Local Hearted: Asheville Artists | WNC Artists | Art Business

Mary Filiss is a painter and quilter living in Marshall, North Carolina.  She attended art school, Cooper Union College in NYC,  and upon graduation, Mary and her husband shared studio space in the same neighborhood as some of the rising stars of the period's art scene.

Life happened, and after many adventures and years of raising children, Mary is finally returning to her art in her retirement years.

I will let her tell her own story, though, as it is too good to spoil by giving you many of the details here!

This is another one of the original interviews I conducted; in fact, this one was held purely as practice for me and not intended for release.  Mary is a close neighbor of mine, so one day in January 2016, when we were both stormed-in on the same hill, she agreed for me to come over and pass some of that snowy day by chatting about her art.  I learned an awful lot about my neighbor!

Months later, I listened to the recording, realized how much I loved the interview, and sought Mary's permission to air it.  I was a little concerned about some of the more personal things Mary had revealed, though, so I brought the recording to her house and we listened together, to make sure she was ok to go live with her story.  Mary graciously agreed for me to release this interview.   Her only concern is, she isn't quite sure she fits in with the company of the other great artists who have been guests on the Local Hearted Podcast.

I have no doubt that you will find Mary's story every bit as interesting as some of the more well-known artists I have talked with.  I know I did!  And it was mentioned, but I want to highlight, that Mary and her husband came to Madison County, NC to raise a family in 1973, living among neighbors whose roots in these mountains all went back many generations.   Mary's family lived a rugged farming life in the far reaches of the countryside, the type of lifestyle Tim Barnwell was researching and photographing (although he did not photograph her family).

To connect with Mary and see more of her work:

SCROLL down!  Mary does not have a website, so the photos on this blog are the only place online to see her work

visit the Laurel River Store, which carries quilts and aprons made by Mary

Highlights of this interview include:

Why Mary stopped painting for how many years??

Which art form she used to satisfy her need for creating with color during the period she wasn't painting

Mary discussing her training and her influences and what purpose her art serves in her life now

The story Mary tells of a woman in Columbia who showed how much she valued her own work when Mary's husband tried to purchase a handwoven poncho from her

Local artists mentioned during this episode:

Mary Maupin

Joe Dudasik (no website found)

Brit Oie

Paula Parker (no website found, but she does teach art for AB-Tech Continuing Ed)

Peter  Loewer

Ursula Gullow

Other artists mentioned during this episode:

Franz Kline

Jasper Johns

Robert Rauschenberg

Willem deKooning

Pierre Bonnard

Edouard Vuillard

Henri Matisse

David Hockney

Other examples of Mary's work (with a huge thank you to Nan Sherry for photographing the art):

 

 

 

 

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Joseph Pearson is an Asheville oil painter on a mission.  He paints pieces that convey his values and send a message to the viewer about societal issues.  He expressed during this interview that if he created work that didn't make a statement, he would feel that he was "talking to hear myself talking."

I met Joseph during the Fall 2016 River Arts District Studio Stroll, where he works out of his studio at Pink Dog Creative.  I was quite taken with his piece "The Talk" and asked Joseph to tell me about it. He spoke strongly about the responsibility of adults to provide guidance for the next generation.  And he showed me other pieces that reflect the same message.

I was very impressed with Joseph's explanation and mission and invited him to be on the show, telling him I would be in touch in the Spring.  I didn't really need to do anymore interviews until then.  However, the very same day I met Joseph, I also happened to meet a young man at a local health food store who was absolutely despondent over the state of our society.  He was despondent and inconsolable...

I could not shake the connection of meeting both of these men on the same day, so I invited Joseph to be interviewed sooner than later, and he graciously agreed.

To connect with Joseph and see more of his work:

SCROLL below!

Visit his website at http://www.josephart.net

Follow his public posts on his Facebook page

Joseph is available for commissioned portraits, both human and pet

Highlights of this interview include:

Joseph's talking about the meaning behind several of his paintings

Examples of how Joseph has used his art and his life to do good for children in need

How Joseph compares his art to medicine

Joseph's history of receiving numerous artist grants (including full scholarship 4 out of 5 years at the Art Students League of NY)

Joseph's tips for other artists who may be interested in seeking grants themselves

More examples of Joseph's work (discussed in the interview):

Because Joseph has been recently awarded a grant, he asked me to mention that his work is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency, with funding from local arts councils in Buncombe, Madison, Mitchell, and Yancey Counties, and with support from Avery County.

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Jim Stilwell is a painter of visions.   The images originated from some intense experiences he has had on Vision Quests.  Hence the parental warning at the beginning of the audio.  I wanted parents and other adults with children in their care to come here and read this post before deciding whether to listen to Jim's interview in the presence of children.

The issue is that Jim very generously shares the details of his Vision Quest during the audio, including some events that could be frightening or confusing for children.  Jim was out for four days fasting in the desert and describes feeling visited by a demon.  He also alludes to his enactment of being in a coffin (his sleeping bag), and there area other references to death in the interview.  Also, because Jim has collaborated with veterans to paint their visions, there are mentions of post-traumatic stress disorder in this interview.

Ironically, out of an experience that included intensely frightening events came work that many find extremely uplifting and beautiful.  Some of the paintings do send strong messages about societal behavior and consequences (see below "Tipping Point" and "Welcome Home").   Others include Native American imagery and imagery involving the natural elements and spiritual world.

Like many artists, Jim began his career as a commercial artist.  He became known for his architectural renderings and worked with developers and architects in Florida.   Along with examples of his paintings, below you will also find one of his architectural illustrations.

Soul Gift

Jim's intention during his Vision Quest was to discover his soul gift.  Surprisingly, the answer was not art, even though creative images flowed as a result of the Quest.  A true highlight of this interview is hearing Jim reveal what he learned about himself and the purpose of his art.

To connect with Jim and see more of his work:

SCROLL down the page

visit his website http://www.jimstilwell.com

visit his educational website for all his tips on drawing proper perspective

follow his Facebook page

Jim is available for hire to paint images others would like to see created as paintings, what he refers to as collaborations

Jim also is available to create drawings of private residences (example below)

Other Highlights of this interview include:

Jim walking us through what his Vision Quest was like

what Jim refers to as "collaborations" in which he works with someone else to understand and then paint the other person's vision.  Jim has worked on collaborations with members of the military and generously donates his work to veterans organization

Jim's journey from architectural illustrator to creating the inspired types of paintings he does now

Jim's love of sharing his knowledge of perspective drawing via classes his website and workshops. He has a whole separate website dedicated to sharing his methods.  He will be teaching an already-sold-out and wait-listed class at Olli (at UNC Asheville) called "Easy Steps to Creating Perspective in Art" beginning in January 2017.  Other opportunities to learn from Jim will be posted on his website as they arise.

Links mentioned during this episode:

Hero's Journey Foundation (the organization that conducted Jim's first Vision Quest)

Animas Valley Institute (the organization that conducted the Vision Quest Jim describes in-depth)

The Warrior Connection, a retreat center in Vermont which helps returning military veterans process their experiences and adjust to being back home.  Jim plans to donate 100% of the proceeds from the sale of his painting "Welcome Home" (the first one below) to the Warrior Connection and has also donated prints to them to sell.

Dixie Damron is an oil painter living and working in Marshall, North Carolina.  Her pieces are rich with imagery of the natural world, both landscape and plant forms.  She is inspired by the natural beauty of Western North Carolina, and when she moved here 11 years ago from a more urban environnment, Dixie familiarized herself with her rural surroundings by working from life outdoors.

Dixie now uses what she learned from her plein air work to create paintings mainly from imagination, starting with an idea or plan.  But when she abandons her plan, which she inevitably does, WATCH OUT!  That's when the fun begins!

I think the gift of this interview is that Dixie gives us a genuine look at what it can be like inside the mind of an artist--how it actually feels while she is immersed in her work.  She tells the truth.  While she is painting, it's not always a beautiful experience.  But she accepts every aspect as part of the creative process.

To connect with Dixie and see more of her work:

SCROLL DOWN the page!

Visit her website at http://dixiedamron.com

Highlights of this interview include:

Dixie taking us along for the wild ride that her painting process usually is

how she seeks to silence the inner critic

why she has consciously chosen not to support herself through her art

More of Dixie's work:

 

 

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Host Meredith Adler interviews Asheville artist photographer Tim Barnwell, author of The Face of Appalachia, On Earth's Furrowed Brow, Hands in Harmony, Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas, and Great Smoky Mountain Vistas. They discuss his inspirations and methods in creating the books. Tim shares his views about what makes a photo a work of art and how few photos qualify over the course of a photographer's lifetime. And Tim talks about the service he provides talking high-quality photos of other artists work and his ideas on why having great photographs of their work can impact on an artist's career.

Host Meredith Adler talks with Asheville artist Amanda Heinz-Stevenson about her matchbox shrines created with inspired messages, guided by an unseen hand.

Host Meredith Adler talks with Jennifer Pearson of Frugal Framer and Framer's Chop Service about services her business provides Asheville and WNC artists. Jennifer talks about the differences between the Frugal Framer and the Framer's Chop Service ("The Chop Shop") and how her business came to serve local artists so generously.

Asheville pastel artist Elise Okrend talks about her intention for her work: to inspire people towards feelings of peace, serenity, and healing. She shares examples of how she has been successful in doing so. A book she collaborated on with her husband Phil Okrend, called Messages to the Heart, combining her paintings and Phil's writing, provides Elise with further opportunity to positively impact the lives of other people. Elise also shares how she and her husband started their own greeting card company, Mixed Blessing.

Lorelle Bacon, Asheville area artist, talks with host Meredith Adler about her life as an artist, art teacher, and highly involved member of community art groups. Lorelle works with many mediums and teaches both locally and nationally. I am thrilled to present to you this interivew with a 75 year old artist who paints everything from murals to miniatures!

Dawn Chitwood of Bravado Creative is back with part 2 of the Facebook discussion to talk with host Meredith Adler about how Asheville area artists can get more attention on their Facebook business pages and posts. See the show notes at http://localhearted.com/dawn-chitwood-part-2-facebook-advertising