Dance of the Hours by Ruth Ilg
Asheville Gallery of Art Features Meditative Abstracts
Asheville Gallery of Art will exhibit a collection of new abstract expressionist works titled “Meditazioni” by Ruth Ilg at an opening reception on Friday, October 7 from 5–8 p.m. Ilg’s work, along with that of 30 other gallery members, will be on display and for sale throughout the month.
Ilg’s award-winning paintings include abstracts, botanicals, miniature landscapes and encaustic works. She uses photography and poetry to explore her external and internal worlds. “Painting for me,” she says, “is the bridge between the two—often inspired by a dream, a vision, an emotion, a piece of music, an unforgettable place or a beloved person.”
She divides her time between her native Germany and Asheville, where she and her husband have lived since 1990. “Our homes here and in Germany,” she says, “are both in such naturally beautiful locations. Both are an ongoing inspiration for my creative explorations.”
Ilg studied with renowned artists in Europe and the US. She began her art career with watercolors, but now uses a variety of media depending on what she seeks to create—acrylics for abstracts, oils for landscapes and seascapes, and watercolors for botanicals.
“Working with different media has always had a strong appeal for me,” she says. “Each medium brings its own myriad of challenges, but also a deep satisfaction.” Before encaustic painting became popular in the last few years in the US, she had to bring materials and pigmented beeswax from Europe, she says, “where encaustic work has been a favorite art form for centuries. There is nothing quite like the exquisite textures and fused layers of rich color one can achieve with hot pigmented beeswax,” she adds.
“‘Meditazioni,’” she says, “will share with the viewer my personal meditations on luminous moments of special meaning and delight. When words cannot adequately express such moments, painting becomes the external voice of my internal journey.”
Asheville Gallery of Art is located at 82 Patton Avenue across from Pritchard Park in downtown Asheville. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday from 1–4 p.m. Learn more at ashevillegallery-of-art.com.
