By Jessica Dillon
Piedmont Arts recently held an opening reception for three new exhibitions: Act II: Paintings by Gail Doyle Smith, Opening Minds Through Art: Work by King’s Grant Residents, and the 158th American Watercolor Society Traveling Exhibition. All three exhibits are located on the upper level of Piedmont Arts, and admission is free.
The American Watercolor Society was founded in 1866 to promote watercolor painting in the United States.
“The American Watercolor Society is one of the oldest, most prestigious art societies in the world,” said Heidi Pinkston, executive director of Piedmont Arts. “Election as a signature member is among the highest honors in the painting world. The society’s membership includes such legendary artists as Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper and Charles Sheeler.”
More than 1,000 artists from across the United States and 32 foreign countries submit work annually to the society’s invitational exhibition. From that highly competitive field, only 40 works are selected to tour nationally. Piedmont Arts first hosted the traveling exhibition in 2021.
Kevin Deck, a Roanoke-based artist whose work Tower of Power is included in the exhibition, spoke during the reception.
“If you’ve been to the city of Roanoke, if you follow Ninth Street out of downtown through southeast, there is a million-square-foot, tall brick smokestack of the American Viscose pulp plant that was built initially in 1917 and at one time employed 5,500 workers,” Deck said.
Deck said the painting is one of 41 works he has completed depicting the plant.
“I’m a realist. I’m painting a lot of Virginia landscapes, but I love the built environment, and the reason I paint is because I want you to slow down and get out of your 65- or 70-mile-an-hour car, and look in the shadows, and look in the reflections, and delve into the mundane places, and maybe find a little bit of beauty,” he said.
Also on display is artwork created by residents of King’s Grant, many of whom are living with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s disease. The works are created in a variety of media and styles and provide residents with a creative outlet.
Smith was unable to attend the reception but is expected to visit the gallery at a later date.
According to Piedmont Arts, “Gail Doyle Smith is a visual artist based along the Brunswick River in coastal North Carolina, where the rhythms of water, marsh and sky shape both her daily life and her artistic vision. Living on the river has provided an enduring source of inspiration for paintings that depict tranquil coastal landscapes, shore birds, wildlife and native flora with sensitivity and depth.”
The exhibits may be viewed free of charge at Piedmont Arts, 215 Starling Ave., Martinsville. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibitions will remain on display through March 28.
