Mad for RAD. Suzanne Armstrong, artist
Enjoy autumn with the artists of the River Arts District as the lively Second Saturday celebration continues on October 13. Studio and gallery hours vary, but the optimal time to find most doors open is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free trolley rides are available from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Stephen St. Claire of St. Claire Art at Pink Dog Creative is among the artists who appreciate the monthly exposure Second Saturdays provide. “They’re like a more sedate version of our annual Studio Stroll,” he says. “During Second Saturdays, I demonstrate various steps all day long in my technique I call “dialuminism” (light passing through) with the result being the creation of what is essentially a backlit painting, using reflected light.” Hours for the studio, located at 344 Depot Street, are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Close by, artist Cheryl Keefer will also be working in her NorthLight Studios space (357 Depot Street) during the day, using a palette of reds and orange to create a seasonal landscape: Blue Ridge, Fall. “I look forward to Second Saturdays,” she says, “as they bring opportunities to show new works and demonstrate painting new themes.” Fellow artists Bill George and Angela Alexander will demonstrate as well and Pamela Wright of WeatherVain Jewelry will be guest artist for the day.
Artists at Wedge Studios (123 Roberts Street) will celebrate the season by hosting “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” a curated show spanning the building’s three floors of art studios. New works premiered include Frances Domingues’ large-scale masquerade mask in oxidized metal.
Across the tracks at Riverview Station (191 Lyman Street) Suzanne Armstrong’s heART Space Studio (#225) will feature her handprinted and block printed artwear in natural fi bers. “My fall collection, FALL-LA-LA, is inspired by my love for my favorite season,” she says, “and my just-launched MAD for RAD collection of totes and pillows is inspired by my love for Asheville and the River Arts District.”
Other events include evening music at Asheville Guitar Bar, a surprise art reception at Trackside Studios, pysanky egg demos at Studio A at Pink Dog Creative, a fiber art demonstration at Eco-Depot Marketplace and live music and artists at work at Odyssey Co-op Gallery and Studio.
For a complete schedule of the day’s events, a map and a studio guide to the district’s artists, visit RiverArtsDistrict.com.
