Artist, Celia Barbieri
F.W. Front Gallery: Celia Barbieri and Deona Fish
At F.W. Front Gallery at Woolworth Walk, the featured artists for August are ceramicist Celia Barbieri and painter Deona Fish. There will be an opening reception with these Asheville-based artists from 5–7 p.m. on Friday, August 5.
Celia refers to herself as “The Button Florist,” and says that she is “one part hippie, one part mad scientist, and one part world traveler. Shake together vigorously and serve!”
Celia is known for her imaginative button “floral” arrangements that are created using handmade ceramic buttons that she combines with vintage buttons, recycled sweater felt, and a large variety of found objects. She presses these components into clay to form groupings of flowers and leaves.
She says she finds beauty in small—and thus frequently overlooked—objects. She uses everything from old belt buckles to seedpods. “Anything with a circular pattern, I envision as a button,” says Celia. While flowers are often used to commemorate special occasions, her bouquets never die, and therefore can offer lasting reminders.
Artist, Deona Fish
If you find something delightfully childlike in Deona’s paintings of colorful creatures celebrating the wonders of nature in a land of love and light, you are right on target. After moving to the Asheville area 15 years ago, she was given the opportunity to work with children in preschool and elementary school. She says the sweet simplicity of the art these kids created has hugely influenced her work.
When she became a mother in 2008, Deona says she transitioned into being a full-time stay-at-home mom and artist. During these past eight years, her art has flourished and grown, as she continues to create “Sleepy Little Dreams,” paintings that are a gateway to a simpler, kinder world where whim and simplicity still guide you into feelings that linger from your childhood.
F.W. Front Gallery at Woolworth Walk, located at 25 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville, is open seven days a week (11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday). For more information, call 828.254.9234 or visit woolworthwalk.com.
