Embracing the Voice of the Land at AGA

Asheville Gallery of Art will celebrate the new year with a group exhibition, The Land Speaks, on display through the month of January. Featuring the works of Pam Kirby, John Davis Held and Bronwen McCormick, the show will have an opening reception on Friday, January 3, from
5–7:30 p.m.

Each of the three artists uses their medium to explore the way nature creates transformative, transcendent moments for humans. “We believe that the land speaks to all of us deep within our souls if we only take the time to listen,” says Kirby, who works in oil and cold wax to create her abstract landscapes. “This is a particularly meaningful time for our exhibit as we have seen the power of how our land is impacted by current events. Our land speaks to us and tells us the story of the times.”

McCormick’s watercolors celebrate the beauty of Western North Carolina’s mountains, from sweeping vistas to the intricate textures of forest undergrowth. “I feel like I will spend my lifetime trying to capture the feeling I have when I look out on the waves of hills and breathe it in,” she says. “It is a sense of being a part of something larger but at the same time very aware of my own presence in a place. The goal is to capture it in a painting.”

Held brings his classical oil works, influenced by the Renaissance masters and the Hudson River School, and his bright pastels to the exhibition. “My art isn’t just beautiful,” he says, “but rather probes an extraordinary and sacred mystery from different vantage points. All three of us feel the same sense of transcendence when we paint as when we look at the land around us. There is a lot of beauty and peace in our artwork. Now, more than ever, we need to surround ourselves with beautiful and serene art.”

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 AshevilleGallery-of-Art.com or follow the gallery’s Facebook page.