A pair of artists who work in very different mediums have discovered they have similar expressions of their work in content, color, and visual impact. Warren Wilson College art professors Bette Bates and Karen Roberson Powell will bring together these compositions in a show at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts entitled Figurative Works in 2D and 3D.

The exhibit will run June 28–July 29, with an opening reception with the artists from 6–8 p.m. on Friday, July 8, in the Center’s Upper Gallery located at 225 W. State Street in Black Mountain. The exhibit will consist of Bette’s drawings and Karen’s bronze sculptures, showing both the juxtaposition between the two mediums and the compatibility of the subject matter.

Bette, who lives in Black Mountain, teaches drawing and printmaking. A graduate of Stephens College with an MFA from East Carolina University, she has also taught at Vermont College of Fine Arts, UNC-Asheville, and Eastern New Mexico University. Her art is in various collections including the Asheville Art Museum. She expresses her interest artistically in the ways our lives are shaped by images from mythology and religion. “I am especially attracted,” she says, “to the mystery evoked by images of the human face, eyes, and masks. For a number of years, I have explored the archetypal image of Eve.”

Karen, who resides in Madison County, teaches sculpture, figure modeling, bronze casting, and stone carving. She taught as a graduate student assistant while completing her MFA at UNC-Greensboro, and has taught at the University of Texas, Salem College, and High Point College. In addition to her studies in this country, she has studied abroad in Italy, Great Britain, and Wales. She is currently represented at the Lindstrum-Matre Gallery in Atlanta and the Elder Art Gallery in Charlotte. Her works reflect the influences of mythology, including such images as Persephone,” “Personas,” and “Odyssey,” along with universal themes as diverse as ghosts and the circus.

Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 W. State Street in Black Mountain. For more information, visit blackmountainarts.org.