The Sentinels. Cindi Berry, artist
By Gina Malone
Through Friday, January 9, UpMarket Gallery presents Art from the Heart, a juried exhibition for which gallery owner Heather Davis put out a call to artists in Southern Appalachia, which includes NC, SC, TN, KY, VA and GA. “We believe that much attention is given to artists living in the major art centers—NYC, LA, Miami, etc.—and our artists are just as good, very plentiful and deserving of some limelight,” Davis says.
Submissions for the exhibition included figurative work, portraits, abstract mixed media, collage and ceramics. “This show is really good,” says Davis. “We had so much good artwork that our jurors had a hard time selecting from all the beautiful work that was submitted.”
Sam Waymon, brother of Nina Simone. Richard Christian Nelson, artist
Sharon McAllister and Carolyn Graham Edlund, both highly experienced jurors with decades of experience in the Florida art market, selected winners. First-, second- and third-place winners and their works, respectively, were Cindi Berry (The Sentinels), Richard Christian Nelson (Sam Waymon) and Clay Sayre (Impasse).
Clay Sayre submitted multiple works for the show, with all having in common the faces they portray and, subsequently, the emotions on those faces. “Each has clues to a story that invites the viewer to discern,” Sayre says. “For instance, Hope uses a homeless man, yet is a positive, even inspirational, moment.”
Sam Waymon, brother to the late Nina Simone, is the subject for Richard Christian Nelson’s eponymous work. “I met Sam when he posed for our Wednesday night portrait painting group, which has been meeting in Tryon since 2015,” Nelson says. “We became friends and it was intense to hear about what it was like to grow up here a Black man in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and what it was like to be Nina Simone’s brother, touring with her for many years.” Nelson’s winning portrait includes, behind Waymon, the organ that he and sister Eunice (Nina) learned to play on.
Impasse. Clay Sayre, artist
First-place winner Cindi Berry found it fascinating to see how the participating artists interpreted the theme “Art from the Heart” in different ways. “For me, it was all about love of family,” says Berry, who painted her nephew. “He is a champion napper and can sleep anywhere! He loves his stuffed animals, so I decided to position them as guardians watching over him as he sleeps. I don’t have any children of my own. I only have one sibling (my brother), and he has only one child. So, we are a very small, close-knit family. Every brushstroke came straight from the heart. It is such an honor to be included in this exhibit and to be able to share my art with others.”
Davis notes that the show has something for everyone to appreciate, including its setting. “The show is set in our gallery in our 100-year old buildings which were renovated, as you know, by local artists and craftspeople, down to the lighting and the furniture,” she says. “So there’s lots to see.”
UpMarket Gallery is located at 68-70 Market Street, in downtown Asheville. Hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more at UpMarketGallery.com.
