Gallery Times

Alex Reeves at ArtWalk

ArtWalk is home to many artists, each working in a variety of media and coming from varied artistic backgrounds.

Some studied for years, some learned from friends, and some, like painter Alex Reeves, taught themselves after ultimately pursuing a lifelong desire. He indulges his creative side with luscious and vibrant oil paintings, capturing the beauty of his surroundings.

Growing up in the foothills of North Carolina, he spent a lot of time in the Blue Ridge Mountains. His paintings reflect his passion for nature as represented in the rugged mountains, peaceful valleys and rapidly changing weather patterns that envelop the High Country. The changing colors of the seasons, heavy snowstorms, icy conditions and the fast-moving streams found along the Blue Ridge Parkway are the inspiration for most of his subjects.

Reeves is a self-taught artist. He believes his ability to paint is a gift from God, therefore he puts a cross in every painting. Some are visible under Reeves' signature, while others are hidden so that the viewer can search for them.

When he steps outdoors, he notices the millions of activities going on around him all at once. They all have rhythms, patterns and purpose. Capturing those moments on canvas is something that Reeves finds to be his joy in life. It is like piecing together a puzzle or solving a riddle. He paints exactly what he sees with light, color and shape.

Alex Reeves' work is located on ArtWalk's mezzanine, located at 611 W. King St. (across from Mast General Store) in downtown Boone. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. For more information, call (828) 264-9998, email (artwalkboone@yahoo.com) or visit http://www.artwalkboone.com.


WYN students featured at GreenHouse Friday

The GreenHouse will host a benefit art show for the Western Youth Network (WYN) highlighting youth art on Friday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m.

In partnership with Anna Ward and her ASU service learning class, WYN's after-school students have been creating works of art around the theme "I come from a place..."

Each piece will showcase the middle-grade students' personal world on the walls of the GreenHouse, downtown Boone's first "green" building.

The office space will be converted into a gallery for the evening to display WYN youth art. Each piece can be purchased to benefit WYN programs. Art prices will begin at $15; refreshments and food will be served.

ASU service learning students facilitated a creative atmosphere in which the WYN students were able to create memorable pieces of art. Approximately, 20 pieces of art will be available for purchase at the event.

All proceeds will support WYN programs serving fifth- to 10th-grade youth in the High Country who participate in after-school, mentoring, and/or prevention programs.

The GreenHouse is located at 164 South Depot St. (next to Haircut 101).


Hummingbirds abuzz at Cheese House

By now, all the hummingbirds that spend summers in the mountains are long gone to points south. Over at the Cheese House Gallery in Banner Elk, however, hummingbirds are everywhere to be seen on the large format photographs of Constance Toops, the featured artist for November.

Connie Toops took her first pictures with a borrowed Argus film camera on a fourth grade school trip in 1961. Thus began her love affair with photography. While subsequently obtaining a Natural Resources degree at Ohio State University and working for the National Park Service, she honed photographic skills, sharing images of wildlife and wild places with an ever-widening audience.

In summer 2008, Toops wandered her garden with a small digital camera. On a whim, she mimicked hummingbird movements - targeting bright blossoms, zipping quickly between plants, exploring for secret nectar treasures. All images in this exhibit were captured within a few feet of Toops' windows. The exhibit was funded in part by a Regional Artist Program Grant awarded in late 2008.

The exhibit, "Seeing Through the Eye of a Hummingbird," includes ultra-close views of flowers hummingbirds encounter in western North Carolina. Although Toops recorded the images digitally, she remained true to her principles of film photography. She did not use computer manipulation programs to alter, enhance or combine images.

The Avery Arts Council is hosting a reception on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5-7 p.m., and Toops will be on hand to answer questions. The public is welcome to attend. The show will be on exhibit until Nov. 30 at the Cheese House Gallery, located at 630 Shawneehaw Ave. (N.C. 184) in Banner Elk. The gallery is open from Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturdays by appointment. For more information, call (828) 898-4292 or visit http://www.averycountyartscouncil.org.


Gallery Times

Gallery Times is a weekly news feature of the Focus section of The Mountain Times, featuring short news items submitted by local galleries.
For more information, contact entertainment editor Frank Ruggiero at (frank@mountaintimes.com) or (828) 264-6397.