Shadows Over Time. Matt Levin, artist
Asheville Gallery of Art presents Ordinary Beauty, a group exhibition featuring Beth Ammons, Laura Frisbie and Matt Levin, opening with a reception on Friday, November 6, from 5–8 p.m.
Ammons is an acrylic painter whose work is rooted in the forests and mountains of Western North Carolina.
Beneath the Poplars, Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. Beth Ammons, artist
“Nature encourages me to slow down and notice the small moments of beauty that can easily be overlooked,” she says. “Western North Carolina holds a strong connection to my family, memories and sense of home. Growing up in the mountains shaped the way I see and experience the natural world.”
Ammons often photographs details while hiking, including plants, animals, textures, colors and patterns of light, then uses those images as references in the studio.
“Beauty can be found hidden in plain sight when we take the time to see it,” Ammons says. “A leaf, an acorn, a pattern of light or the texture of the forest floor are simple moments that can become meaningful when we pause long enough to notice them.”
Frisbie approaches ordinary beauty through watercolor, a medium she discovered in 2020 after buying art supplies for her homebound grandchildren and choosing a watercolor kit for herself. Since then, her practice has moved from following tutorials toward independently composing paintings that emphasize feeling over literal representation.
“I continue to shift away from literalism and what I call ‘perfect petals,’ aiming instead for the essence or feeling of a painting,” she says. “The ordinary subjects that capture my interest tend to communicate a life. I look for subjects that have both simplicity and vitality.”
Bluebird of Gardening. Laura Frisbie, artist
Levin rounds out the exhibition with his current work exploring urban decay through natural oxidation.
“I have always been drawn to the colors and textures created by natural oxidation on man-made surfaces,” he says. “Rust, weathering and decay can transform ordinary and overlooked places into something unexpectedly beautiful. In this series, I pair those surfaces with the shadows of nature, creating a dialogue between the organic and the man-made.”
Ordinary Beauty explores the idea that looking closely can transform the familiar.
“There is beauty all around us,” says Levin. “Sometimes, all it takes is a shift in perspective to see it.”
The Asheville Gallery of Art is located at 82 Patton Avenue in Asheville, across from Pritchard Park. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. To learn more, call 828.251.5796, visit AshevilleGalleryofArt.com or follow the gallery’s Facebook page.
