Ember. Casi Fordham, artist
Woolworth Walk will highlight artist Casi Fordham in the FW Gallery for the month of May. The show, Spring in the Mountains, celebrates this exciting season in our iconic region. “We can actually see our mountains waking up in real time after a restful winter,” says Fordham. “If you go outside this time of year, you’ll notice a subtle change every day.”
Fordham is a self-taught artist who often paints from photos she’s taken in nature. “There is nothing more inspiring than seeing a beautiful sunset or colorful native botanical,” she says. “Of course we want to go home and paint those images. A good way of getting out of a winter funk or seasonal depression is to paint a scene of something I’m looking forward to, like a field of trillium or the thrill of finding a lady slipper.”
More recently, Fordham’s work has been informed by the perspective of her young son, Wilder. The pair have been collaborating on a nature journal to document their findings, and this has informed some of her work for Spring in the Mountains. “Having a small child really forces you go slow because they want to examine every little thing,” Fordham says. “It’s no longer about going from point A to point B. It’s about the journey in between.”
Woolworth Walk is located at 25 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 828.254.9234 or visit WoolworthWalk.com.
