Asheville Gallery of Art presents Awakenings, a three-artist show running through the end of March. Awakenings will feature oil paintings on canvas by Jon Sebastian, watercolors by Sara Bell and pastel works by Andrea Stutesman. While the three artists use different media, their subject matter will interpret the theme of awakening widely, with imagery of flowers, exotic and endangered animals, and vibrant landscapes. “I’m concentrating on the spring ephemerals and how spring is a time of awakening in the forest,” says Bell, who developed her current artistic process while seeking solace in the forest during the pandemic. “The gestures and structures of trees are fascinating,” she says. “I tend to focus on smaller scenes rather than grand landscapes. What I enjoy most about the combination of drawing and watercolor is how I can keep the details of drawing and create fields of color to support them.”
The Forest. Jon Sebastian, artist
From the Forest, one of Sebastian’s paintings in the exhibition, was created as an homage to North Carolina’s forests, “especially the early growth forest that nests beautiful spring wildflowers: the pure whites to dramatic reds of trilliums, the soft first breath of lavender colors covering the spring grasses,” he says.
Stutesman’s approach to the show’s theme is a little different. “I interpreted Awakenings as becoming aware or mindful of an issue,” she says. “My artwork subjects for this show are vulnerable and endangered animals. Animals around the world are endangered primarily due to habitat loss. Other causes include climate changes, pollution, over-exploitation of wildlife for commercial purposes, the introduction of harmful nonnative species, loss of genetic variation and the spread of diseases. It is important to protect the species that we have jeopardized through our actions.”
There will be a reception for Awakenings at the gallery on Friday, March 3, from 5–8 p.m.
Asheville Gallery of Art is located at 82 Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville. For more information, call 828.251.5796, visit AshevilleGallery-of-Art.com or go to the gallery’s Facebook page.
