Tulip Poplar and Bluebirds. Cornbread, artist
Summer flowers are in full bloom in August, their last hurrah before the onset of autumn, and at American Folk Art & Framing (AFA) the work of eight artists celebrates this rich time. “Being among the fragrant blossoms and glossy foliage can be a respite from the stress of the outside world in places where the greenness can reinvigorate one’s soul,” says gallery owner Betsey-Rose Weiss.
In Full Bloom: Botanical Visions opens online on Tuesday, August 2, and in the gallery on Thursday, August 4, both at 11 a.m. An opening reception at the gallery will be held Friday, August 5, from 5–7 p.m. In addition, on Saturday, August 13, from 12–3 p.m., the gallery will host a Pop-up Flower Shop, with seasonal bouquets offered for sale by Walker Town Farm, a family-owned cut flower farm in Black Mountain. In Full Bloom runs through Friday, August 19.
Garden Hopper. Doug Frati, artist
For more than 20 years, John “Cornbread” Anderson has painted, in brightly colored acrylics on wood, the flora and fauna of his native Georgia. “Cornbread has a real tie to the land around him,” says Julia L. Mills, AFA’s gallery director. “It’s no wonder his art has always been focused on songbirds in a flowering tree or the wildflowers of the woods. That’s his world.”
Woodcarver Doug Frati’s world is Maine, where he lives and creates. “I’ve been at this a while and in that time have developed a style of carving that is unique to my own work,” he says. “The roots of the work come from a folk-art, chip-carving style, but developed into its own arena where the imagery is its own language.” He uses primarily white pine and southern tulip woods and often salvages wood from 19th-century furniture.
Other artists whose botanical-themed new work will be on display are Kent Ambler, Lonnie and Twyla Money, Jim Gary Phillips, Danette Sperry and Liz Sullivan.
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.
