Ever been on a Safari Art StudioTour?

Hello everyone!
This past spring, I was busy attending several art events around the area and thought I'd share with you photos of the events, artists I've met and their art! I usually take a break from painting in the summer to spend time with my family and the break allows me to get out and meet other artists. I truly enjoy meeting other artists, seeing their work and coming back to post about it. I hope you're not bored with my outings, I promise I will be back to posting my paintings this fall.

I had an exciting event that came up this past spring, called Weaverville's Art Safari Spring Studio Tours and was I ever so glad I went! This event was so well organized, which generally isn't a strong trait for artists. So what is a Safari Art Studio Tour?

 

 Well, you're given a map of all the participating artists and their studios, and you had to look for the signs to each artist's home, which was fun for us as a family. Not only beautiful art did we see, but this below.

Two artists that happened to be married to each other, had this lovely view from their home on Hamburg Mountain.

Studios were dotted along the mountainside here in Western NC and you never knew what was around the next bend.This was their 10th anniversary and they started it off with a Friday night art auction held at this beautiful farm just outside Weaverville, NC, Claxton Farm. Wow! so beautiful and what a perfect setting. Their website is worth visiting. I had no idea where the winding mountain road was taken me when I started out, I was just following the Art Safari signs and lo, and behold... I ended up in a scene right from a movie. Simply breathtaking. I wish my photos would do it justice, but they won't, sorry Claxton Farm. But I was in love with the place. And inside, it was every bit charming, great appetizers, a bluegrass band and the art?, Oh, my.... I wish you could have been there, seriously. Very impressive. From jewelry like I've never seen, to fibers, to pottery, to paintings, to bronze sculptures. These people were serious about promoting their work and did an excellent job doing so. The drawings for the free gifts were stunning as well.

I've taken some photos of the farm, please add the dreaminess, charm, and sense of freedom as if you're there. Like I said, my photos won't do justice, so bear with me as I relive my wonderful experience there.

Okay, I'll move on and share photos from Claxton Farms Art Auction.

When I first pulled up I had no idea the amount of people that would be there. I was on time and there were rows of vehicles already there!
Once you arrived, you parked in an open field. It made me so excited to see such a turnout, in fact, I later heard it was the largest attendance, ever.

The barn for the art auction held Friday night.

Here's the facility. Great patio and awesome mountain views.

Here's the view from that patio. Just makes you say, "Ahhh", right?

Wildflowers growing along the barn.

This is the three-piece bluegrass band playing for us that night. The lady in the middle playing a guitar is an artist also.

A nearby pond and more colorful wildflowers to enjoy.

The next day, Saturday morning, we started out on the Safari Studio Tour, following the great signs to each artist's studio. Most of the artists had home studios, but all were fabulous in their layout, space, and they way they chose to show their artwork. Many of the studios were inviting and gorgeous. All very functional, but leaving you with the feeling that you'd like to have one just like them. I know I did. Each had their own personalities, as well. I'll introduce you to one artist that set up her beautiful home as a gallery to not only show off her paintings, but also so you could get the idea how her paintings would look in your home or office. Great idea!

When I arrived at Joy Moser's art studio in her home, I was greeted by a bluegrass band on her wide front porch and inviting rocking chairs. That was a special treat to be greeted in such a way. Joy is such a talented musician as well as a successful artist. I had no idea she was the one playing at the art auction the night before. What a great combination, music and art!

 Artist Joy Moser

She welcomed me into her home and I was so amazed. She did something so smart. She painted the inside of her lovely large two story home with beautiful warm colors to be the backdrop for her art work. She shared with me her desire to display her work in a way her patrons could see how each painting could possibly look in their own home or office. Great idea, Joy! She gave us a tour of each room with her beautifully displayed paintings. Yes, she had the right idea and it paid off, she had shared with me she just sold three paintings that morning! Yay, Joy! Her landscapes are so lovely in their warm, but vibrant colors and the movement of each brush stroke relaxes the viewer. But, I'll give you the chance to see her paintings for yourself.

Landscapes by Joy Moser

 I loved this winter scene, Joy painted. See the reflections in the water.

Hope you enjoyed seeing Joy's paintings as much as I did. Just working on this post and seeing her work all over again, warms my heart. Definitely, this fall you'll want to meet Joy Moser at her home studio. Her music, her art, her home and front porch will make it worth the trip! Plus, she's just a delightful person to meet. Thanks, Joy for a great time at your home.

 Next stop on the tour, I met Artist Diane Hall at her home studio. Her work ranges from various subjects of animal portraits to mystical paintings with richly colored acrylics, textures, and layers. Her collages are so intriguing to me, as they are very unique. Since I wasn't that familiar with the collage style of her work, she was so kind to demo how she uses colored tissue paper with washes to achieve her results. 

Diane also offers art classes to children and was so kind to do an inprompto art class with my daughter, Sarah. Thank you very much, Diane! I have to say as an abstract painter, Diane gave me new ideas to try out in the future.

Another beauty from Artist Diane Hall

Collage Landscapes

 Vibrant sunflowers and other works of Diane Hall from the walls of her studio.

Artist Meryl Meyer 

 Then I met Artist Meryl Meyer at her home studio. Meryl has eye for detail that is to be envied. She is extremely patient with her painting and her skill for details shows. I studied her paintings, wishing I had the technical skill and patience that comes from Meryl. She shared with me, how working on the details was a very calming experience for her. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't relate. I haven't perfected, nor am I gifted with patience. Her pet portraits are incredible due to her detailed work. Each one is truly a valued masterpiece. I only regret I didn't get more photos of her portraits for you to see.

These were a few of the many talented artists from the Weaverville Art Safari Studio Tour. Save these dates, October 29th- 30th, 2001 for their next Fall art studio tour! What a beautiful time in the mountains of Western North Carolina to visit or if you're local, meet our talented area artists. I hope you enjoyed my post. 

A healthy and creative Summer to you, Allison

Two more talented artists from Asheville's River Arts District

Hello All! Greetings from cool, green Asheville, NC! Hope you are having a good summer. We can't complain about the weather here, it's been great so far in the "Land of the Sky".
Today's post is about two more fabulous artists that I met in Asheville's River Arts District. I've really enjoyed taking time to meet the River Arts District artists and I'd like to share their work with you. And if you've already been to the River Arts District, please comment on your experience.

But first, I have a couple of updates from my other post Asheville's Talented River Arts District Artists. Artist Joyce Thornburg is an featured artist at the Atelier Gallery of Fine Art on 24 Lexington Ave., Asheville. She has an "Retrospective of Faces" exhibit that started June 11th. Click on  Joyce Thornburg's  name to read about the article I wrote about her. She has a large 1800's farmhouse door painted her her folk art faces on it and it is a striking anchor to her exhibit in their street front window. Her show will end on June 30th. But if you miss her show and are local, then go Curra's Mexican restaurant in Woodfin, you'll see one of her "Faces" doors there.

Secondly, a bit of some odd news for one of our talented artists, Stephen Lange (to read my post about Stephen Lange click on his name.) Stephen, while working on one of his uniquely natural and beautiful circle paintings, he decided to place it outside the studio building to dry and came back to notice it had been stolen! Now you have understand, this painting was 6 feet wide! To view the video about the reported incident see this video from WLOS-TV. To view an article on the matter, here's a link. On Stephen Lange's website you can see his beautiful circle paintings.

Now I'll get to our next artist and painter, Benjamin Kaleblevi as shown here with his paintings. Ben considers his work to be abstract surrealistic.

You can find Benjamin's studio at the Riverside Studios, 174 West Haywood St. Asheville.  Even though, most of his work is abstract, of late, he has been busy with commissions of pet portraits. I found his abstract paintings very mysterious. The viewer must take some time with each painting in order to see all of the hidden information that Benjamin has included within.  These hidden clues tells the story of Benjamin's life journey, as he so kindly shared with me. And I like that quality about Ben's paintings. You'll see what I'm talking about in the photo below. Ben takes time with his paintings, they are not rushed. 

Inside Ben's studio, he was working on a cat portrait. And right now, he seemed to be very content working on his new subjects. He has an update and notified me that he is presently painting on location at a local hangout called "The Bywater" on Riverside Dr. His website is under construction, but you can find his bio and art on the River Arts District website.

A larger view, below, of Ben's studio space.

While walking along the River Arts District, here is a few photos of outdoor sculptures you'll want to see.

Garden sculpture below just outside the Curve studios.

Now, I have to say, I had goosebumps just seeing artist Heather Knight's work at her Element Clay Studio  . Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to meet her in person, but get to meet her assistant as she was setting up Heather's new studio space. Her textile wall tile collection in this photo is stunning, yet she has a varied body of work of bowls, exhibit pieces, and commissioned pieces. You can see work on her website and many items are available for purchase online.

Her stunning porcelain and clay work has been featured in magazines like, Coastal Living, House Beautiful, Charleston Home and many more. We are fortunate to have her here in the Wedge studios in the RAD.  She works mostly with porcelain, but also works in clay. Her works are a balance I would say, of modernism and nature, which she does so well. There's no denying her style, once you've seen it, you'll be able to easily recognize it again. The textures and the movement of her work will keep your interest and her choice of size for her elements is unique in itself.

Closeup

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post about Asheville's Talented River Arts District Artists. Please feel free to leave comments.  

Oh, I can't forget! White Duck Taco Shop has recently opened up in the RAD. Here's an article about the owners and their new restaurant.  Have a creative summer! Allison

What I Saw On National Public Gardens Day - Part 2

Hello everyone! Finally, part two of this series has arrived! In the previous blog post about What I Saw On National Public Gardens Day, I reported on the outdoor sculptures. Today, let's see what's going on inside! There is actually plenty for the art lover to see in the educational building. There are permanent art works I'll show you and then to my delight there was a new exhibit called, "I Can't Believe it's Paper!", by Artist Carol Funke going on until June 28, 2011. As you'll see in my photos, her use of homemade paper is interesting and the colors, exciting.

First of all, when you enter the building the first permanent exhibit you see is Teresa M. Reilly's, NC Arboretum Quilt. If you are a quilt lover, this is worth seeing. It makes such a grand impression once you enter the building.

 There are many more quilted pieces around the hallways and all quilt enthusiasts should see this exhibit.

As you go up the stairs, you'll see this large woven piece. "Random Weave Basketry", by Greg & Carla Filippelli. Medium: Reed.

Next as you turn around the corner into another room you'll see the Chinese Dragon Robe made from handmade paper.

Now you've entered the room with Carol Funke's handmade papers turned into brilliant artworks. Here's one I really liked. 

"Motion In Color II"

Homemade Paper

A side view, so you can see how the strips of the paper are crossed and stand out from the rest. Cool, huh? 

A different view, so you can see head on how it looks. Her goal here was to show two different images from two views.

More works from Artist: Carol Funke

The colors and textures are so inspiring and exciting.

I didn't get the names of these pieces, but one the natural piece with mixed media on top that she created is really interesting as well.

"Motion In Color"
Oh, how I loved this piece. The colors, textures and how the design comes off the edges. There's a lot going on, but I didn't feel it was too much. Well done, Carol!

"What Goes Around, Comes Around"

Quad Tripe

Four individual pieces when put together make one. 

The variety of her work amazed me. This series of painted and folded homemade papers, I think works and like nothing I had seen lately.

"Waves of Color"

I hope you enjoyed the Carol Funke's artworks of mixed media and homemade paper exhibit. I know I did! You can see her exhibit now through June 28, 2011 at the NC Arboretum. Click on Carol Funke's name to read about her background and exhibit.

What I Saw On National Public Gardens Day - Part 1

Hello Everyone, and greetings from beautiful Asheville, NC! On May 6, 2011 it was National Public Gardens Day and I decided to head off to the North Carolina Arboretum. The great thing about NPGD is the admission is free, so next Spring remember that date and visit a public garden. It's known many artists get their inspiration for their artwork from gardens and it's only fitting that I go and take photos of  the NC Arboretum's outdoor sculptures and indoor art exhibits. In case you've never been to the NC Arboretum, it's definitely worth it, if you are in the area. Such a beautiful natural setting with the mountains as the backdrop and plenty of flowers and plants up close to behold. The short winding trails are fun to walk and then for more dedicated hikers there are longer trails for good wholesome exercise and fresh mountain air. And when you're ready to rest, there are plenty of rocking chairs out on the porch waiting for you. Or if you enjoy a quiet space tucked away out in nature, there's a nice bench waiting on you.

I'm dividing my posts into several parts, otherwise it might overwhelm you if I post all the photos in one post! Reminds you of those boring "this was my summer vacation" slides you had to sit through with friends or family, right? So, Since I don't want to lose you, I'll post Part 1 first and others later. Also, keep in mind, I'm only posting a few of the works there, not everything. I want to leave something there for you to see for yourself.

Now, once arriving and driving up the road to the main parking lot and building, you get sucked in to the beauty of the location. The mountains all around you, the creek nearby, and the blooming plants. You almost have to be careful as your driving to keep you eye on the winding road up the hill, because you eyes will be thrilled once you've entered their gates. And speaking of gates, oh!, just you wait till you see their beautiful handcrafted garden gates. And it's worth taking the time to notice all the details of each gate. You'll see what I mean in the photos below.

 Right side of the "Stream Garden Gate" by David Brewin and Joseph Miller

Medium: Brass, steel, bronze, paint

Fish on the Garden Gate

Left side of the Garden Gate

Woodpecker on left side of the gate

Next on our tour, you'll see  outdoor sculpture, "A Hedge Against Extinction", by Artist: Martin Webster

Closeup

Around the front of the main educational building, there is a waterfall and pool area. They just recently added these new sculptures, I think there is four of them placed around the pool. 

Title: Magniflower 3

Artist: Martin Webster

Medium: Ferrocement, steel armanture

Closeup

Walking closer to the trails is this very tall, very huge Native American Indian bronze sculpture.

Title: Oh Great Spirit

Artist: Nell Banister Scruggs

Front closeup

Back close up

Near the Native Indian sculpture is 

Title: Remembrance Bell

Artist: Stefan Bonitz

Once walking on the trail from the education building, you'll see next, 

Title: Rhododendron Trellis

Artist: Grace Cathey

Medium: Steel

 Close up

While walking you might want to keep you eye open for a few smaller pieces like this, 

Title: Night Watch

Artist: Barron Brown

Medium: Granite

This is a view of the walking trails, nicely maintained and most shaded which is great in the hot summertime.

Now approaching the ampitheatre area. 

View of more paths

Flowers and plants to enjoy with identifying tags of our native plants

In Part 2 of this post, I'll be showing of the indoor art exhibits. It's definitely worth the return to my art blog. Please come back for more! I hope you enjoyed the views. Love to hear your comments of the NC Arboretum if you've been there and if you haven't love to hear from you too!

Thank you, Allison

For more information about the North Carolina Arboretum, click below and visit their site.

North Carolina Arboretum