Night Mountains. Stephen Wilkers, artist
By Hannah Van Vlack
Woolworth Walk presents a nature-filled exhibition by wood artist Stephen Wilkers in the FW Gallery. He specializes in woodburning and painting, and is the primary artist of Naturewerks, which he runs with his wife Angela.
Tree. Stephen Wilkers, artist
Wilkers’ art business arose from a choice to better support his family. “Our children have P.A.N.S.,” he says. “It’s an auto-immune disorder that can cause them to go into a fight-or-flight response any time their immune system is activated. Unfortunately, with our older son, it caused problems with the school system. This made keeping a full-time job difficult, so Angela and I decided that it would be best for one of us to stop working. Now, both of our kids are in school and are great students.”
Before becoming a stay-at-home father, Wilkers worked in the outdoor industry, which has influenced his artistic style. “My positions had me working in the woods, mountains and rivers across the country,” he says. “I did everything from program directing at camps to building, operating and training zipline guides throughout the Southeast. I have also been an avid whitewater paddler for over 20 years.” He uses local wood, including some cultivated on his own property, burning and then painting nature-inspired designs onto each piece. Each work aims to showcase a love of the outdoors and adventure through the repurposing of a piece of nature.
Gallery attendees can meet Stephen and Angela Wilkers at the exhibition’s opening reception on Friday, August 2, from 4–6 p.m. “I consider myself a naturalist,” he says, “finding something beyond myself in the outdoors. I hope that the people enjoying my art find the same feelings.”
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. Hannah Van Vlack is a senior at Western Carolina University studying Writing and Editing in Professional Environments and Music.
