In September and October, three exhibitions at Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville will feature two of the finest ceramic artists in Western North Carolina as well as one of the most unique painters in our region, plus an exceptional ceramic artist from Connecticut.

The gallery’s featured exhibition is “Collecting, Creating, Connecting” featuring ceramics by Liz Zlot Summerfield and paintings by Sarah Faulkner. Liz is this month’s “Feature Artist” (see page 72) and Sarah was The Laurel’s cover artist this past April.

For Liz, utilitarian objects form a common thread woven throughout her work. Her interest lies in what an object once was and what it can become, and this curiosity fuels her to create her work. Her daughter Roby plays alongside her in her studio. Liz says her daughter’s playthings have influenced her new body of work: toys, games, and balls.

In her work, Sarah seeks to capture the important relationships humans have with trees, flowers, animals, and all things in the natural world. Her works depict how these relationships offer a sense of peace, grounding and calm which is so essential to the quality of one’s life. She experiments with different materials in order to capture the mysterious and atmospheric qualities found in nature.

The showcase exhibition is titled “Leaning into the Light” and features new ceramic sculptures by Melisa Cadell. Melisa is interested in the figure and the spiritual being that is represented by it. She strives to record the triumph of the human existence as she has observed it in the strong people who have entered her life.

The gallery is also hosting an online exhibition titled “New Work by Hayne Bayless.” For Hayne, the unintended result, often misread as a mistake and so thus dismissed, is one of the most fertile sources of new ideas. His pots are not so much about harmony (although that does happen), but more about tension.

These exhibitions will open on September 4 and remain through October 31. Crimson Laurel Gallery is located at 23 Crimson Laurel Way in Bakersville. For more information, call 828.688.3599 or visit crimsonlaurelgallery.com.