Join Piedmont Arts for an opening reception in honor of the museum’s new exhibits on Friday, October 22, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the museum.
“Print/Imprint: Asheville Printmakers” features work by an independent alliance of artists working out of the Asheville, North Carolina area, who express themselves through the medium of print. The group’s work encompasses a wide range of processes and content, from traditional to experimental and classic to contemporary. Their printing methods vary from relief printing such as woodblock, linocut, and wood engraving, to intaglio methods such as drypoint, etching, and collagraph. Some use alternative photographic printing processes such as platinum-palladium and gum biochromate; others employ monotype and variable editions in their work. A common thread is a hands-on involvement in making prints.
Carl Chiarenza is inspired by both the beauty of and human connections to landscapes. In acknowledging that traditional depictions of landscapes in paintings are constructed, Chiarenza began to approach his photographs as abstract and emotional constructions that allow us to examine nature in relation to the self. The key characteristic that came to dominate his style was nyctophilia, or a preference for and comfort in darkness. His photographs do not offer familiar faces or landscapes; there is no evident cultural or psychological framework for the viewer to build their response. Rather, the lack of specificity and sense of timelessness reminds us that all photographs are constructions of reality that produce various interpretations relative to each viewer. Chiarenza’s work invites individual reflection by forcing us to examine the subliminal workings of the mind. In these photographs, nothing is absolute, leaving all realities subject to each observer. This exhibition is on loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is curated by VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges. These works were all a generous gift of the artist.
“Tools of Happiness”, featuring work by George Ray Shelton will be on display in the Lynwood Artists Gallery. Shelton’s painting style shows influences ranging from classic masters to contemporary media. Whatever the subject, one thing is clear: Shelton’s brushes and spatulas are indeed his “tools of happiness.”
The opening reception is free and open to the public. Complimentary wine and light refreshments will be served. Limited capacity. RSVP required by October 19 to (276) 632-3221 or online at PiedmontArts.org.
Exhibits will be on display through January 8, 2022. Exhibit admission is always free.
Exhibits and reception sponsored by Jill and Jay Dickens, Anne and Eric Smith, Barbara and Guy Stanley, King’s Grant, Books and Crannies and Lynwood Artists.
