Joy Ride. Pamela Winkler, artist
Through Monday, April 29, Woolworth Walk will host an exhibition of works by artist Pamela Winkler in the F.W. Gallery. After retiring from her career as an architect in 2008, Winkler explored a variety of different media before landing on pastels. “When the economy collapsed in 2008 and jobs for architects were in short supply, I decided to start taking art classes to find a new passion,” she says. “I started with 3-dimensional mediums— ceramics and stone carving—as that was how I thought as an architect. Although I loved stone carving, it seemed impractical as an older woman, so I moved on to 2-dimensional classes. I took a pastel class at A-B Tech and fell in love with the medium and have been continuing to explore and experiment with pastels ever since.”
While Winkler’s choice in medium wasn’t heavily influenced by her career as an architect, the subject matter of her paintings certainly is. “I paint primarily man-made subjects and like to come in close to see how the objects are put together, showing details of bolts, rivets and welds,” she says. “The materials I paint—steel, wood and glass—are also the materials an architect uses in their designs.” For her show at the F.W. Gallery, she chose a broad representation of the subjects in her portfolio, including old trains, track repair equipment and old cars. “I always hope people will leave a show or my studio with new eyes to see the fascination in everyday objects and the exquisite beauty in the textures and colors of aging objects,” she says. The gallery will host a free, public reception on Friday, April 5, from 5–7 p.m.
The 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.
