Who Else Should We See in the District?

“What other artists should we make sure we see today?”

I’m asked that a lot as folks are leaving my painting studio in Asheville’s River Arts District. There are over 200 artists within about a square mile here, and I would recommend people see everyone but…if your time is limited and you just an a morning or afternoon, here are my suggestions for my favorite “must see” artists who work around me. 

The Official St.Claire Favorites...

1. The Lift Studios is the creative home of Daniel McClendon (www.theliftstudios.com) Daniel’s paintings are process-focused and examine the connectivity of instinct, impulsive action, and identity. The work begins non-objectively in the form of a chaotic black and white abstract painting, and from there the animal— a central figure in all his works—emerges. These animals, created from a variety of colors, patterns, textures, forms, and symbols, take on the role of both a totem as well as the embodiment of instinct itself.
2. Michael Hoffman (LiveLifeArtfully.com) In a world of sameness, Hoffman Studios offers you something truly unique. I invite you to visit our gallery and working studio to view the varied selection of handbuilt porcelain we offer for your enjoyment. Each piece of pottery is made using antique lace, some centuries old, to create objects that will be cherished for generations to come. Using the materials that nature has provided, we formulate glazes that dress each piece in a skin of dazzling colors. Colors that often mimic precious gems, stones and weathered metals.
3. North Carolina Glass Center (www.ncglasscenter.org). The North Carolina Glass Center is a non-profit, public access glass studio providing daily educational offerings & demonstrations. You can watch glass being blown and even take a class and learn to blow glass yourself! 
4. Bee Sieburg (www.beesieburg.com) Bee is one of my favorite people on the planet. She loves to paint countryside (local and European) and farm animals. Her style is loose and free with an awesome use of color and brush strokes. She’s upstairs in the Wedge Building.
5. Matt Tommey (www.matttommey.com) Matt’s handcrafted baskets are a whimsical collaboration of traditional weaving techniques, vines, bark and recycled metal. Every basket begins with a walk in the woods. His artistic “voice” centers around the ability to speak the language of natural materials. By responding to nature and incorporating many different materials, he’s able to create one-of-a-kind sculptural creations. If you see someone rummaging around a kudzu field gather vines, that’s probably Matt. 

Honestly, this is is really minimal but at least it’s a start. There are so many other talented artists around here. To explore the district properly would take all day or a weekend. These artists are another one of the reasons why we love living in Western North Carolina and Asheville in particular. The mountains, trails, and woods, the restaurants in downtown Asheville and all the mirco-breweries, the music — what a fun place to live or visit.

Of Ruination and Rescue

I'm going to be rather vulnerable here. There's a big part of me that would like to create the impression that as an artist, I always know what I'm doing, but that wouldn't really be true. Most of the time, I do feel very confident with what I paint but then there are times that make me realize I have so much yet to learn. This week, I almost ruined a 4' x 5' painting. 

The oil painting in question is a very large abstract, and as I've explained in past blogs, I am never in complete control of an abstract painting. They really do have a mind of their own. Well, it turns out this painting had self-destructive tendencies I had to deal with. I had thought I was about half done with paint application and I kind of liked where it was going and was having fun working on it. Then two days ago, I was applying paint, a little here, a lot over there, more paint here, scrape off some there, and eventually I stood back and realized I'd just completely ruined the piece. So I was going to let it all dry and then re-cover it all with aluminum leaf and start all over again. 

I felt like God just before the flood, regretting even making this monstrosity. I was ready for the 40 days and 40 nights of deluge and looking forward (though rather defeated feeling) to starting over. 

That's when Joy stepped to the back of my studio and took a look at it. "Oh, that's really bad," she whispered. (She's honest like that.) And I said I was going to have to start all over. Then she suggested just wiping off all the paint I had just applied that day and then taking a look at it the next day with fresh eyes. So I did, and something really weird happened. When I wiped off the fresh paint, a little paint film still stuck to the rest of the piece; a fog of blues, greens and whites. Hmmmm. Interesting. That slight film I was unable to remove completely softened the whole thing and brought everything together. 

The next morning I came in and was not repulsed (always a good sign) and was able to completely save the piece. Whew. 

There is a lesson here I think.

"What makes this painting so sparkly?"

Questions, questions...

I'm asked by a lot of people why I paint local North Carolina landscapes (usually mountains, lakes, rivers and trees) on aluminum leaf, and I explain (at least daily) that it's because aluminum leaf reflects light. Painting on aluminum leaf, I can create a painting that is back-lit. This greatly intensifies the color.  How I came up with that is, well, the fault of a French architect in 1163.

When I was twenty years old, a friend of mine backpacked through Europe with me and during those travels (every American twenty year old should do this trip by the way) we found Paris, and the highlight was Notre-Dame Cathedral.

I was quite surprised to see how large the cathedral actually was. It is hulking and awesome.  Honestly, I didn’t know much about the Notre-Dame apart from the Hunchback that made the place famous.

One side of the cathedral was lined with cafes for people queuing up to go in the church. Interestingly, the chairs of the restaurants were almost all facing outside. I thought it was strange as I would probably prefer to face in towards whoever I was with. If I was alone, I would not face outside, I don’t like strangers in the queue watching me eat.

We got there during Mass ("hey, don't mind us Presbyterians --carry on, carry on"). It was magical. So utterly beautiful. And when Mass was done, I turned to leave and then I saw it: the rose window. Oh my gosh. I'd never seen color do what it was doing as the sun penetrated the colored glass. I remember thinking, "How can I get PAINT to do that?" At the time, this seemed like a ridiculous question because you paint on a canvas and how do you shine light through a canvas, right?

This idea went no where for many years until I saw the Orthodox church answer to stained glass windows: ICONS. Icons are painted on gold. P-A-I-N-T-E-D on gold. Well, I couldn't afford gold so I found aluminum leaf and a new genre of art was born, from a rose window in Paris and a Madonna and child on gold. You never know where a creative muse will lead you. You just follow it and see!

Asheville Channel Interview

Asheville Channel Interview

Last week, and again yesterday, some really nice folks from the Asheville Channel came out to my studio for an interview (so I tried to sound like I was super interesting) and to take photos and video. So if you're interested in my work, or interested in practically anything to do with Asheville, check out the Asheville Channel: https://ashevillechannel.com/blog/st-claire-studio/. And...thanks Mario! You're team is awesome!