Tea with Norma Murphy at Art Cellar July 25

Story by Anna Oakes

“Orange Tea” by Norma Murphy

On Saturday, July 25, The Art Cellar Gallery in Banner Elk presents Tea with Norma Murphy—an appropriately-titled event featuring an artist best known for her paintings of women in tea scenes, sewing circles and garden settings.

The artist’s reception will take place from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., and on display are Murphy’s works in collage, oil and paper, including recent tea scenes and floral still life. The Art Cellar will serve iced tea, lemonade and light refreshments. The event takes place during the second monthly Avery Tour de Art.

“It is wonderful to show the work of such a diverse and interesting local artist,” said Liz Brown, gallery director. Murphy’s rural and cottage scenes capture the feeling of the mountains, as well as the European countryside, Brown said.

Murphy was born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains. While best known for her depictions of ladies at tea, sewing circles and other social scenes, she has always painted landscapes. She has worked in a broad range of media, including watercolors, oils, acrylic and mixed media collage. 

“Her work is heavily influenced by her love of the master impressionists, and she is happy to show her interpretation of their styles,” Brown said.
Murphy is an alumna of historic Berea College in Kentucky and received a BFA from ASU. Her work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions in North Carolina, Tennessee, Chicago and New York since 1981.

“Having painted for 50 years, I feel I am finally coming into a deeper appreciation of life and art, and how they support each other,” Murphy wrote in an artist’s statement. “I realize now that painting has become my diary, and my way of understanding life.”

The Art Cellar Gallery is located at 920 Shawneehaw Avenue in Banner Elk. For more information, call 828-898-5175.

Watercolor Workshop with Anne Abgott at Art Cellar August 17

Highly sought-after watercolorist Anne Abgott will lead a workshop at The Art Cellar Gallery in Banner Elk on Monday, August 17. Photo submitted

Award-winning watercolorist Anne Abgott will hold a watercolor workshop at The Art Cellar Gallery in Banner Elk on Monday, August 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This workshop will present Abgott’s distinctive style and highlight many of the techniques she shares in her best-selling book Daring Color.

Participants must register in advance, and the workshop is open to all skill levels. Abgott will provide the image in advance so that participants can have the image prepared and focus on watercolor techniques during the class time. The subject will be day lilies in silver. Registration is limited to 22 students, and the cost is $100. 

Canadian born, Abgott maintains studios in Linville and in Cortez, Fla. She is the past president of the Florida Watercolor Society and the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society and a long-time member of the Board of Directors of Art Center Manatee in Bradenton, Fla., where she chairs the Education Department. She is a signature member of the Florida Watercolor Society, Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society and Philadelphia Watercolor Society.

The Art Cellar has represented Abgott’s work in the High Country for several years and has a broad selection of her work. Abgott’s watercolors receive high recognition in both local and national competitions and are widely collected. Her classes are in high demand, as she teaches across the U.S. and Canada. 

Contact The Art Cellar Gallery to register or for more information at 828-898-5175 or by email at artcellar@skybest.com.

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