Double Rainbow Over Lake James, North Carolina. Kathy Kmonicek, artist
Woolworth Walk will highlight the photography of Kathy Kmonicek in the FW Gallery for the month of January. Kmonicek relocated to Morganton after living and working in New York as a photojournalist for more than 30 years. She grew up in Long Island. “Though it has many beautiful seashores, Long Island is essentially flat,” she says. “Here, in Western North Carolina, we are surrounded by so many amazing mountains, waterfalls, lakes and undeveloped, protected areas. So this new area of the country inspired me to create images so that I can share these amazing areas with my viewers, take them to the places I have been or remind them of the places they know of.”
Great Blue Heron in Flight. Kathy Kmonicek, artist
Kmonicek has a Bachelor of Arts in studio art and a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography. She started her photojournalism career at Gannett Newspapers, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, the Associated Press, and the New York Daily News. She has been a finalist twice for the Pulitzer Prize. She is a member of the National Press Photographers Association and Morganton’s Burke Arts Council.
Kmonicek says that with all of her images, she strives to create “the decisive moment—when light, composition and timing come together to make the perfect image.” She says this is what makes the difference between an ordinary image and a special one that will create a lasting impression. “Like the rainbow creating a perfect arc across the lake with the peak autumn colors in the background or an osprey landing on a nest with its wings spread,” she says. “Any second later or before, the image can change and the moment is gone, the light has changed, the rainbow fades or the bird closes its wings.”
Woolworth Walk is located at 25 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 828.254.9234 or visit WoolworthWalk.com.
