Hi Folks! Just a quick note in support of our North Asheville artist community. We hope you get out and support this talented group. For details go here. Cheers!

Hi Folks! As you know artists are a big part of our Modern Asheville community and we are all too happy to support them and what they bring to our Asheville area community. Eric Knoche, also, happens to be a neighbor to John and myself and suffered a big loss being housed in the old French Broad school which burned just down the street from us. In support we all are passing along his request for assistance. Thanks for any consideration. Cheers!

Greeting friends, colleagues and patrons,

Unfortunately I am writing today with some bad news:  On Feb 5, the building where I had my studio burned to the ground due to arson.  I lost all of my tools and equipment, all of my finished inventory, 15 years of sketchbooks and four months of finished but unfired work.I am hesitant to ask for help, but have been encouraged to do so by my friends and colleagues.  So, if you would like to help me out, here are a few ways to do so.

1. Please consider contributing to the GoFundMe that my fiancé, Kristin, has helped me set up. We are hoping to raise $20,000. I will use this money to finish the small studio I started building on my land last year and also for living expenses as I begin from scratch to build a new body of work. If you would like to contribute to the GoFundMe Campaign, a link is here. I am grateful for contributions in any amount.

2. My gallery in Asheville, Blue Spiral 1, has generously offered to temporarily alter the terms of our agreement in my favor.  For the next two months Blue Spiral 1 is donating half of their share of the sales of my work back to me.  So if any of the work they have in their inventory appeals to you, purchasing it in the next two months is exceptionally beneficial to me.  You can see the work I have there here.  I am most grateful for all of the support I have received for my work over the years.

3. I could also really use some physical help. If you live in western North Carolina and would like to donate a day or half day of your time I would really appreciate it. Here is a list of things I need help with: Hanging drywall, eaves, painting and trim for the little studio I have been working on on my land; splitting wood for the kiln; other kiln prep; clay making; carpentry (rebuilding some of the tables and racks that were lost.  If you have a little extra time and would like to come help me, please reach out.4. Please consider sharing with anyone you think might be interested.

(You can find some news articles if you google '"french broad school fire."  They do get some details wrong but the overview is correct).I've written a bit about the event on my website.

Thanks so much for your continued support.  I really appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Eric

I NEEDED COLOR ~ Jim Carrey

Thanks to our friend Pat for this one. Cheers!

Thursday, May 14 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM

You are invited to attend a special evening at the historic Cotton Mill Studios in Asheville's fun and funky River Arts District. Enjoy a delicious cocktail reception, meet the artists and shop the galleries of some of Asheville's finest artisans. The artists of Coton Mill Studios are generously donating 40% of the evening's sales to Pisgah Legal Services. Buy Tickets Here.

Cheers!

— Troy and Kelly

Bettis Main

Pen Gallery Comp

I just happened to be vacationing in Rehoboth Beach, DE this week and was aware that three of my favorite Modern Asheville artists were doing a group exhibition nearby. Mark Bettis, Vickey Pinney and Karen Weihs are the Asheville artists that make up the "Bending Form and Color" exhibition at the Peninsula Gallery in Lewes, DE. I stopped by for a look. Here are a couple images from there.If you are in the area you should stop by. Despite the Asheville-like rain today, it is absolutely the perfect time of year for a visit to this area. To view or purchase art from this exhibition click here.

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Tonight At The Cotton Mill Studios I'm looking forward to this opening with a couple of my favorite Asheville artists. Be sure to stop by this Friday, March 15th from 5:30 to 8:30 at the Cotton Mill Studios.

Gallery 17

I had to take a moment to applaud some of my artist friends who were part of a new gallery opening just across the border in Greenville, SC last night. Where have I been? Cheers to Alicia Chatham, Barbara Fisher and Stephen Lange! Sorry I missed your opening, but all my best in spreading your wings. I'll visit soon.For more on the new Gallery 17 click here.

Mitchell Portracit

Gallery Wide

Lonas comp

Artist Mitchell Lonas has been creating his artwork here in Asheville for four years now and is currently featured in this months show at the Blue Spiral Gallery.  Also, he has a show in Seattle and recently opened a show in New Orleans at Gallery Bienvenu (photo below) where he sold 11 of 18 pieces on opening night.  The director of the Gallery Bienvenu painted such a clear picture of Mitchell's work I reusing his words below.Several years ago in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, artist Mitchell Lonas laid eyes on something of such uncanny beauty, he has never forgotten it: a trio of swallows' nests, which the birds had fashioned solely from horse-tail hairs. The nests, each a different color, were so improbable in their architectural intricacy and gossamer sheen, they filled Lonas with the inspiration to transmute common natural phenomena such as nests, feathers, and trees into items of aesthetic rapture. These motifs are central to The Wrench Series, the artist's debut exhibition at Gallery Bienvenu. To create the works, he employs a unique process to apply paint to steel and aluminum panels. Then, working from sketches, he uses customized cutting tools to incise the picture planes with iconic imagery, the beveled lines glinting as viewers behold the pieces from different vantages. "You walk in front of them," he explains, "and the light travels with you. There's a sparkle, a feeling of movement. It's almost a fiber-optic effect."Lonas, who studied art history at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, was a respected portrait painter before transitioning to his current style. A portraitist's sense of focus, line, and beauty continues to inform his new work, which is included in notable private, public, and corporate collections, among them a series of large-scale commissions for Nordstrom department stores. An avid hiker and birdwatcher, he is compelled to portray nature in ways that are both poetic and inventive. "The challenge," he reflects, "is to create something original using unconventional materials and methods." The artworks' gestural drama is tempered by a hushed, Zen-like serenity, heightened by an intuitive use of negative space that recalls Asian sumi-e brush painting. Immaculately presented with hidden cleats that make the works appear to float in front of the wall, the incised paintings have a weightless, ethereal quality and a sculptural presence that is contemporary but not cold. In these semi-abstracted celebrations of the natural world, viewers will find a treasure trove of symbolisms and personal narratives, which lend themselves to extended contemplation and interpretations as varied as nature itself.For more information on Mitchell Lonas visit his website at MitchellLonas.com .Text courtesy of Gallery Bienvenu.  Photos courtesy of Mitchell Lonas and Troy Winterrowd.