A View From The Valley
Exhibition dates: Apr 6 -Apr 10
Closing reception: Thursday, April 9th 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Regret + Reverie, oil on panel, 18x24”, 2025, $1500
If I Needed You, oil on panel, 18x24”, 2025, $1500
Stillness + Solitude, oil on panel, 24x16”, 2025, $1500
Artist Statement
This body of work is a way of capturing and preserving moments of connection and catharsis. I’m particularly interested in moments shared between people within the natural environment, as many of my formative years have been spent outdoors discovering myself and the world around me. These gentle experiences lend themselves to gentle paintings, in which I stay grounded in reality, but blur lines and soften the scene. Human faces and expressions tend to be my focus, with relation to the nature around them. There is a sense of loving comfort within these contained scenes, as even the smallest bits of life can be what we remember about the people and places dearest to us.
The rolling hills of Appalachia have been the host to most of my own personal development, as I’ve uncovered my sense of self and made peace with turmoil. Nature is inherently introspective, with the dense thickets of Pisgah Forest giving me a place of reflection and understanding, in a nearly spiritual sense. I look out over the misty blues, greens, and violets of Shining Rock, and am reminded of all the times they’ve listened to my woes. All the while, I’m accompanied by my loved ones, sharing these tender moments of growth. At a time of constant change, the most consistent catharsis has come from my closest friends and being a simple call away from a real “I Love You.” The security and comfort of real connection is all-encompassing, akin to being surrounded and protected by the Blue Ridge Mountains within the valley of Asheville. My work is an encouragement to examine people as they relate to place, and offering my View from the Valley.