The Promontory. John Davis Held, artist
The Asheville Gallery of Art will feature The High Country, a new exhibition of oil paintings by John Davis Held, on view through Sunday, November 30. An opening reception will take place on Friday, November 7, from 5–7:30 p.m.
Held’s paintings are known for their luminous depth, created through the use of layered glazes, a Renaissance technique that brings light and atmosphere into each composition. The artist draws from both distant travels and his everyday surroundings in Asheville. “Well, to a certain extent, they choose me,” Held says when asked how he selects places or memories to transform into paintings. “For the centerpiece of The High Country, I saw vivid images in my mind of the Dolomite Mountains my wife and I had visited in Italy. Other paintings in the show are inspired by the sights of the gorgeous skies and mountains that we now live in.”
Young Hare. John Davis Held, artist
Held’s admiration for classical art runs deep and informs his process. “I have always loved the works of the Delft School such as Vermeer’s paintings,” he says. “Photographs don’t do them justice. There is a depth to them when you see them in life that I see very rarely in paintings that are done today.”
That commitment to timeless methods also ties his practice to American traditions. “The artists of the Hudson River School of Art used these same techniques to create the beautiful light and atmospheric effects of the mountains that I grew up with in New York state,” Held says. “It took me many years to find the artist pigments that they used, and to be able to incorporate those into my work.”
For Held, the exhibition reaches beyond aesthetics into spiritual reflection. “The High Country is a metaphor for where we are all heading when we transition out of this world,” he says. “As an artist, I am fortunate to provide a glimpse or two of just that.”
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.
