extremely influenced by nature and traveling, depicting the emotions she gets inside her work. She has specifically said:"I create a visual symphony of related tones filled with form-soft geometric forms-planes, angles, hard-edge curves-quiet forms that stretch into space or curl up, spinning into [a total conception]-decorative forms that shout with bold colors, evenly applied," and "[m]y work reflects a tremendous love and fascination for nature, events relative to the times and a love of travel. Forms of all kinds inhabit my work reflecting moods and feelings expressing lyrics energy, a love of experiment and various influences brought back, impressions gained from travel, both national and international."Three known paintings done by Guest include:

Trip the Light Fantastic (oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches, 1978) Fine Tuning (oil, 40 x 40 inches, date unknown) Broadway (oil & sand, 60 x 60 inches, date unknown)

Publications Guest provided two illustrations for "No Boundaries at All", a work of fiction written by Laurel Trivelpiece published in the 6th volume of Red Clay Reader, attributed to her as E. D. Guest.Whisnant, Charlene. Red Clay Reader (vol. 6), 1969. Charlotte, N.C., 52, 56. Her two paintings, Fine Tuning and Broadway were reproduced in Artists U.S.A., 1974/75, attributed to her as Guest, Ethel D.. Her painting Trip the Light Fantastic was reproduced in the catalog Forever Free: Art by African-American Women 1862–1980. She was mentioned in the February 28 1978 issue of The A&T Register, a student newspaper at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, as a notable figure of African American women artists alongside artists Glenda Wharton, Janice Davis, Lana Henderson, E. Rainey Heff, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Sharon E. Sutton, Mabel Bullock, and Mildred Thompson. In 1982, she compiled a collection of poetry written by students of Anita Stroud Foundation titled Golden Fruit From Little Black Seed.

Bibliography Source: Liberman, Herbert, Artists U.S.A., 1974–75. New York, N.Y., Artists U.S.A., Inc., 1975 American Contemporary Arts & Crafts Slide Library. Los Angeles, CA., 1974 Nichols, Ward, "Wilks Art Guild." North Carolina Artists and Craftsmen. Wilks County, N.C., 1974 Jones, Ione. Treewell (Vol. 10). Charlotte, N.C.: Johnson C. Smith University, 1971 Grosswald, Roger R. Aim. (vol. 1, number 2). Charlotte, N.C. (illustration, drawing), p. 27, 1970 Whisnant, Charlene. Red Clay Reader (vol. 6). Charlotte, N.C., 1969 "Two Girls" (Lithograph) printed in Time magazine

Awards and honors Source: Who's Who of American Women, 1977–78; World's Who's Who of Women (International Biographical Center, Cambridge, England, 1978) Honorable Mention, 4th Annual "Biblical Interpretation d'Art-Charlotte Art League", Charlotte, N.C., 1974 Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Work in Charlotte, N.C. Charlotte O.I.C. Award, 1972 Nominee for Gold Rose Award – "Salute to Outstanding Career Women Who Work" sponsored by the Career-Charlotte Central Association, 1971 Works reproduced in Soviet Womans Magazine (Third Prize) Award and Der Bildener Kunst, 1965

Exhibitions Source: Wachovia Center, Charlotte, N.C., 1979 An Affair of the Arts, Beck-South Park, 1979 Contemporary Afro-American Art Exhibit, Spirit Square, Charlotte, N.C., 1979 Art Exhibition, 501 Gallery, Spirit Square, Charlotte, N.C., 1978 Fifteen Women, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, N.C., 1978 Extravaganza of the Arts, Top of the Tower, First Union National Bank, Charlotte, N.C., 1978 2nd Annual Collection Exhibition, H. Clinton Taylor Art Gallery, North Carolina A&T State University, 1978 Afro-American Art Exhibition, Duke University, Durham, N.C. (one woman), 1976 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Durham, N.C. (one woman), 1975 Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, N.C. (one woman), 1975 Metrolina National Bank (one woman) 1975 Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, N.C., 1974 Art Exhibition, Greenville Center, arranged by Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, N.C., 1974 Charlotte Southern Christian Show, Merchandise Mart, Charlotte, N.C., 1974 Benefit Reception, United Negro College Fund: North Carolina National Bank; Penthouse: Charlotte, N.C., 1973 Assembly Inn, Montreat, N.C. (one woman) 1973 Memorial United Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, N.C. (one woman) 1972 Reflections: The Afro-American Artist, Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, N.C., 1972 Religious Fine Arts Festival, Providence Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C., 1972 20 Charlotte Artists, McDonald Art Gallery, Charlotte, N.C., 1971 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Public Health Annual Art Exhibition, Durham, N.C., 1971 Mint Museum, 501 Gallery, Charlotte, N.C. (one woman), 1970 Encounters, J.C. Smith University, Charlotte, N.C., 1970 Charlotte Downtown Public Library, Charlotte, N.C. (one woman), 1969 Barber–Scotia College, Concord, N.C. (one woman), 1968 Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, N.C. (one woman) 1968 Mechanics and Farmers Bank Annual Art Exhibition, Charlotte, N.C., 1966 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Teachers Art Exhibition, Stratford House, N.C., 1965 Albert Schweitzer Haus, Vienna, Austria, 1965 University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana, 1965

Collections Source: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, N.C. City National Bank, Charlotte, N.C. Covenant Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, N.C. Ebenezer Baptist Church, Greensboro, N.C. North Carolina National Bank, Charlotte, N.C. Spring Mills Incorporated, Fort Mill, S.C. Wachovia Bank, Charlotte, N.C.

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