FEBRUARY EXHIBIT AT CHEESE HOUSE GALLERY FEATURES PASTELS BY CRAIG FRANZ

Although he has only just begun to show his paintings, Craig Franz likes to think that people throughout the High Country have been “patrons” of his creative skills for years.  Franz is a dental lab technician. He uses the fine motor skills that were trained in jewelry making to create bridges, crowns and other dental appliances for the patients of area dentists.

Franz describes his college studies as “leaning toward” the arts.  He took courses in printmaking and painting before discovering a serious interest in jewelry design.  After studying in the School of Fine Arts at the University of Kansas, he returned home to Boone and set up shop as a jewelry craftsman.  Eventually he found that his abilities were well suited to the crafting of dental hardware, a more prosaic field, but one that provided reliable paychecks as well as a solid sense of accomplishment.

Franz never set aside his artistic habits completely.  He continued to dabble with painting, taking courses and studying the techniques of other artists in galleries.  About two years ago he decided to get serious about art once again.  Focusing on oil pastels because they are easy to travel with, relatively inexpensive, and do not require special handling, he dedicated himself to producing a body of work that reflected his artistic vision.

This new collection is called “Last Year’s Travel,” a reference to the learning process he went through as he taught himself about pastels from books and an intensive 5-day plein air class taught by Kevin Beck.  With more than twenty finished pieces glowing within their custom made frames, Franz says,” I’ve always wanted to paint so I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and look forward to the coming years and how I can continue to learn my craft.”

“Last Year’s Travel” is on display February 5 – 27 at the Cheese House Gallery.  The public is invited to attend the Opening Reception on February 5th from 5 – 7:00 PM. A project of the Avery County Arts Council, the Cheese House Gallery is located at 630 Shawneehaw Avenue (Hwy. 184) in Banner Elk.  Gallery Hours are 11 AM – 4 PM Monday through Friday, and Saturdays by appointment.    

The Avery County Arts Council is a non-profit organization working to enrich the people of Avery County through meaningful arts and cultural experiences.  For more than 30 years the council has helped to support school arts programs and served as a resource for artists and the community.  Contact the Avery County Arts Council at 828-898-4292 or info@averycountyartscouncil.org