Tour of Artists will be held Sept. 6 and 7
Among this year’s studios/galleries on the Tour are the NC General Stores, Artists’ Loft & Gallery, The Storyteller’s Bookstore, and The Cotton Company. Within the four venues, 21 artists will be exhibiting and in attendance. Most will be demonstrating techniques in their chosen medium.
NC General Stores (150 South White Street)
Nathan Forrest: By using a variety of media including acrylics, oils and watercolors Nathan hopes to preserve North Carolina history by creating modern day scenes as well as scenes from the past, historic places and interesting NC people.
Richard Hedgecock: Using a variety of media, including oils, acrylics and watercolors, Hedgecock captures the inner essence of every subject. His paintings include tranquil landscapes and historic places, insightful portraits of wonderful people and vivid portrayals of God’s creatures.
Anthony Hicks: Anthony loves to paint classic cars and hot rods and prefers acrylics and watercolors when doing so. His lines are sharp and colors blend to make his artwork jump off the page and make you feel you are right there in each painting he does.
Artists’ Loft & Gallery (156 South White Street above Wake Forest Coffee Company)
One of the newest studios and galleries in Historic Downtown Wake Forest is the Artists’ Loft & Gallery. The second-floor open space above the popular coffee house is home to eight artists working in a variety of mediums including encaustic, watercolors, stained glass, pen and ink, acrylics, batik, photography, and sculpture.
Nicki Black: Nicki’s fine artwork reflects her love of life and the Lord through a variety of media including encaustic, mixed, watercolor, stained glass, and pen and ink.She will be demonstrating encaustic art.
Corey Choplin: “I am at my best when I use acrylics, but I like to experiment with watercolor as well. I most enjoy experimenting with color in my work, mixing a variety of hues to bring life to my piece. I love using all colors, both vivid tones and mild, muted shades, to create a masterpiece.”
Susan Espin: “Vincent Van Gogh once said, ‘I dream of painting and then I paint my dreams.’ My love of painting is captured in this quote.” She will be demonstrating the art of batik.
Grace Kim: “I want to express life in my paintings. My latest work tries to share the vitality of the word of God and the Bible verses. I am graduate of Sung Shin Woman’s University in Seoul, Korea, in 1994, where I majored in Fine Art. After many years dedicated to raising my family, I recently picked up the brush and began creating new work.”
Norm Richardson: “I first began teaching myself photography after my father gave me a Kodak Pony 135 camera. His gift led to my passion for this medium, where you can capture a moment in time. I prefer the rich colors of dawn and dusk when natural light is at its most colorful, and I try to use the camera to capture images as they appear in reality, and nothing more.”
Maureen Seltzer: “I have been painting in traditional watercolor for many years, but the hunt for more texture and brighter colors has led me to more experimental techniques. For the past few years I have been working on watercolor paper that I first gesso or I will collage a piece of vintage music sheet to the watercolor paper and paint on top of that. I also have been having fun with a new series of brightly colored and highly textured abstract animals on Yupo Paper.”She will be demonstrating in watercolors.
Andrew Thomasson: “It was in seminary that I first began to consider making painting a serious part of my life because I learned of the inescapable link between theology, philosophy, and the arts. My Christian upbringing and theological studies greatly affect the way I view the purpose of the arts in culture. My inspiration is in the connection between beauty and creativity with the Divine.”
Deborah Young: “My fascination with nature continually leads me to explore textures in various media such as sculpture, photography and painting. I find that communing with nature brings me the peace and tranquility necessary to rejuvenate my artistic spirit.”
The Artists’ Loft & Gallery will also host a “community paint along” during the Tour. Visitors to the Loft will be encouraged to add their “strokes of genius” to either or both of the two paintings available. After the Tour, the Loft will sponsor a gala event during which the paintings will be auctioned off. Proceeds will go to The Animal Rescue in North Carolina. For more information about the “paint along” or the gala, contact Maureen Seltzer at (919) 384-5061 or email her at taximom615@yahoo.com.
The Storyteller’s Bookstore (158 South White Street)
Anne Howard: “The inspiration for my paintings comes mainly from my own environment and everyday life. I paint only subjects that really excite me and the two elements which interest me most are light and color. The abstract effects that are created within a subject by changing light are a major interest and challenge.” She will be demonstrating her block printing ink techniques.
Mary Margaret Steele: “Painting and art have been a major part of my life since I was a child. Love to paint most anything and I love watercolors for their lightness and ease of use.” She will be demonstrating in watercolors.
Marcia Streithorst: “As an artist, I create works of art that deconstruct the mundane and ordinary into something new and surprising. Photography is my preferred medium to work in but I also like to paint and use other mediums as well. Most of my work is abstract which focus on the shapes and composition within the pieces.” She will be demonstrating encaustic art.
Rose Welty: “I’m often struck by the curve of a line or an angle in something I see – before I can blink I see a painting in my mind. I focus on remembering that vision. I then work out step by step how to recreate what I saw.” She will demonstrate how she moves from a photo to a painting.
The Cotton Company (306 South White Street)
Steve Karloski: “My clay work consists of both functional and decorative pieces, from bowls, platters, mugs, and vases, to wall mounted sea turtles and suns. I also make garden turtles of all sizes, as well as a variety of dyed concrete masks, all suitable for the outdoors.”
Dick Larsen: Pet portrait artist Dick Larsen is a resident artist at the Cotton Company in Downtown Wake Forest. You can find him inside his studio on weekdays and often on Saturdays painting commissions of local dogs and cats. He will be demonstrating in oils.
Sue McGlothlin: “In 2010, my architect husband and I bought a historic house and farm in Bunn, North Carolina. I became inspired by the beauty and history that surrounds us in our new home. The technology of digital photography opened up a new world to me and I began taking pictures of the wildlife and historic buildings.”
Charles Siegmund: “Pushing paint around on canvas or paper allows moments where I can lose myself in a world of color and form that both fascinate and surprise me. Painting requires focus. On a good day, I can lose myself for hours in “The Zone” – a place where everything is working and flowing.”
Jane Steelman: Jane is a resident artist at the Cotton Company and works from her home studio in stained glass, charcoals, alcohol inks, and oils. She will be demonstrating techniques in alcohol inks. Valerie Summers: “My goal is to capture the memory and emotion of time and place. I enjoy painting historical buildings and sites as well as capturing vacation memories in my work.”
All the galleries and studios on the tour will be open Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 7, from noon to 5 p.m.
