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Carlton Gallery Showcases Great Art for 35th Autumn Group Exhibition On Saturday October 7

Carlton Gallery celebrates its 35th Autumn Group Exhibition on Saturday, October 7, with an Artists’ Reception from 2 to 5 pm. This event affords an opportunity to view art in Paintings, Glass, Wood, Sculpture, Clay, Wearable Fiber and Jewelry by many talented artisans and to meet some of these artists to discuss their work. This artists’ reception is free and all are welcome.

This 35th Autumn Group Exhibition features an Artists’ Spotlight – “A Contemporary Approach –  Art of the Horse and Animal Friends” by Vae Hamilton, Laura Hughes and Toni Carlton. Each renders paintings and mixed media of horses, cows, deer and buffalo in colorful, whimsical and meditative modes.

Vae Hamilton’s paintings convey her connection and deep understanding of horses and animals throughout her life. Her acrylics on canvas of horses capture the spirit, strength and beauty of the horse. An avid rider and owner of a beautiful white horse named Cloud, Hamilton‘s working knowledge of horses is expertly rendered on canvas as she captures the gentle gaze and soft eyes of her subject.

Hamilton’s mixed media paintings create a feeling of three dimension on a two dimension surface. She likes texture and overlapping things as demonstrated by her colorful, whimsical paintings of cows – Rosie, Elsie, Millie and Bovine Devine.

The acrylic horse paintings of Laura Hughes bridge realism and abstraction while relying on the beauty and drama of the horse as an alternative to the human figure. Hughes drew horses extensively as a child and reclaimed them as subjects in her paintings. Her colorful large scale paintings are two dimensional showing that horses are amazing, beautiful creatures.

Hughes works from photographs to select an image which is her starting point for shape, form and color. She uses the form, but only so much, as her main purpose is to get paint on canvas.  She looks for dramatic silhouettes without sentimentality, no flowing manes and tails.  Horses are about scale, size and substance, so composition, balance and visual interest are key components to her work. Hughes’ BFA in Sculpture from UNC allows for the large scale tactile nature of her work to have a sculptural quality.    

Toni Carlton’s mixed media paintings in the exhibition are colorful and meditative with many layers consisting of calligraphic writings, songs, silhouettes, transfer images, blessings and prayers. Each painting is thought-provoking and soul searching. The series – When the Horses Come – is open to interpretation by the viewer.

Current themes for Carlton’s artwork are Prayers for Peace and Opening One’s Inner Heart to connect to the oneness of all. She says. “I’m committed to co-creating heartfelt expression of life’s journey.”  Her paintings initiate deeper levels of feminine awakening by using multiple layers encoded with images that activate ancient memories. Carlton is inspired by different cultures, expressing movement and sacred connotations as she continues her spiritual journey as an artist.   

The gallery is filled with new landscape paintings rendered in seasonal colors of the High Country by local artists Kevin Beck and Egidio Antonaccio.  Local scenes are painted in oils by Mary Martha McKinley, Dottie Leatherwood and Linda Apriletti. Freeman Beard creates watercolors with subject matter of homesteads and barns; mountain streams with waterfalls. Abstracted landscapes by Andrew Braitman project the natural beauty of nature along with his extraordinary color palette. The flora and fauna paintings of Trena McNabb show the seeds, fossils, plants, birds and wild flowers of the High Country. Pastels and oil on paper by Arlene Mandell capture a moment in time of each model’s unique character.

Holly Glasscock’s new work reveals her love for animals as well as the landscape. She paints landscapes in oils and pastels capturing autumn’s beauty. Glasscock also possess a natural feeling for horses which is conveyed in her equine oil paintings.

Long standing gallery artist, Warren Dennis, exhibits new paintings in his cubist style.  They are rendered with sharp lines and strong contrast outlining the geometric shapes. His sense of life and vitality is an important element in his work which he transposes vividly to canvas.

Dennis’ work is a meditation on the American Spirit in its humor, complexity, struggles and the unquenchable determination to triumph over adversity. Dennis recently celebrated his 90th birthday and continues to create work that is special and full of personality. His new painting “Family” shows today’s diversity, while “Mother and Child” depicts the eternal love for children.

Visit Carlton Gallery for its 35th Autumn Group Exhibition on Saturday, October 7, 2 to 5 pm to view outstanding art in all media by the gallery’s local, regional and national artisans and to meet attending artists at the Artists’ Reception. The exhibition “A Contemporary Approach – Art of the Horse and Animal Friends” runs through November 15.

The gallery is located on Hwy 105 in the  valley of Grandfather Mountain community between Linville/Banner Elk and Bone, NC.  Hours are 10:00 – 5:00 Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 – 5:00 on Sunday. For information on artists, workshops, or exhibitions, call 828-963-4288 or visit www.carltongallery.com.

“Katie in the Field”
“Love Warrior” by Laura Hughes
“The Wind that Uproots Trees”
“When the Horses Come” by Toni Carlton
“Family” by Warren Dennis