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Watauga Arts Council Presents March Events and Exhibitions at The Blue Ridge ArtSpace

Painting by Lauren Waterworth

 

Painting by Lauren Waterworth

 

The Watauga County Arts Council is proud to present the paintings of Wade Evans in the Main Gallery for its March exhibition. Wade Evans demonstrated an aptitude for drawing at an early age. Growing up in a working-class family, this was considered a hobby and not something that should be taken seriously. In a banking/consulting career that spanned over 40 years, he was accustomed to objectively evaluating ideas and felt comfortable in that environment. Art on the other hand can be very subjective. What appeals to one person may not appeal to someone else.

Evans began painting over 40 years ago and still has some of his paintings from those years. There were sometimes lapses of several years between periods when he painted as he had to earn a living and support his family. Most of what he did in those years no longer exist. He either gave them away to family and friends or lost them in moving or simply thought they were too bad to keep! After retiring Evans took up painting in a serious way. For the last five years he has been working on his painting skills. He is self-taught and has never exhibited or sold any of his paintings.

Evans says, “Painting as well as any artistic endeavor is a solitary process. I sometimes spend more time thinking about what I want to paint rather than the actual act of painting. I start out with one thing in mind and wind up with something entirely different. Sometimes I finish a painting and ask myself why? I’ll set it aside and come back later and either improve it or just paint over it and start again. You’re always challenging yourself to create something that connects with people. If you can make that connection, it is a wonderful thing. That is the kind of art I want to create.”

The Open Door Gallery features an array of paintings by Lauren Waterworth. Waterworth grew up in Watauga County. After a few years of school “off the mountain”, she returned to Boone in 2007. She teaches in the Geological and Environmental Sciences Department at Appalachian State and her professional focus is on Environmental Law and Regulation. She has always loved art and the outdoors. She enjoys both with her sweet husband, Alex, and her sometimes-sweet daughter, Viviane.

Waterworth says, “I have lived in the High Country all of my life and am still surprised by how stunningly, unbelievably beautiful it is. Rarified summer sunlight, bouncing off of clouds and mountains, filtering through rhododendron thickets, is so familiar and, yet, so otherworldly. It does not look real. But, it is! With my painting, I try to capture that tension between familiarity and surprise, between reality and fantasy, between being very much at home and being… somewhere else.”

Painting by Lauren Waterworth

During March, the artists of the Serendipity Gallery are featuring an exhibit called “Clouds I Have Seen”.   Artists who exhibit in this gallery are participants in art classes at the Lois E. Harrell Senior Center in Boone and the Western Watauga Community Center in Cove Creek.   The classes are taught by Marsha Holmes and are free on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Young Artists Gallery is featuring the works of participants in the Home Sweet Home Paint-In led by art teacher Susan Payne, which kicked off Youth Art Month at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace. The artists range in age from 5 to 7 years of age and the large and colorful works of art cover all topics from local homes to Tweetsie!

The Blue Ridge ArtSpace will celebrate these exhibitions at an open reception on Saturday, March 10th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at their location at 377 Shadowline Drive in Boone.   Besides the four new exhibitions, each of the four classrooms of the building will also feature interesting demonstrating artists and participatory activities.  

In the Green Room up and coming local author, Katie Hagaman, will be sharing her new book, “In This Book You Will Find” which is filled with colorful illustrations created by the artist. The book is designed to inspire a hunger for reading in young children and has already been warmly received in the High Country and far beyond.

In the Blue Room, accomplished and fanciful local artist Susan Marlowe will feature a demonstration on salvaging paintings.

In the Orange Room, members of The Yarn Circle will be sharing knitting, spinning, and other fiber arts.

The Purple Room will feature live music.

The 2nd Saturday Celebration of the Arts is a free, family friendly event. Refreshments are served. 5:30-7:30 pm.

For more information, sign up on the Watauga County Arts Council’s website to receive monthly updates, check their website at www.watauga-arts.org, watch their Facebook page, or come by the Blue Ridge ArtSpace at 377 Shadowline Drive in Boone. You may also call them at 828-264-1789.