Appalachian Fall
Splendor Collection.
Photo by Matt Rose
Through Sunday, September 30, Woolworth Walk will highlight the work of photographer David Koll and lampmaker Leah Baker in its F.W. Gallery. “Leah and I both use elements of nature and light as a means of creative expression,” says Koll, who was one of the fi rst photographers to show at Woolworth Walk when it opened in 2002. Koll’s primary subject is the natural world, with which he has had a fascination since his childhood. “Each photograph in this exhibit is selected based on its ability to express not only the external beauty of the Southern Appalachians but also the inner light that sparks a passion for life itself,” he says.
Baker, owner of Luminosa Lighting, has been with Woolworth Walk since 2014. She first discovered lampmaking as an art form in California 25 years ago. “A friend introduced me to an artist and designer who was just about to launch his beautiful lamp collection using handmade papers, twigs and stone,” Baker says. The artist says she took to the process like “a fish to water,” and spent the next two years as a master lamp shade maker. “Each lamp was a little masterpiece,” she says.
After a hiatus, Baker reconnected with lampmaking fi ve years ago on a gloomy winter night. “Each Luminosa lamp has a presence and illuminates a room with the spirit of nature,” she says. Both of the nature-inspired artists will be present at the opening reception on Friday, September 7, from 5–7 p.m. F.W.
Gallery at Woolworth Walk is located at 25 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 828.254.9234 or visit woolworthwalk.com.
