NOVEMBER 26, 2009 ISSUE
Avery Art Galleries Host Holiday Open Houses Saturday
Although the Greater Avery Tour de Art held its last event in October, several members of the Coalition of Galleries are coordinating to host special holiday open houses this Saturday, November 28.
Be sure to visit the participating galleries and studios, listed below, to find gifts for the visual and functional art lovers in your life—or simply treat yourself!
Alta Vista Gallery
The Santa Gnome at Alta Vista Gallery invites you to browse holiday gifts such as handmade kaleidoscopes and jewelry, Mangum Pottery, books by acclaimed folk artist Will Moses and much more this Saturday, November 28.
Alta Vista Gallery invites you to its Christmas Open House this Saturday, November 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Enjoy refreshments and Christmas decor while viewing art and crafts from more than 100 artists.
The gallery will feature Shelton Vineyards wines and a variety of finger foods to enjoy while listening to Christmas music and enjoying the artwork. The gallery will receive 12 new oil paintings by the time of the Open House.
The gallery also includes many gift items, including kaleidoscopes, small paintings or prints from $25, pottery, handmade jewelry, fused-glass platters, votive-holders and photo frames, and art tiles in the Craftsman design.
Alta Vista Gallery is located at 2839 Broadstone Road in Valle Crucis between Mast Farm Inn and Mast Store Annex. For more info, call 828-963-5247.
Kevin Beck Studio
(Left) Enjoy the oils and pastels of Kevin Beck and spiked cider at the Kevin Beck Studio this Saturday, November 28. (Right) Judi Beck will sign copies of her new book The Ecology of Conversation this Saturday at the Kevin Beck Studio.
The Kevin Beck Studio will host an Open House from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. this Saturday. The Kevin Beck Studio features original oils, pastels and giclee prints by Kevin Beck.
The studio will serve spiked cider, and Judi Beck will sign copies of her new book The Ecology of Conversation, priced at $13.99. The studio will also have a bin of small plein oil studies priced at $200, $300 and $400—great for beginning a collection or gift giving.
The studio is located at 1590 Shull’s Mill Road. For more info, call 828-963-1181.
The Art Cellar Gallery & Framemakers
Hand-blown glass ornaments and functional pottery at The Art Cellar are perfect for holiday giving.
Holiday gifts can take many forms—from thoughtful necessity to extravagant indulgence—and The Art Cellar can offer suggestions for both during its Holiday Open House this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Festive refreshments will be served throughout the day for visitors to enjoy as they explore the artwork that fills all three floors of the gallery’s exhibition space.
Well known for its representation of painters and sculptors from the local area and across the Southeast, The Art Cellar Gallery also shows a collection of small artwork and objects perfect for artful gift giving. Richly colored blown glass vessels, glass trout, unique coffee mugs and bold serving platters and bowls are among the gifts available.
This year’s Holiday Open House will feature work in glass by three accomplished glass artists—Ken Carder and Rick and Valerie Beck. A sampling of the potters whose work is featured includes Tim Turner, Mark Peters, Lisa Stinson, Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish.
Artful gifts also include small wood bowls, BBQ skewers or glass ornaments, and more extravagant works such as the still life oil paintings of Loren DiBenedetto and the stone sculptures by Jane Jaskevich.
The Art Cellar Gallery will be open Friday, November 27, as well. The Art Cellar Gallery is located on Highway 184 near the Mill Pond in Banner Elk. For more info or to preview some of the artful gift ideas, click to www.artcellaronline.com or call 828-898-5175.
Carlton Gallery
Watercolors by Freeman Beard are included in the “Small Works Exhibit” at the Carlton Gallery.
Carlton Gallery begins its 27th Winter Exhibition by hosting a Holiday Open House this Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28. Come by the seasonally decorated gallery and enjoy hot cider, light refreshments and lots of holiday spirit and good cheer.
The 27th Winter Exhibition has a “Small Works Exhibit” containing original works of art in all media, styles and price ranges. New art for this “Small Works Exhibit” include oils by Helen Farson, Bill Farnsworth, Holt McLean, Jossie Nichols and Betsy Bohrer; mixed media by Charlotte Foust, Marion Cloaninger, Brenda Barber and Toni Carlton; and watercolors by Freeman Beard.
Fall and winter landscape paintings, still lifes, horses, abstracts, figurative and visionary works by gallery artists Peter Paglen, Kate Worm, Kevin Beck, Egi Antonaccio, Gina Strumpf, Jane Desonier, Roy Nichols, Vae Hamilton, Warren Dennis, Dina Lowery, Debbie Arnold, Andrew Braitman and Mary Dobbin are also in the Winter Exhibition.
A great collection of jewelry features 14-, 18- and 22-karat gold with semi-precious and precious stones by Mia Katrin and pendants, rings and earrings handcrafted in silver, gemstones and fossils by Don Haywood, Laura Fly, Ursula Shuler and Zoe Nelson.
Also featured are Tana Acton’s jewelry line of cuffs and rings in gold and silver wrap wire, Carol Francis Goode’s handcrafted necklaces in high quality multi-hued gemstones and Channing Ayers’ assortment of handmade necklaces and earrings in pearls, gemstones and multi-hued beads with silver fastenings.
Handcrafted woven art includes mobius shawls by Nancy Robeson; colorful woven scarves by Carolyn Glazener, Jane Doub and John Gunther; and felted wool hats by Vasanto and Myra Tannehill.
The Winter Exhibition will run through March 15. The tribute for artists Joe Barthet, the late Jim Crompton and David McCaig is ongoing through December with paintings (framed and unframed) on exhibit in the studio.
The gallery is located 10 miles south of Boone and seven miles north of Linville in the Grandfather Community. For more info, call 828-963-4288 or click to www.carltonartgallery.com.
Linville Gallery
Tiffany Purser of Geneva Porcelain will demonstrate the techniques of imprinting porcelain at the Linville Gallery at Tynecastle this Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The thrill of the event lies in the opportunity for gallery visitors to bring in objects, typically lace, to be pressed into the moist clay and to return in three to four weeks and purchase the finished work. The lace will not be damaged—simply moistened—and no cleaning will be required.
Purser must view and approve the pieces to be imprinted beforehand; embroidery beads, for instance, cannot be used. However, many other textures can be used to impress decorative designs in the porcelain.
“The challenge is to the owner,” explained Purser, “to find items such as medallions or jewelry to use. I can interpose a layer of Saran wrap between items and the clay.”
Some 500 pieces of Purser’s finished work will also be on display at the gallery on Saturday. Her work is oven-safe, food-safe and dishwasher-safe and comes mostly in earth tones. It is priced anywhere from $10 to $400, and the soup bowls run around $50.
The Linville Gallery at Tynecastle is located at 4004 Highway 105, Suite 2 in the Grandfather Center below Lowe’s Foods. For more info, call 828-898-8405 or click to www.linvillegallery.com.
Sally Nooney Art Gallery
Art keeps on giving joy, pleasure and inspiration for years. And the paintings at Sally Nooney Gallery do just that, whether it’s stocking stuffer-sized miniatures or extra large pieces—too big for Santa’s sack. Choose from a variety of one-of-a-kind original paintings in watercolor, oil and acrylic.
Studio Rustics is the guest artist this month and has arrived with wood art that is both decorative and functional. In addition to beautiful turned wood bowls and other small items, they have stylish rustic furniture that looks great indoors or out. Their items are made with woods like spalded maple, walnut and apple.
Want something special and different in a painting or wood? To get it by Christmas, talk to Sally Nooney Gallery this weekend. Sally Nooney Gallery is located midway between Banner Elk and Valle Crucis on Scenic Byway 194. The gallery will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Thanksgiving weekend. For more info, call 828-963-7347.
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