Mark your calendars – The Riverwalk Arts and Crafts Festival will take place Saturday, August 21, in 2010! Vendor applications will be available online by the end of February. If you are a returning vendor, you will receive an application in the mail as well. If you are new to the event, drop us a line or call the office and we’ll add you to the mail list – or simply wait until they are available online.

February at the Cheese House Gallery features
“Variations in Charcoal”

Banner Elk –  Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes.  Charcoal – colored and black – is the medium of choice for the two artists who are exhibiting their work at the Cheese House during February.  An array of finely stitchedtextiles provides a tactile contrast to the art on the walls.   

Native son Eddie Hudson, whose family is from Jonas Ridge, has always had a knack for drawing.  Although he chose a career in the nursing profession, he valued his talent, and has maintained and enhanced his artistic abilities throughout the years.  Hudson explains that drawing is his preferred  method of relaxation, and he uses charcoal because it is readily available, inexpensive, and portable.  It is also a perfect medium for producing the clear, meticulously rendered images which Hudson creates using photos as his model. 

Newcomer Caitlin Morehouse also prefers charcoal, describing the effect from the colored version as very similar to oils and capable of being used like fingerpaints.  Morehouse has employed her artistic abilities as an interior designer, but paints, draws, and creates mixed media sculpture as her creative outlet.

A special display of smocked and handcrafted items provides a counterpoint to the drawings.  Created by BJ Close, president of the Blue Ridge Smockers group, the assorted pieces showcase a variety of hand stitching techniques.  Close is displaying her work as part of the Smocking Arts Guild of America (SAGA) February observance of “National Smocking Month.”

The public is invited to attend the opening reception on Thursday, February 4, from 5 – 7 PM.  “Variations in Charcoal” will be on exhibit through the month of February at the Cheese House Gallery, 630 Shawneehaw Ave, Banner Elk.  Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10-4, and Saturdays by appointment.  For more information please visit the Avery County Arts Council website at www.averycountyartscouncil.org or give us a call at 828-898-4292