Is the cold weather leaving you a tad sluggish and uninspired? Perhaps a little local art might fix your wintertime blues. Whether it’s indulging in the moon’s mysteries or remembering the many subtle ways beauty can appear, several new exhibits remind residents that inspiration comes in many shapes and forms.
In the Eyes of the Beholder
Asheville artist Joseph Pearson joins Rutherford County artist Roscoe Conn in the new exhibit, In the Eyes of the Beholder. The show’s title comes from one of Pearson’s featured paintings, inspired by gymnast and 2012 Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas. According to Pearson, Douglas received worthy praise during her 2012 Olympic performance, but a few commenters “complained about the texture of her hair.” Incensed, Pearson created his painting in response to the insensitive and unnecessary remarks.
The exhibit runs Saturday, Feb. 6- Monday, March 15, at Upstairs Artspace, 49 S. Trade St., Tryon. Free. For more information, visit avl.mx/8xc.
Meeting the Moon
The Asheville Art Museum’s latest exhibit, Meeting the Moon, explores humankind’s ongoing fascination with Earth’s lone satellite. The collection features several North Carolina artists, including Dirck Cruser of Asheville.
“Meeting the Moon offers the opportunity to combine science and popular culture with works of art in the museum’s collection,” notes associate curator Whitney Richardson in a press release. “I think all visitors will find something that draws them into this exhibition, whether it’s the artwork, poetry, music or science of space travel.”
Meeting the Moon runs Wednesday, Feb. 3- Monday, July 26, at the Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square. General admission is $15. To learn more, visit avl.mx/8×7.
Weizenblatt Gallery’s February exhibit
Asheville artist Cyrus Glance’s latest drawings and watercolors depict friends, family and strangers alike. The series is now on display at Mars Hill University’s Weizenblatt Gallery. A press release from the university describes Glance’s work as “raw, powerful and honest.”
The exhibit runs through Thursday, Feb. 25, at Mars Hill University’s Weizenblatt Gallery, 79 Cascade St., Mars Hill. Free. To learn more, visit avl.mx/8×8.
Artists of the foothills
The Southern Highland Craft Guild is currently showing Thermal Belt: Artists of the Foothills, its first exhibit of 2021. As the title suggests, featured artists live and work in the North Carolina foothills. Disciplines represented include bladesmithing, copper textured bronze, hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramics, glass lampwork, jewelry, quilting, weaving, wooden furniture, woodcarving and woodturning.
Thermal Belt runs through Sunday, May 9, at the Folk Art Center, Milepost 382, Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville. Free. Learn more at, avl.mx/8xb.
The artists you have shown are fantastic artists, but have you see the work of Irene Pickens and Ernest Mapp. They are indeed wonderful local artists.