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Carlton Gallery to Host Its 36 Autumn Group Exhibition on Saturday, Oct. 6

“Bellissimo” by Dottie Leatherwood is one of many paintings to be featured at the 36 Autumn Group Exhibition.

Carlton Gallery will host its 36 Autumn Group Exhibition on Saturday, Oct. 6, with an Artists’ Reception from 2 to 5 p.m. This exhibition affords an opportunity to view art in paintings, glass, wood, sculpture, clay, wearable fiber and jewelry by many talented artisans. This event is free and all are welcome to meet the attending artists while enjoying delicious hors d’oeuvres.

New paintings by Trena McNabb, Debbie Arnold, Egidio Antonaccio, Michael Grady, Freeman Beard, Marion Cloaninger, Linda Apriletti and Andrew Braitman cover many sizes, styles and subject matter for an interesting and inspiring autumn group exhibition. Toni Carlton’s artwork is also on exhibit and her Heart Opening Studio upstairs is open for visitors.

Handmade fine crafts on exhibit include clay wall sculptures by Valerie Schnaufer; wrought iron and stone swing tables by James Cotter and contemporary chests made with several types of wood by Keith Allen.  John Melius is a new artist to the gallery whose vessels feature different types of inlaid woods to form a beautiful kaleidoscopic pattern.

This 36 Autumn Group Exhibition features an Artists’ Spotlight, “Harmony of Spirit–3 Artist Friends,” by Amy Sullivan, Dottie Leatherwood and Paul Hastings.  

Amy Sullivan, Dottie Leatherwood and Paul Hastings beautifully illume each other in their depth of talent and harmony of spirit. All three artists bring an immediacy to their paintings, along with a sense of refined presence. It’s more than just impeccable technique, color and subject. One feels as if the place captured on canvas is personally known. These artists are interested in creating a universal and timeless statement of their subject matter.

Dottie Leatherwood’s art is heavily influenced by nature. This is her painting, “Leaning In.”

Dottie Leatherwood prefers to paint “plein air” where she gets a feel for her subject and captures elusive energy. The effects of light, atmosphere, weather conditions and seasons all contribute to her capturing timeless beauty on canvas. The beauty of the High Country is for our benefit, therefore the underlying harmony of the landscape as painted by Leatherwood is an expression of love. She gets great joy and fulfillment in studying nature directly and seeking the best elements to convey her emotions.

Amy Sullivan specializes in paintings that render barns. This is her painting, “Whimsy and Treasure.”

Barns where tobacco leaves were hung to cure after harvest ranged as high as one half million in North Carolina alone until the mid-twentieth century. Amy Sullivan is fascinated by the remaining paragons of a by-gone era as she honors and preserves barns in her memorial oil and cold wax paintings.

Sullivan renders barns in an abstracted manner using a limited color palette. She draws the viewer into the painting by its moody complexity. Her intriguing barns evoke memories and emotions which allow one’s imagination to soar.     

Paints, plasters, glazes, mica powders and sometimes gold leafing are all incorporated in Sullivan’s mixed media landscapes. She also uses a muted color palette for these paintings. She said, “I love the moodiness and timeless presence along with the contemporary feel it conveys.”    

Paul Hastings is incredibly inspired by sunsets. He captures their surrealism, as seen in his painting, “High Country Sunset.”

Based on his travels, Paul Hasting’s paintings cover a diverse range of landscapes, stretching from the High Country to coastal lowlands. His colors, format and composition evoke a big impact, as his paintings glow with a luminescence bordering on the surreal.

Capturing the subtleties of the light and shadows on cloud formations against an artfully blended sky is his greatest pursuit. He employs an artistic freedom of expression in his choice of colors as each paintings is very harmonious. Hastings said, “The rising or setting of the sun on the horizon is the single most inspiring and motivational factor in my creative process.”

Enjoy the changing of the season by visiting Carlton Gallery for its 36 Autumn Group Exhibition on Saturday, Oct. 6, for the Artists’ Reception from 2 to 5 p.m.  This exhibition, along with “The Harmony of Spirit–3 Artist Friends,“ by Amy Sullivan, Dottie Leatherwood and Paul Hastings, can be viewed through Nov. 15.

Carlton Gallery is located 10 miles south of Boone, 7 miles north of Linville or Banner Elk and 8 miles from Blowing Rock on NC 105 South in the Grandfather Mountain community. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.