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Art & Artifacts Invites You to “Icons from an Ancient Future,” Reception Features Mixed Media, Jewelry Artists

 

Fractured Moon, Nancy Brittelle

July 9, 2012. Art & Artifacts and Blowing Rock Gallery of Homes & Land invite you to “Icons from an Ancient Future,” a reception featuring new work by Nancy Brittelle, Mixed Media, and Julie H. Knabb’s jewelry on Friday, July 13, 5 to 7 p.m. at 159 Sunset Drive, Blowing Rock.

Come enjoy light refreshments and savor the works of more than 30 regional artists.

Solar Disk, Nancy Brittelle

Mixed Media Artist Nancy Brittelle, of Blowing Rock began painting in 1995. After 10 years as a realistic painter, she decided to embark on a journey of self-discovery. Searching to move in a new direction, she began to experiment with cardboard, papers and torn pieces of old watercolor paintings. While driving home from town one rainy afternoon, she spotted a cardboard box lying beside the road which had gotten soaked. Upon returning home, she retrieved a box from her garage, set it out on the deck and watched it take on a new form as it softened in the rain. She brought the box back in to the studio and reconfigured it, let it dry, then glued it together and painted it with acrylic paint. Thus the idea of  a wall sculpture was born.

Nancy Brittelle states, “for me as an artist, it is an endlessly fascinating adventure to take ordinary materials and transform them into something resembling ancient forms made of precious metals looking centuries old, but shaped within a modern context.”

Jewelry Artist Julie H. Knabb, of Winston-Salem began her art education at Western Carolina University. Julie has studied and created in a vast variety of art media. From pottery to painting, from weaving to her first love: jewelry design; she has crafted her art skills to become a nationally recognized multi-media artist.

After completing over 30 successful years with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Julie’s so-called “retirement” has left her busier than ever. Besides being a past proprietor of Textures Gallery, then opening Studio 2 at SOHO Alley, located in the heart of the Downtown Winston-Salem Arts District, she has found time to be on the Board of Director of one of the leading visual art schools in the southeast. She currently serves as Vice Chairman and Art Director for Art For Art’s Sake and is also a member of several prestigious art associations and guilds.

During the day, you can probably find Julie at her studio working on a new piece of work or instructing jewelry making and mixed media techniques to aspiring artists. Her bi-annual trips to Africa and abroad have inspired much of her newer designs. This international influence has made Julie a unique artist in the community. She successfully incorporates tribal design elements with contemporary flare to create a unique look that is appreciated across all demographic groups.

Art & Artifacts and Blowing Rock Gallery of Homes & Land are an unusual combination of two businesses that operate under one roof at 159 Sunset Drive, Blowing Rock, in between Mellow Mushroom and Blowing Rock Estate Jewelry. Art & Artifacts exhibits the works of over thirty High Country and North Carolina professional artists. The gallery offers a diversity of media and styles, appealing to collectors of original works. To learn more about these artists and upcoming events at the gallery, visit artandartifactsbr.com.

Blowing Rock Gallery of Homes & Land has seven realtors who market, list and sell homes, land, commercial and investment properties in the four counties of the High Country-Watauga, Avery, Ashe and Caldwell. For more information on Blowing Rock Gallery of Homes & Land, call 828-414-9400 or visit blowingrockgalleryofhomesandland.com