Line Dance. Doug Frati, artist
American Folk Art & Framing’s (AFA’s) artists celebrate the animal kingdom in June with The Call of the Wild, a curated collection of paintings, pottery, woodcarvings and woodblock prints, opening in the gallery on Friday, June 2, at 11 a.m. after having gone live on the website on May 31. A reception will be held Friday from 5–8 p.m. The show runs through Wednesday, June 21.
“The natural world provides a wealth of inspiration to AFA artists,” says gallery owner Julia L. Mills. “So many of them live on really beautiful pieces of land and often explore their natural habitats in the art they create.”
Tiger in the Sky. Kent Amber, artist
Woodblock printer Kent Ambler’s 12 acres of woodland, for instance, offer a rich environment and interaction with coyotes, foxes, turkeys and deer. “The woods have a strong allure for me,” he says. “I find myself regularly outside—day and night—just listening and exploring.”
One of his pieces for this show, Tiger in the Sky, depicts a tiger moth over the city of Savannah—a blending of natural and man-made worlds. “It hints at how humans also ‘call the wild’ through things as ordinary as lighting which attracts animals,” he says. “I haven’t made a piece quite like this before so it has me thinking about a whole new series of imagery.”
Nighttime Vigil. Liz Sullivan, artist
For potter Shawn Ireland, who has been with the gallery for more than 20 years, the show’s theme opens the door to showing his Animalware, sculptural animal pots which have been inspired by antiquity and his own travels. Two of the pieces he created are the deer bowl with a rough glaze made from kaolin dug near Penland and the bull flower basket, which, he says, “looks kind of odd on its own but comes to life with flowers in it.” Ireland’s rustic yet refined functional wares use a variety of natural materials, including wild clay and mineral additions, and are wood-fired for an aged look. “American Folk Art is a ‘uniquely Asheville’ gallery which has remained committed to its mission, customers and artists for over 20 years,” says Ireland.
Other AFA artists whose work in a variety of mediums and styles will be displayed in the show include Cornbread, Doug Frati, Jack Klippel, Liz Sullivan and Trés Taylor.
American Folk Art & Framing is located at 64 Biltmore Avenue in Asheville. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit AmeriFolk.com or call 828.281.2134.
