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The Arboretum will host a landscape painting exhibit by internationally known artist Luke Allsbrook in the Baker Exhibit Center, opening Friday, May 23 and continuing through Sunday, September 21, 2008. The exhibit is titled "Our Precious Land: Visions and Scenes of North Carolina" and presents oil paintings on canvas that reflect the beauty of farmland across the mountain region and other natural and created landscapes.
Working from his Waynesville, N.C. studio, Allsbrook combines naturalism and romanticism techniques to create actual representations of his surroundings as well as imagined scenes. University of Georgia professor of art James A. Herbert says, "These paintings transcend the pictorial because they suggest not only an exterior vision, a heightened reality, but an interior soul-catching spiritual journey." Beyond its visual appeal, the exhibit also brings awareness to the value of land resources, loss of farmland and the need for conservation in N.C. Several works were painted onsite from the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center near Asheville, and new paintings of the Arboretum landscape will be included in the exhibit. Allsbrook received an MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the U.S. and is included in the Forbes collection, The U.S. Department of State, and in the collection of His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales. Allsbrook served as official tour artist for Prince Charles on his 2005 state tour of organic farms in the U.S., painting scenes of each location visited. The recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundations Grant and two-time Posey Scholar, Allsbrook has taught drawing and painting at the New York Academy of Art, the Lyme Academy of Art, William Paterson University, UNC-Asheville, and in Italy with the University of Georgia Cortona Program. Most recently, he was designated as the 2008 artist in residence at Balsam Mountain Preserve and was featured in the January, 2008 issue of "Southern Living" magazine. Allsbrook's exhibit is made possible by funding from the Arboretum's Community Partners Star 104.3 FM, and McGuire, Wood and Bissette, P.A. Information on upcoming programs and workshops will be available on the Arboretum's Web site at www.ncarboretum.org, or by calling 828-665-2492. Examples of Allsbrook's work can be seen at www.lukeallsbrook.com. The North Carolina Arboretum is located in Asheville, NC, next to the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance ramp at Milepost 393, 2 miles south of Exit 2 (Highway 191/Brevard Road) off I-26. Arboretum grounds are open 7 days a week, except Christmas Day. Property hours are 8 AM to 7 PM, November-March and 8 AM to 9 PM, April-October. The Visitor Education Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM, and on Sundays from Noon to 5 PM. Parking Fees: $6 per personal motor vehicle, $25 commercial vans and $45 tour buses. No parking fee applies for NC Arboretum Society members. All day Tuesday, parking is free for all visitors. For more information call 828-665-2492 or visit their website at www.ncarboretum.org. (Images provided by the NC Arboretum)
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