Arts Galleries

Paintings as Pathways: Enjoying Nature Through Art

AGA: Joyce Schlapkohl

Boating Party. Joyce Schlapkohl, artist

Through Saturday, July 31, Asheville Gallery of Art will highlight the work of Joyce Schlapkohl in Paintings as Pathways: Enjoying Nature Through Art. The gallery will host a Meet the Artist reception on First Friday, July 2, from 5-8 p.m.

Schlapkohl’s landscape and floral paintings are done in a style the artist calls painterly realism. “When my painting is viewed from a distance, it appears to be realistic,” she says. “Up close, one can see a looser and more textured approach.” Schlapkohl says she switched to oil paints as her primary medium after many years of taking a careful approach to watercolor paintings. “I switched to oils and loved the freedom for a more emotional and spontaneous response to the image,” she says. “I liked the texture and brushstrokes I could get to enhance my color and create the depth that was needed. Oils are more forgiving and less discipline is required.”

The title of this show was easy to come by because her work is always inspired by her natural surroundings. Much of her subject matter has come from her husband’s flower garden, including paintings of roses, hollyhocks, hydrangeas and sunflowers that will be featured in the show. “During this past year’s pandemic, I had time to appreciate and focus on the things I love outdoors,” she says. “Western North Carolina has endless changing landscapes. Whether it’s rural trees, waterfalls, pathways or mountains, if painted well, even the ordinary is beautiful. It’s a moment of time that is striking and can produce a very meaningful experience.”

Asheville Gallery of Art is located at 82 Patton Avenue. The gallery is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit AshevilleGallery-of-Art.com or call 828.251.5796.

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