Skunk After Dark. Cornbread, artist
Art that is both great and small abounds at American Folk Art & Framing’s (AFA’s) 21st Annual Miniatures Show, opening on the website Wednesday, February 5, and in the gallery on Friday, February 7, at 11 a.m. both days. Wednesday’s online opening allows an hour to preview works before phone sales begin promptly at 12 p.m. An evening reception will also be held on February 7 from 5–8 p.m., complete with live music, locally created flower bouquets for purchase and the chance to commission an on-demand typewriter poem from Eddie Cabbage. The show runs through February 26.
“Small works with big stories to tell are the perfect addition to an established collection of art as well as the ideal beginning to a new collection,” says AFA owner Julia Mills. “Anyone can find just the right spot in their home to tuck one of these little beauties.”
In Tandem. John Sperry, artist
The show contains new artwork from 16 of AFA’s artists, including two artists—Sonya Clemons and John Sperry—who are new to the gallery. Other artists represented are Kent Ambler, Mike Ball, Carl Block, Cornbread, Doug Frati, Wayne Hewell, Jack Klippel, Stacy Lambert, Ellen Langford, Peter Loose, Vicki Miller, Karl Mullen, Liz Sullivan and Tim Whitten.
Clemons brings the grace of ordinary kitchen work to her 5”x 5” canvases—in particular, paintings of her mother’s hands. “These pieces relate to my general work because I oftentimes enjoy portraying scenes of southern traditions, especially food,” she says. “I also am always drawn to painting things that folks—including me—can relate to.” As a muralist, her works often take up much more space, though the miniatures are similar in size to greeting cards she creates. The challenge of getting a lot of scene into a small space appeals to her sense of versatility as an artist, she says.
“There is a beautiful nostalgia in the dishcloth patterns depicted or the types of kitchen tools being used that reminds us that the woman in these paintings could be anyone’s mother or grandmother,” says Mills.
Sperry portrays bright and whimsical characters and quirky scenes using oil pastels and acrylics on wooden panels. “My pieces in this miniatures exhibit are representative of my work,” says Sperry, who left corporate work 25 years ago to become a painter. “Miniatures are a part of my regular creative process.”
American Folk Art & Framing is located at 64 Biltmore Avenue in Asheville. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit AmeriFolk.com or call 828.281.2134.
