Asheville Gallery of Art’s February show, “Smoky Mountain Impressions,” features works by four new Gallery members: Gail Drozd, Patricia Hargrove, Natalie Ray, Christine Schlageter. The show runs February 1-28 during gallery hours, 11am-6pm. An opening reception is slated for Friday, February 3, 5-8 pm; everyone is welcome.
The artists’ views of the Great Smoky Mountains are as vast as their artistic talents. From an epic celebration of all four WNC seasons to the quiet, serene mist descending upon the landscape to the flora and fauna of the mountains, their artworks delight in the diverse beauty of Western North Carolina.
Gail Drozd A native of Michigan, Drozd has always been a maker. As a young girl learning to sew, she discovered how cutting fabric apart and sewing it back together in a new way made for endless possibilities. That same approach has influenced her life’s work as an artist. Drozd expertly melds the energy of color into her artworks to create an inner glow in her landscapes, whether capturing flowing lavender water, rolling green hills or stands of towering trees.
Patricia Hargrove
As a seasoned artist and 30-year resident of Asheville, Hargrove is always experimenting with new techniques, textures and mediums in abstract, landscape and portraiture. She skillfully expresses her curiosity and enthusiasm for nature and creativity in her artworks. Whether combining or separating abstract and landscape, her paintings are sometimes full of movement and sometimes stripped bare for a minimalist approach.
Natalie Ray
A watercolor and 24-karat gold leaf artist who primarily focuses on portraits of musicians, dancers and local wilderness, Ray was born and raised in the Sierra Foothills in Northern California. She says she has lived her life with a generous amount of spontaneity, and Ray keeps that rhythm at the forefront of her work. Her inspiration in this exhibit is drawn from the breathtaking time of Spring in WNC with her eclectic use of color as it begins to awaken in the mountains and as animals rise from their slumber.
Christine Schlageter
As a self-taught artist specializing in acrylics on canvas, some of Schlageter’s favorite subjects are animals and florals but also machinery and architecture. She moved to the Asheville area from Germany in 1971 as a professional portrait photographer and was captivated by the majestic WNC mountains. Her realistic paintings encompass all that the Smokies are known for, and portray a masterful use of light, shadow and detail.
Come visit the exhibit at 82 Patton Avenue and enjoy the local talent that it offers. For further information about this show, contact the Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the Gallery’s website at ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the Gallery’s Facebook page.