Spruce Pine Gallery hosts “Inheritance” exhibition of Paul Hartley students July 15 through August 19

From Toe River Arts:

On Saturday, July 15, the Spruce Pine Gallery will host one of their most compelling 2-dimensional exhibitions. Entitled, “Inheritance”, the show will feature the works of Jill Eberle, Kiki Farish, Jane Wells Harrison, and Jerry Jackson. Each has a story to tell about their relationship with master painting professor, Paul Hartley, who died in 2010. Hartley taught at East Carolina University from the early to mid ‘70s through 2008. Not unlike hundreds of other successful artists around the country, these four artists benefited from his artistry. Jackson reflected that “He was a masterful teacher who possessed clarity of insight, which he could impart with few words…a teacher, mentor and friend.”

In January 2016, Jill, Kiki, Jane, and Jerry reunited for two weeks in a Winter Residency at Penland School of Crafts. They spent uninterrupted hours connecting, creating and conducting critiques, which gave light to new ways of work, new materials, fresh ideas, and a welcomed realignment of friendships. In this exhibit, each artist will present a distinct body of work that includes influences from that Penland residency and their relationship with their former teacher. Their broad range of media and styles will engage visitors as they explore their common threads.

Over the past ten plus years, the four have grown as artists and friends. They now live in different parts of the state, doing different work in the arts, but each will acknowledge the commonality of being that Hartley instilled in all his students. Lee Hansley, Raleigh art dealer who represented Hartley, says, “He has influenced more young artists than anyone in North Carolina’s university system. That will be his legacy…”

The exhibition will include one of Paul Hartley’s large-scale paintings, My Room is Turning.

An artists’ reception is planned for Saturday, July 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The artists will toast Paul Hartley’s contribution, talk about their own work, and encourage and engage visitor comment. “Inheritance” continues through August 19. The Spruce Pine Gallery is located at 269 Oak Avenue and open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information about the exhibit, please call 828-765-0520. For more information about the Toe River Arts Council and its programs, please visit www.toeriverarts.org, or call 828-682-7215.

Toe River Arts is a non-profit organization established in 1976 to connect the arts and the community. It is supported by other organizations, individuals, and businesses that understand the benefit of arts to a thriving region.