Asheville's own Stuart Roper is featured in an exhibit at the Grand Bohemian Gallery located in the Grand Bohemian Hotel at 11 Boston Way in Asheville. An artist reception was held on December 3 and the exhibition runs through January 30.

After attending the artist reception, we decided to ask Stuart a few questions so you can get to know more about him and his work. To get a close-up view of his work, visit the "Musings on Land and Object by Stuart Roper" exhibit at the Grand Bohemian Gallery.

Tell us about your exhibition currently at the Grand Bohemian Gallery in Biltmore Village and why it's running through January.

I've been showing my work in the Asheville area for many years, and last June I was accepted to be represented by The Grand Bohemian Gallery. I was excited for a number of reasons, mainly because of it being such a great location and excellent venue, but also because of the extraordinary and unique perspective that gallery director Constance Richards-Bora brings, truly bridging artist and gallery. This current exhibition is a combination of still life paintings, "on location" landscapes, also referred to as Plein-Air (a French term meaning outside), as well as landscapes that were executed in the studio, primarily using the plein air studies as my "jumping off point." The exhibition is running through January, and is serendipitous indeed, as my work will appear as part of a Special Still Life feature in the upcoming January issue of American Art Collector Magazine.

Besides your paintings—which are on display in the exhibition—you do sculpture, too. Tell us about that part of your art.

When I first returned to Western North Carolina and settled in Asheville, after the previous six years living and painting in France, I was at a point where I just wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to say next with my paints and canvas. I have always been interested in working three dimensionally, starting with that blue ribbon I was awarded in first grade for a sculpted clay brontosaurus. Picking up my sculpting tools again felt like I had come full circle.

Being an avid gardener, I started sculpting and building garden vessels. At that time, my work was available through Biltmore Cast Stone, no longer in business, but at the time, they had a section called "The Stuart Roper Collection." It was great fun for me to see that, and the work truly ignited a fun and creative period, working again in 3D. During that time, I also worked with my friend Jesse Fahrer on aspects of the renovation of Asheville's jewel, The Grove Arcade. I worked closely with Bill Wesscott, who was the head of the Preservation Society and developed a high tech formulation for concrete that we used to re-create some of the architectural elements. If you look at the Grove's center tower, some 17 of those wonderful finials came from my studio and now adorn the tower's top. I then worked along with the Asheville Parks and Recreation Department on the development of the Asheville Urban Trail's station 10—Grove's Vision, a glass and concrete structure located at the corner of Page Avenue and Battery Park Avenue.

You belong to lots of professional organizations, too. What are some of the organizations of which you belong?

Being an artist means that you really have to get yourself out there! It takes a lot of work, time, and sometimes a few rejection notices, but you just press on and keep your focus on what you have set out for yourself as your personal desire and goal. I'm a member of a number of organizations, locally as well as nationally and internationally. It is truly an honor for me to have gained membership in such organizations as; Oil Painters of America (OPA), Plein Air Painters Of The Southeast (PAP-SE), The American Impressionist Society, The Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, The International Plein Air Painters, as well as our local plein air group, The Western North Carolina Plein Air Painters, of which I am a signature member.

And finally, you are a North Carolina native. What are your thoughts on being able to live your dream of being an artist in your home state?

You know, I grew up in Western North Carolina, then moved away and traveled for some 25 years. When I returned from Europe in 1998, I was amazed at how dynamic and exciting Asheville had become. Everywhere I looked, there was an article about Asheville and the arts, how it ranked so highly among other American cities, and I was also amazed to see what a diverse and rich tapestry was being created socially, right here in this area. It was a no-brainer to make Asheville my home and base, and to be living my dream of being an artist here is truly the icing on the cake!

For more information on Stuart Roper visit stuartroper.com. For more on the Grand Bohemian Gallery visit bohemianhotelasheville.com/art_gallery/art_gallery.asp.