Jacqueline Garness has lived in Louisiana nearly all of her 86 years and says she's been making art "since I could wield a pencil.” An exhibition of her works will be on display at AnTHM Gallery in Black Mountain beginning May 7. There will be a reception for the artist from 6–8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 19.

Jacqueline went to work in the art depart of the Times Picayune newspaper in New Orleans when she was 16 years old. “I drew everything from garbage cans to shoes,” she says, adding that it was a great education. She later moved to Colorado and got a job in the art department of the Denver Post doing high fashion and children’s clothing.

She pursued an education in fine art at Southeastern University, and it wasn't long before Jacqueline's work was discovered by a gallery owner in New Orleans who signed her to a contract. Her paintings have appeared in numerous galleries in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and South Dakota, and are in many private and public collections throughout the country.

“My work ... is mostly acrylic landscapes in bright arbitrary colors. A critic once asked me where the colors came from. I can’t explain why I choose them. They just come from deep in an inner place.”

AnTHM Gallery is located at 100.5 W. State Street in Black Mountain. For more information, visit anthmgallery.com or call 828.419.0049.