Asheville – The 4th annual Beaverdam Studio Tour is back on track this year at their usual time, the end of October —October 30 and 31. After skipping last year due to COVID, artists are again inviting guests into their studios. Thanks to Robert and Karen Milnes, who started this a few years ago, a PDF tour map and brochure can be found at Vinnie’s restaurant, at Blackbird Framing or one can download them at www.beaverdamstudiotour.com.
Thirty accomplished artists will open their doors on Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from noon to 5:00 pm but only in twenty-one locations with five also hosting a guest artist. There are eleven new tour artists for 2021. This is an opportunity to meet these talented artists, learn about their works of art, designs and how they created their lovely pieces. They will introduce their ceramic pieces, paintings, jewelry, textiles, sculpture, photography, paper art and other items in their studios. These are skilled artisans with stellar affiliations locally, regionally and nationally. Many are already selling their pieces in permanent galleries, museums, festivals and shows throughout the United States. Some are members of the Southern Highlands Guild; some give classes at various times. Here are a few details of the artists who are opening their doors to guests.
Paintings
Paintings of many styles, sizes and mediums can been found in these Beaverdam studios. Susana Abell has been a professional, performing and teaching artist for many years.
She says, “The current pieces are made using the print making process of encaustic monotype. By definition, each print is completely unique and cannot be replicated.”
Pat Barratt uses bold brushwork in strong colors in oil and acrylic to create impressionistic paintings. Mark Bettis creates abstract and figurative works of art beginning with colorful and textural oils and cold wax medium. He offers intensive one-day sessions to give students the basics of handling cold wax and other media. Gwen Bigham has paintings on non-traditional materials and paper, petite paintings and collage sculpture. Nancy Jordan Dunn paints acrylics of people and landscapes on canvas. George Handy creates paintings on wood forms. His artwork is included in the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, RJ Reynolds and many other collections. Annette McAlister paints lovely pastel landscapes and portraits. Some stunning abstract images are shown by Jill Lawrence. They are done with oil paint and cold wax and placed on a wooden board. Victoria Pinney has contemporary, highly textured and colorful abstract paintings. She builds her paintings of oils, wax and sand, and then scratches through to build the design up again. Susan Sinyai is an oil and pastel artist with portraiture, flowers, and regional landscapes. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and teaches art at Deerfield Retirement Community and elsewhere. Cason Rankin creates some intriguing animal bear faces on canvas using a palette knife.
Ceramics
Lin Barber of Dogwood Pottery makes handcrafted, functional, stoneware pottery. Her arts and crafts include mugs, bowls, platters, pitchers and vases. You will see the distinctive, functional stoneware of Julie Calhoun-Roepnack of JCR Designs with native flora and fauna (bears and sunflowers) on vases and pitchers. Betsy Gray offers elegant and playful functional porcelain for your home. Artist Robert Milnes creates sculptures and vessels out of clay and other materials, notably copper. At Robert Milnes Studio, he creates unique sculptures, containers, and occasionally furniture; through Arbitrary Forms Studio, he produces unique clay vessels. Whimsical nature inspired creations in clay are created by Susan Query. Sculptural and functional high-end hand blown glass is featured at Mike Hatch’s studio. Kathy Mack hand builds and wheel-throws pottery for the home or garden with her clay creations and achieves striking results.
Textiles
Judy Levine Ott has over 25 years of experience designing fabrics and heading design departments at major textile companies. Walking into her studio in Beaverdam you will see the many exquisite wearables that have a complex palette and patterns. There are hand dyed mulberry silk shawls, felted scarves of Merino wool with accents in silk and other yarns, botanical bookmarks and framed wall art. Two other artists who work with textiles are Helen Kehoe and Amy Campbell. Kehoe’s pieces are larger in size, more for the home. Campbell’s are smaller and more useable, such as eyeglass cases, purses, necklaces and coasters.
Photography
Bonnie Cooper’s photography shows amazing creativity of expression. It is hard to believe what you see are really photographs.
As she says, “Photography has given me a visual platform for connecting into & celebrating the nature of nature, beauty, and wonder. In sharing it with others, I hope to open a discourse that is not possible with words alone.”
Neil Jacobs has a wide variety and depth as a photographer, as a news photographer and artist. His on-going project is Asheville, NC.
Sculpture
The sculptural creations of Robert Winkler reach well into the 21st century with their graceful rhythmic, vibrant and colorful shape & form. These are primarily large contemporary pieces of wood and steel for both indoors and out.
Jewelry
Amy Brandenburg creates earrings, pendants, and bracelets in a number of designs, using cutting edge technology to shape the metal. She was inspired by styles from the turn of the 20th century. Bea Lothrop will be showing woven jewelry made with gloriously color glass seed beads at her studio.
Cathy Stryker makes jewelry, small household objects and sculptures out of found wood metal and stones. Michele Alexander has mixed metal jewelry as well as mixed media paintings. Eileen Newmark and David Burke of Cheeky Parrot Jewelry show modern earring pendants in silver and mixed metals.
Patti Fertel makes incredibly creative pieces from paper arts. Her works are three dimensional sculptures that began with recycled books that bring art papers, color and other recycled materials to life.
For those interested in art and the process involved by the artist, a tour of these many studios is a wonderful way to spend the days of the last weekend of October. It is amazing that so many talented artists live and produce their pieces in North Asheville. The Beaverdam Studio Tour gives visitors a chance to come into the studios and homes of the artists to see their works, talk with them and purchase beautiful handmade art and craft.