January 2010: Avery Arts Council Keeps Art on the Walls Despite Winter Whiteout thanks to Artist Craig Franz

Banner Elk – Just when it seems like everything has permanently turned to white, the glowing landscapes on display at Cannon Memorial Hospital’s Dickson Gallery remind visitors of colorful seasons that have been and will be again.  Artist Craig Franz opened his exhibition of 38 pastels just before Christmas, and the show will be up throughout January. 

Franz, a dedicated amateur painter who decided a couple of years ago to get serious about his talents, started 2009 by having his first-ever show at the Cheese House Gallery last February.  It was quickly followed by placements of work in Wilkes County and at the Crossnore Gallery.  Franz kept up a strenuous schedule of painting throughout the summer, participating in the Arts Council’s  Plein Air competition and painting out of doors with fellow Plein Air artists at every opportunity.  Most of the works on display at the Hospital gallery depict local scenery and were  executed during those sessions.

Although hospital policy restricts the sale of artwork from the Dickson Gallery, Franz’s paintings can be purchased directly through the artist.  Contact Craig Franz for more information: 828-964-1972.

The exhibition at the Cheese House Gallery is also extended through January.  Tracy Booth’s acrylics and watercolors, “Reflections of Nature,” run the gamut from playful to fantastical, with nature’s shapes and forms as their common theme.  The gallery is open from 10 to 4, Monday through Friday.