"Studies in Color and Light" is September feature at Asheville Gallery of Art

Asheville Gallery of Art’s September show, “Studies in Color and Light,” will feature the work of Everett Schmidt. The artist is best known as a pastel artist who creates expressive landscapes. His work reflects the natural beauty of his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as scenes from his world travels. Studies for the show include North Carolina, New York City, where he grew up, Hawaii, Spain, Scotland, Italy, and the coast of Maine. 

The artist’s first choice of medium was acrylics, which changed to pastels for ease of use when traveling and painting in plein air. He often uses watercolors to undercoat pastel paintings. Schmidt says he has evolved from representative to a more expressionistic style, which is reflected in his use of color and composition. “I strive to bring to the viewer the sense of emotion I feel when depicting a scene. I formerly used bold colors to capture emotion, but now my paintings may contain more neutral colors highlighted with splashes of vibrant color.” 

The artist states many artists have influenced his work, including Paul Cezanne, Marsden Hartley, Mark Leach, and John Tookey. He has studied under master pastelists Albert Handell, Doug Dawson, Maggie Price and Jack Pardue. Schmidt is a member of the Appalachian Pastel Society and the Transylvania Art Guild, where he was the Artist of the Year in 2012. His paintings are currently on display at the Asheville Gallery of Art and the Sunrise Cafe in Brevard.

“Studies in Color and Light” runs from September 1 through 30. The public is cordially invited to a reception on Friday, September 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. Schmidt’s work and that of the other 30 gallery members will be on display and for sale through the month during regular hours, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. The gallery is located at 82 Patton Avenue in Asheville, across from Pritchard Park.

October will feature artist Ruth Ilg. Her expressive and bold use of colors is seen in her abstracts as well as in her still lifes and landscapes.