AUTHOR: ARTSY CHOW ROAMER

Pick of the Month:

BLUE SPIRAL 1 IN ASHEVILLE, NC

For over thirty-two years now, Blue Spiral 1 has been presenting works by exceptional artists in a 15,000 square foot space that spans three floors and is filled with glorious light. On a recent road trip, we decided to stop off for several days of gallery hopping in this artsy hipster city that has reinvented its downtown area with renovated buildings, eclectic bars, posh restaurants and modern fresh hotel designs.

Right in the center of everything is where you will find the gallery at 38 Biltmore Avenue (across the street from Aloft Hotel which is a good spot for post martinis with Alchemist gin BTW-but I digress). 😉 The main and lower levels of the gallery house the curated exhibitions they present yearly which is normally around twenty shows.

That’s quite a bit of artwork to present to the general public with most galleries managing only around twelve. The upper level displays are what I like to call a lovely collection of treasures from over 100 artists the gallery regularly represents. This includes an unbelievably diverse range from paper, canvas and glass to sculpture, photography and more. This post will center on the reasons why this gallery is one of the best in the Southeast and is a must see for collectors in general.

Step Into the Light-Lower Level Exhibition

ALEX BERNSTEIN

Step into the Light is the perfect name for the exhibition with artists Alex Bernstein and Mitchell Lonas. Located on the lower level, which probably has the least amount of natural light, the art choices brought into the space are visually stunning and create the illusion of light.

Bernstein’s solid contemporary glass works are pure genius and would make the Czech artists I used to carry in my gallery very jealous. The bold color choices feel modern and fresh and would work beautifully in any architecturally designed space with their fused steel and geometric configurations.

The concept vocabulary seems to fit in the scheme of the design in nature that you might expect from an artist born and raised in North Carolina and working out of his studio with the Blue Ridge Mountains as his muse. The steel recalls the shapes and textures of trees, pinecones and bark while the interior shapes create dimension, fun and light reflection giving an airy feel to the heavy objects.

MITCHELL LONAS

Born in my old stomping ground of Knoxville, Tennessee, I was so excited to discover the work of a fellow University of Tennessee graduate in Mitchell Lonas. Previously known for his fine portraiture work, these new visions use some of the same informed studies of line, movement and rhythm.

With the hidden cleat system used for hanging, these incised aluminum panels appear to float on the walls. The contrast between light and dark creates stunning imagery of nature in all its ethereal detail that almost appears to be lit from within.

Deer pose shyly, pausing to study the viewer as you study them in return. A bunny’s facial details with whiskers makes you want to pet him to feel the imagined hair while a turkey feather is instantly recognizable and delicate in its design.

Pinecones, bears and bird’s nests appear as if painted by some magical brush meant to capture nature in a quiet Zen-like moment. These pieces work so well with Bernstein’s glass that it is hard to decide where to spend the time when viewing the exhibit. I just know I spent more time here than anywhere else in the gallery the day I visited.

Asheville Oblique-Upper Level Gallery Exhibition

KEN CARDER & STEVE WARD

A whimsical collaboration was created for this exhibit by merging the works of North Carolina artist Ken Carder with another Tennessee artist, Steve Ward. Ken captured some iconic Asheville views and locations, digitally altering them to get a more abstracted feel.

Steve then used those same photographs for inspiration to create his contemporary oil on canvas paintings with a nod to the architecture, style and colors of the area but a cool funky vibe with a skewed abstracted vision.

The lack of people in Steve’s paintings meant Ken wanted to create his kinetic wood sculptures as his vision of contemporary peeps going about the business of city life. He matches the fresh fun colors of the paintings with his own energy and movement; all made from the ash trees that were dropping around his artist studio. The collaboration is a good one; both exhibiting well together in a natural fun harmonious way with Asheville at its heart.

Cut & Paste Collage Works-Main Gallery Exhibition

10 DIFFERENT ARTISTS

An interesting group of ten different artists comes together in the main gallery exhibition centering around different styles of collage works. The word is derived from the French “coller” or to glue; referring to the original meaning of joining objects together on paper, wood or canvas. This show takes it much further and includes digital techniques as well as artists working in textiles, found objects and recycled materials.

I was first drawn to the soft paintings of Charlotte, NC artist Isaac Payne. With my background in design and architecture I had an appreciation for the rendering sort of style Payne brings to his work which harkens back to the type of drawings we used to do in school before CADD became a thing. He uses graphite and ink to build his street scenes with anonymous faces and finishes with muted colors and bits of paper collage to add depth. They invite the viewer in to remind you that you probably have been in a place like this before.

Next up were the exquisite constructions of Japanese artist Akiko Sugiyama. A blending of both Eastern and Western techniques, her pieces are a study in perfection and spirituality as are most things in the Japanese life vocabulary.

There is a wonderful sculptural architecture to the layering of the rice and parchment papers she uses; manipulating them through crushing, folding, rolling and painting. Many pieces have added mixed media embellishment in the form of fabrics, cones, sticks, tassels and curls. They are truly a joy to experience.

Architect turned quilter, Southerner Luke Haynes is creating fun, colorful quilt constructions that reject traditional patterns and promote more modern themes. These pieces were eye catching and spoke to the designer in me through his use of reclaimed materials pieced together using the language of the communities where he gathered his textiles.

Shout out to the fun animal sculptures of environmentalist, Bryant Holsenbeck speaking to the waste in our society by creating her pieces in recycled materials. The recipient of many grants, artist-in-residence placements and fellowships, Bryant teaches and has written a book regarding her journey to leave a smaller footprint on the planet. 💯 Rabbits, owls, gators, deer and possums study the viewer as curiously as they do in nature in a quirky turn of creativity.

Small Format Gallery

ALAIN MAILLAND

I found the small sculptures of Alain Mailland to be some of the most interesting I viewed at the gallery. From Chamborigaud, France, this artist works utilizing native species from his country such as pistachio, hackberry and root of heather. He began as a mason and woodworker, both joining and turning wood but changed completely to turning as he moved through his career.

He created his own tools to help him hollow wood to design the delicate ethereal shapes for which he has come to be known. Again, there is a nod to the intricacies at play in nature with shapes recalling flowers, shells and biological specimens as well as architectural elements like gates and temples.

Dream’s Gate, rendered from hackberry, reaches up to the sky with a lovely gradation of color from dark gray and teal blues to ivory at the top using a combination of acrylic paint and pencil work creating an almost alien like architecture. The Gates utilizes pistachio root and could be inspiration for a beautiful wedding band. Wings of Desire and Brothers of Soul are reminiscent of pods using buckthorn and root as the materials of choice. These are truly inspired pieces of sculpture; small treasures indeed.

CONCLUSION

While highlighting what is presently on view for exhibits, I haven’t begun to touch the areas where the represented artists are regularly displayed. There are small treasure rooms where less expensive pieces can be had in sculpture, glass and mixed media as well as pottery. Another room has large pull out racks for easy viewing of small to medium sized canvas pieces and racks of stacked drawers with paper pieces.

I can not imagine that a designer or collector would not be able to find what they were looking for at an acceptable price point for every budget in this fantastic gallery. I have rarely seen as much diversity and talent as presented here to the market in this pretty artsy city. Be sure to put it on your list for a visit soon. Surprisingly, this was my first but it won’t be my last. BTW, the staff are exceptionally nice, knowledgeable, helpful (when my battery died on my phone) and know the city well. Grant has super suggestions for most any question-tell him I sent ya. 😉

If you enjoyed what you read, you might also like other posts under Artful Ideal. You can find other artists and galleries that I really love that you might want to visit or use to add to your own collection. Look for more upcoming posts on my recent adventures in art, food and travel from this road trip. Until then…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

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