Crikey.

I am absolutely blown away by the art I saw last night.
Last night my husband and I went to Asheville, NC to catch a baseball game (by the way – McCormick Field is one of the best venues to catch a game).  We got in town early enough to visit a couple of galleries downtown and I still am dumbfounded over not only the quality of the art I saw, but at how very much stunning work there was to be seen in one city block! And there are quite a number of galleries that we didn’t even get to.
The first place we stopped into was Haen Gallery.  The well lit and spacious gallery shows the art beautifully, and I was most taken with the HUGE skyscapes by Larry Gray, and Clayton Santiago’s oversized tree paintings, rendered in burnt umber and heavily varnished.  Unfortunately, photos of Santiago’s work give no clue to the depth and beauty of them in person.

Return Passage
© Larry Gray

We then went just a few steps up the street to Blue Spiral.  THAT PLACE IS HUGE!  Have you seen the movie Moscow on the Hudson?  Remember the scene where the Russian immigrant (Robin Williams) goes into a supermarket for the first time, and looking at the overwhelming selection of coffee, has a panic attack?  “Coffee, coffee, coffee COFFEE!”
Yeah. That’s exactly how I felt.
There was a stunning amount of glass work – blown glass and some fascinating cast glass – but my favorite art in that gallery is by Mitchell Lonas.  The incised aluminum with oil polishes had a delicacy that was surprising, and of course, the bird theme fit my tastes perfectly.  This particular piece is large (59 x 38 inches) and really needs a home in my living room.
I can’t wait to go back and see more of Asheville’s amazing art scene!



R. Giles Field Sparrow Nest, Early Summer© Mitchell Lonas

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