Catawba Falls. Victoria Pinney, artist
By Gina Malone
The Lucy Clark Gallery & Studio puts the focus this month on two artists: returning abstract painter Victoria Pinney, and glass and mixed media artist Deb Williams, who is brand-new to the gallery.
Williams plans to showcase a range of works, including her cast glass leaves created from real leaves, as well as something a little different. “Vegan Taxidermy or Cryptids is how I classify my mixed media work,” she says. Cryptids are animals like Bigfoot—or, in Williams’ native Wyoming, jackalopes—that exist in the lore of a particular region, but have never been proven to exist. “My animals often have a humorous side to them,” Williams says, “making them lighthearted rather than stark like traditional taxidermy.”
Frank. Deb Williams, artist
Glass is her first love, Williams says, and new ideas have her eager to get back to the kilns again, but she enjoys the creative freedom she finds with her cryptids. “I’m working with rusty, found objects and creating ‘characters,’” she says. For Halloween, she will have some of her characters in the gallery so that visitors can watch as she brings them into being. Part of the gallery’s Encounters with Creative series, the free event will be held Saturday, October 31, from 12–4 p.m.
“Whimsy and wonder” are the words gallery owner Lucy Clark uses to describe Williams’ Vegan Taxidermy series, adding that her glass leaves are imbued with “the texture and color of the mountains.”
Pinney says that texture and color, along with a sense of the organic, also inspire her oil and mixed media paintings. “My work is generally deceivingly simple and appears calm and meditative,” she says, “but as you look closer you will see that it’s actually quite complex. I like that abstract art speaks to everyone differently and that each time you look at it you can discover something new.” Clark expresses joy at having Pinney in the gallery again. “The texture and depth that each of her pieces bring underlie the soulfulness of the spirit in which she creates,” Clark says.
For the last 17 years, Pinney has worked in the River Arts District, but looks forward to being in the Lucy Clark Gallery again. “I love working with Lucy,” she says. “She has a wonderful eye and a warm and generous heart that is reflected in her curation.”
The Lucy Clark Gallery & Studio is located at 51 West Main Street, Brevard. Hours are Monday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12–4 p.m. To learn more, visit LucyClarkGallery.com.
