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Watauga County Arts Council to Host Blue Ridge Art Clan for Group Exhibition Throughout May

The Watauga County Arts Council is delighted to host a group exhibition of the works created by members of the Blue Ridge Art Clan during the month of May in their Main Gallery. The Blue Ridge Art Clan (BRAC) was founded by Florence Thomas in 1978 to promote the Fine Arts and to support excellence in those Arts. The Art Clan encourages and provides opportunities for participation in educational activities, the creative process, and the appreciation of the Fine Arts. BRAC presently consists of 34 artists from around the Blue Ridge that reflect the diversity of our region. BRAC members are professional artists or hobby artists working in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastels, photography, alcohol ink, and even Chinese brush paints.

BRAC facilitates communication and learning among the artistic community through programs, workshops, and critiques. Meetings feature well known artists from across North Carolina who share insights, techniques, passion, enthusiasm and helpful criticism with the members. The monthly meetings are held at the West Jefferson Presbyterian Church on the 4th Saturday at 9:30 am from March through October. Additional winter critiques are held at various locations in West Jefferson. Meetings are open to visitors.

Deep Creek Photography: Blue Ridge Mountain Gallery &emdash; Glow on Grandfather
Blue Ridge Mountains/Photo by Jan Todd

In the Open Door Gallery, the work of Boone free lance photographer, Jan Todd, will be featured. Todd photographs primarily nature and landscapes, sprinkling in occasional urban, portraits, and still life. She says she loves to share images of our Blue Ridge mountains and other beauty from around the world. Her photographs are strong and vivid, spanning a variety of subject matter she has encountered during her travels. Todd also does informal portrait shoots, real estate and commercial photography, and event photography. She will have photographs available for purchase not only from the exhibition itself, but also an assortment of greeting cards featuring her photography. Her work can also be seen at www.deepcreekphoto.com.

The Serendipity Gallery is featuring the work of Susan Payne during the month of May. Payne creates landscapes in acrylic and oils and was recently a featured Artist in Residence at Wildwood Acres for a week. She will also be featured this summer at the Edgewood Cottage. Payne moved to Boone after retiring from teaching art in Virginia Beach for many years and then working with Charlotte’s Mint Museum to coordinate summer camp programs and children’s educational activities. She also has worked with staff development for art teachers in both North Carolina and Virginia. She studied at Longwood University, Virginia Commonwealth, and Norfolk State University. She is teaching a series of workshops at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace this summer including “Paint Like Picasso, Pet Portraits with Personality, Train Your Brain to Draw, Express Yourself, and Explore Dream Imagery Through Collage.”

In the Young Artists Gallery, Watauga County Schools art teacher Lindsey Postlethwait is presenting works by students she teaches at Blowing Rock Elementary School.

These four exhibits will open on Saturday, May 13th from 5:30-7:30 pm at the 2nd Saturday Celebration of the Arts. During the 2nd Saturday event, you will be able to enjoy storytelling by noted local storyteller, Mary Gray, in the Purple Room. Mary’s stories will be interspersed with flute solos played by Pat Lanno. In the Green Room, Marsha Holmes will be demonstrating the basics of plein air painting while JoAnn Pippin demonstrates painting flowers in watercolor. In the Blue Room Dr. Dick Wolf will be sharing his two books, “Climbing Kilimanjaro at 70” and “Life With Coffee”. Wolf is both a chemical and nuclear engineer and has patented a process for clean cold production, and he is also a vintner who helped introduce the wine industry to western North Carolina. In the Orange Room, jeweler Ron Pippin will not only demonstrate how he turns his beautiful tumbled rocks into gorgeous wire-wrapped jewelry, but you will have an opportunity to pick out a stone and he’ll help you do one for yourself! Refreshments will be served and the event is a free event.

All of the Blue Ridge Art Space galleries are sponsored by Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff. They are located at 377 Shadowline Drive in Boone. (“…the corner of Shadowline and State Farm…..it’s the building with the little blue people on the front porch”) This exhibit may be seen between the hours of 1:30 and 5:30 pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and from 11:30 am until 5:30 pm Thursdays through Saturdays through May 6th.

If you would like more information on this exhibition, contact the Arts Council at 828-264-1789 or email them at wcac@watauga-arts.org.

About the Blue Ridge Art Clan

The Blue Ridge Art Clan (BRAC) was founded by Florence Thomas in 1978 to promote the Fine Arts and to support excellence in those Arts. The Art Clan encourages and provides opportunities for participation in educational activities, the creative process, and the appreciation of the Fine Arts.

BRAC members are professional artists or hobby-artists participating in “educational activities, the creative process, and the appreciation of the Fine Arts.” BRAC facilitates communication and learning among the artistic community through programs, workshops, and critiques. The monthly meetings are held at the West Jefferson Presbyterian Church on the 4th Saturday during March through October. Additional winter critiques are also held at various locations in West Jefferson. Meetings are open to visitors.

Contact BRAC

Blue Ridge Art Clan

BlueRidgeArtClan@gmail.com

PO Box 103, West Jefferson, NC 28694

http://www.blueridgeartclan.com/

Facebook: Blue Ridge Art Clan