The Ring-Master. Alec Hall, artist
The Gallery at Flat Rock will promote the mission of nonprofit Conserving Carolina with The Natural World, an exhibition on display from Saturday, September 21, through October 5. The gallery will accept cash and check donations for Conserving Carolina throughout the duration of the exhibition.
Participating artists include Dale McEntire, Alec Hall, Marsha Hammel, Kyle Lusk, Ayako Abe-Miller, Kate Thayer and others. “Through the years, my work has been inspired and informed by nature,” says McEntire. “I have slowly developed a style that allows my interpretation of the landscape to be expressed in a symbolic way. The painting I made for this show, Appalachian Grove, is an expression of form, color and sound that reflects the natural world I am surrounded by in Western North Carolina.”
Appalachian Grove. Dale McEntire, artist
A retired veterinarian, Hall primarily works in pastels. He chose pieces for The Natural World that he hopes embody the beauty and diversity of the animal kingdom. “I also wanted to portray animals that are or will be at risk because of our control over and reckless destruction of the natural world,” he says. “As the human population multiplies and advances, the natural world is continually under attack and diminished. Future generations will forget what the world was like in its natural form and how precious and fragile Nature is. To me, the natural world is the essential counterbalance to modern technology and is the living antithesis to the sterility of concrete, asphalt, glass and steel.”
Conserving Carolina is a land trust serving Western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina that has helped protect nearly 49,000 acres of natural land. The Natural World exhibition kicks off in conjunction with the nonprofit’s largest fundraising event of the year, Conservation Celebration, held from 4–8 p.m. on September 21 at Blue Ridge Community College.
The Gallery at Flat Rock is located at 2702-A Greenville Highway, Flat Rock. Learn more at GalleryFlatRock.com and get tickets to the fundraiser at ConservationCelebration.org.
