Bocce set in Sun. Catherine Cervas Heaton, artist
For a perfectly timed holiday shopping experience, don’t forget about the River Arts District’s Second Saturday celebration on December 12. Many of the more than 240 artists in the district will be open with demonstrations, workshops, live music and refreshments, with studios following state and county guidelines for safety. There will also be virtual events available online. New wayfinding signs were recently installed throughout the district that, in coordination with the Studio Guides, will help visitors locate specific art, artists and buildings.
“I enjoy talking to visitors about my art,” says NorthLight Studios’ Nadine Charlsen, our cover artist this month, who will be painting live most of the day on Saturday and on Sunday. “I find that those interested in buying fine art really enjoy meeting the ‘creator,’” she says. She is working on several watercolor paintings from a September trip to Santa Fe, NM. “I may also be working on a new train painting of an excursion ride in October 2019 on the Smoky Mountain Railroad,” Charlsen says.
Begonia. Annie Kyla Bennett, artist
Riverview Station events include a Gallery Bazaar at Art Garden AVL from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a portion of proceeds going to MANNA FoodBank, and demos in painting and drawing winter trees by Peter Roux from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and in oil and cold wax by Deanna Chilian from 2–4 p.m. at Sky + Ground Contemporary Art. Roux’s demonstration will also be livestreamed on Instagram.
CURVE Studios & Garden will host a holiday market with ten artists working in their studios from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
The 30 artists of Trackside Studios will hold demonstrations and offer refreshments from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for those looking for art for the home or to give as gifts. Media represented include painting, sculpture, photography, glass, wood and jewelry.
Odyssey Co-op Gallery and Odyssey Members’ Gallery will be open to the public Friday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the month of December.
For those not able to attend events or visit studios and galleries, members of the River Arts District Artists encourage a virtual visit to the website where contact information can be found for many of its member artists open to commissioned work for the holidays and beyond.
For a complete schedule of events and times, a map and a studio guide to the district’s artists, visit RiverArtsDistrict.com. Studios have varying hours. Information may also be found at websites for studios and individual artists.
