No trip to the Up Country would be complete without a visit to Asheville to check out some of the finest art and crafts in the nation.
We started out visit at the Folk Art Center at Milepost on the Blue Ridge Parkway Asheville, NC. We were fortunate enough to get see the Fine Art- Craft exhibit ,"Fellowship". The exhibit showcases works of collaboration by over fifty members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Housed in the upstairs main gallery, it features over thirty multi-media pieces crafted and fused through multiple hands.
Going to the Flute Circle on exhibit in the Fellowship Exhibit
Fine Arts and Crafts are not just limited to the Upstairs Gallery, the entire Folk Art Center is dedicated to the creative spirit of the residents of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The art craft -works displayed include metal, fiber, ceramic, paint, ink, glass, stone, and more.
Folk art fence, made of wormy chestnut, carved by Helen Bullard Krechniak
Next on our list of must see was the Surface Gallery located at 14 Lodge St, Asheville, NC
The art at Surface is always current; and always exciting. The featured artists for this month are Melissa Engler and Graeme Priddle whose collaborative exhibit is called "Birds of a Feather". The exhibit references not only the subject, but the artists' deep love of birds. Their sculptures are made from various types of wood that have been carved, turned, burned, painted, stained, or a combination of these methods. Some pieces are made individually, while others are made collaboratively , but all reflect their deep love of birds.
Wooden Sculpture by Melissa Engler and Graeme Priddle
Bruce and I absolutely love this gallery. It is where we always go to purchase an art souvenir for our trip. This time there were so many fine artists to choose from that we had to come back twice just to decide what we wanted the most. We eventually settled on a pair of ceramic tea cups to add to our handmade tea cup collection.
Teacups by Akira Sataki
The staff at Surface, including their friendly dogs, are sure to make you feel welcome, and are more than willing to help you and answer any questions you may have. This is not the gallery to miss if you are shopping around Biltmore Village.
The Surface Gallery pups are always happy to welcome visitors.
Our next stop was at The Blue Spiral One Gallery which is focused on presenting compelling works by artists and object makers of the Southern United States.
Blue Spiral One Gallery is located at 38 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC
The unassuming exterior hides a three story treasure trove of some of the best fine art and craft in the South.
This gallery is always at the top of our list of must see places whenever we are in Asheville. We can spend hours looking at all of art. There is so much high quality work that it is hard to know where to begin, but if we had to pick our favorites it would be.
The porcelain sculptures of Vicki Grant. Ms. Grant's highly textured, multimedia organic forms have consistently been our favorite pieces. There is something very compelling and viscerally about her work that always claims our attention.
The other artist who caught our eye in the Blue Spiral One Gallery was Plein air painter, Peggy Root.
Peggy has spent the last 35 years painting the landscape of the Eastern United States. Root paints her large scale oil paintings on location. often over period of several days, catching the natural light in 2 hour sessions — before it changes too much from her initial impression. I particularly enjoy the way she often plays with splashes of light and color that reveal planes of varying distance in her landscapes.
March Evening in Sunlight by Peggy Root
Our final stop was at the Haen Gallery is located at 52 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
(It is right down the street from the Spiral One Gallery, making it a no-brainer to to visit when in the area.
The Haen Gallery is an open, bright, well spaced and comfortable gallery. They have offered compelling works of art since I first went when they were just opening.
Lynn Buggess' art is absolutely fantastic and is some of the best work that they have featured. It has changed somewhat since we first saw his paintings here. Many of his early works were very large scale landscapes with a medium to wide point of view. ( see above) Most of what was on display this visit were (relatively) smaller scale (e.g. 3'x3') with a single object focus. Both views retain his signature style using heavy impasto.
We also enjoy Larry Gray's work of vast ethereal landscapes of mountains and clouds.
Prairie Shadows by Larry Gray
