Morning Rays
Through the month of May, Asheville Gallery of Art (AGA) will host an exhibit featuring the paintings of Joyce Schlapkohl. The painter’s works will fall into the show’s titular theme, Chasing the Light. “I’ve always been drawn to the light and shadow on any subject I paint,” Schlapkohl says. “Recently, I visited a nature preserve that had ponds of water lilies. I was fascinated by the light as it touched the pads, causing reflections in the water and colors that came alive. This exhibit at AGA will have several water lily paintings as well as landscapes, barns, flowers and other subjects defined by strong light.”
Schlapkohl’s journey to a career in the arts was briefly sidetracked by family pressure to pursue a degree in business. “At 28, I had a back injury that sidelined me from that work for a time,” she says. “I went back to my first love and started painting again. I’ve never looked back.” Schlapkohl, who was then living in Florida, studied art at Florida Atlantic University and taught watercolor painting. After her move to North Carolina 19 years ago, she served as president of the Blue Ridge Water Media Society and became a signature member of the Watercolor Society of North Carolina. But the Appalachian Mountains ultimately inspired a change in artistic medium. “After being in North Carolina for two years, I felt an urgency to capture the landscape, animals and a variety of subjects with more texture that I could only get in oils,” she says. “The medium has provided a freedom that is exciting and rewarding. I also feel more connected to many of the French and Russian Impressionist artists that I’ve studied for years.”
Schlapkohl has been a member of AGA for eight years. “It has been so rewarding to create friendships that are like family and to meet and talk with interested people who come into the gallery,” she says. “It’s a wonderful outlet for my paintings.” The gallery will host a public reception for the artist on Friday, May 4, from 5–8 p.m. “I hope my paintings evoke a good memory or a happy response to the color and light on each subject,” says Schlapkohl. “They are meant to be ‘feel good’ paintings.”
Asheville Gallery of Art is located at 82 Patton Avenue in Asheville, across from Pritchard Park. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 1–4 p.m. on Sunday. To learn more, call 828.251.5796, visit ashevillegallery-of-art.com or follow the gallery’s Facebook page.
