Back of the Theatre
The work of Bill Cole is featured this month at Asheville Gallery of Art in an exhibit titled Taking the Ordinary to Extraordinary. A free reception for the artist to meet the public will be given on Friday, June 2, from 5–8 p.m. This show kicks off the gallery’s summer series wherein different artists with differing styles and outlooks are featured each month.
A native of Arden now living in Waynesville, Cole began painting after he retired from the Air Force. Primarily self-taught, he was fortunate to get to study watercolor briefly in 1996 while living in Paris. He has worked in watercolors, oils, acrylics, linocuts and monotypes, always capturing how the ordinary becomes extraordinary through the eyes of an artist.
“My latest series of paintings draws inspiration from the Precisionists of the ’20s and ’30s, an American art movement often called cubist realism,” he says. “I like to use strong lines, angles and shapes as the format for exploring the interplay of colors and textures.”
The subjects in this show are rendered in oil and acrylic, which he describes as, “leaning more toward minimalism than photographic realism.” Cole’s work, as well as the paintings of the other 30 gallery members will be on display and for sale throughout the month of June.
“My paintings often feature buildings, barns and roadways,” Cole says. “I look forward to being available at the opening reception to discuss my paintings, techniques and thoughts behind them.”
Asheville Gallery of Art is located at 82 Patton Avenue in Asheville, across from Pritchard Park. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1–4 p.m. onSunday. To learn more call 828.251.5796, visit ashevillegallery-of-art.com or follow the gallery’s Facebook page.
