Arts Visual Arts

November Exhibits at Blue Spiral 1

BS1 November Shows

Stream. Rob Pulleyn, artist

Blue Spiral 1 has five new shows opening Friday, November 6, and running through January 8.

In the Main Gallery, Mark Making explores the many nuances of gestural language as an artistic practice. The show includes painting, sculpture and ceramics by artists Tom Jaszczak, George Peterson, Michael Poness, Rob Pulleyn, Jeremy Russell, Jon Sours and Katie Walker. Whether incorporating lines through incised patterns on clay, charcoal sketching on canvas or carving in wood, the artists featured rely on these highly gestural qualities to make their work more textural and complex.

BS1 November Shows

Home Before It Got Too Gloomy. Bill Killebrew, artist

“I incorporate mark making into my work in many ways, from stencils to slip trailing, tape and wax resist, to oxide decals,” says ceramicist Poness. “The oxide decals give me the opportunity to compose graphic designs to add interest and detail to the finished work.”

In the Small Format Gallery, Kreh Mellick’s handcut and collaged prints combine childhood stories, folklore, nostalgia and history. Her work explores weather vanes and imagery that is repeated in weather vanes.

“I am interested in the idea of wind, air and movement and some of these ideas can be found in the imagery of my newer work,” says Mellick. “I am eager to make weather vanes and metal sculptures inspired by these drawings.”

The Showcase Gallery houses Landscapes and Dreamscapes: New Work by Julyan Davis and Brad Sells. Davis presents landscapes and cityscapes of Asheville and the surrounding mountains as well as narrative paintings completed during the coronavirus lockdown. His Covid Dreams work was inspired by what he describes as the surreal nature of this period, his own strange dreams and having heard that strange dreams were a shared experience during the pandemic.

Sells’ abstract, undulating wood sculptures echo the rise and fall of the hills, valleys and rivers, while referencing the ups and downs of this historic year. His work is made from local and exotic woods that are sustainably harvested. “Most works will be my newer, more angular and faceted style, but I will include a few pieces that are more organic and fluid,” he says.

In the Lower Level Gallery is Bill Killebrew — Bear Hollow with Sculptures by Victor Chiarizia and Ted Lott. Killebrew’s paintings, inspired by the mountainous forests of Bear Hollow, are accentuated by Chiarizia’s brightly hued blown glass vessels and Lott’s architectural sculptures.

“I usually avoid the scenic in favor of the mundane,” says Killebrew. “I am often taken by a certain arrangement, color or light quality and I start from there.”

The Conference Gallery houses Form to Table — Ceramics Invitational, a show that pays homage to a movement focused on the handmade and its makers. The exhibit merges beauty with utility and includes contemporary functional and sculptural pieces from local and nationally recognized ceramicists.

Blue Spiral 1 Gallery is located at 38 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit BlueSpiral1.com or call 828.251.0202.

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