This time of year is perfect for a gallery crawl – a new piece of art can really up the ante when it comes to your decor. And it’s something you can do no matter what unpredictable weather Mother Nature decides to unleash. Here’s a look at what’s to come from five of Raleigh’s best.
Left: Susan Hecht, “Hidden Gems”, 40 x 50 inches
RIght: Steve Moore, “Italian Steps”, 48 x 36 inches
ArtSource Fine Art
Entering its twenty-eigth year, ArtSource in Midtown Raleigh features more than seventy-five artists, offering art consulting and framing services in addition to regular exhibitions. Starting March 1, the gallery will have a double exhibition, including works by Susan Hecht and Steve Moore. Hecht’s playful oil paintings show her focus on the balance of light and dark, color, edges, and temperature. Moore, primarily a landscape painter, is known for his North Carolina coastal and mountain scenes. The exhibition ends April 2. www.artsourcefineart.com
FRANK Gallery
The New Year brings a new home for FRANK Gallery, a fixture in downtown Chapel Hill for seven years. After using the space to host a holiday pop-up shop, the nonprofit artists’ collective will officially open in its new, full-fledged University Place location on February 9. “We are excited about the broader accessibility and the larger space for outreach exhibits and programs that the move will provide,” Gordon Jameson says, FRANK founding member and acting gallery manager, in a recent press release. “We see the potential for great synergies with the other businesses and organizations located at University Place. We have been a long-time outreach program collaborator with Kidzu Children’s Museum, which is located there.” www.frankisart.com
FRANK Gallery opens its new location at University Place February 9.
Gallery C
Specializing in examinations, appraisals, and resale of historically important North Carolina painters and sculptors, Gallery C has been a draw for serious private collectors and museums since 1985. The fine art gallery features more than thirty contemporary artists in addition to its historic offerings. A new solo show from Kathy Daywalt February 15 – March 21 will feature paintings in her original medium: watercolor. Her new work celebrates the seventy-fifth anniversary edition of the digitally remastered version of The Wizard of Oz. www.galleryc.net
Left: Kathy Daywalt, “A Sign of Our Times”, Watercolor on YUPO, 10 x 13 inches
Right: Kathy Daywalt, Untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18 inches
The Mahler Fine Art
This fine art gallery, housed in the historic Mahler Building, showcases work from emerging and established regional and national artists. Starting March 2, the gallery will host an exhibition of new woodcuts by North Carolina artist Ann Conner. An art professor at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington for more than thirty years, she continues to create for collectors all over the Unites States. Yale University recently acquired eight editions of her work. www.themahlerfineart.com
Left: Ann Conner, “Beechwood”, 20 x 20 inches
Right: Ann Conner, “Brentwood”, 46 x 34 inches
Litmus Gallery & Studios
Also in the Warehouse District, Litmus offers contemporary art with a thoughtful, approachable focus that comes across with “Transitivity,” beginning February 2. By introducing Raleigh to a new trend in contemporary art—in which artists paint directly over mass-produced art or reproductions—resident artist Leatha Koefler also hopes to educate art lovers about the many and varied ways art is made, reproduced, and sold. “The idea came about when my studio mate, Brenda Brokke, and I were in Chicago studying contemporary art. Brenda began painting over mass-produced images. Little did we know that it was a trend among contemporary artists in New York, Chicago, and other major art centers,” Koefler says. “I anticipate the show will exhibit many different kinds of handmade art and many different kinds of mass produced art. I have always believed it to be important for individuals who purchase art to understand what they are buying.” To deepen this focus, Koefler will lead an open discussion on what to look for when purchasing art on February 3 at 1 p.m. www.litmusgallery.com
Leatha Koefler exhibited “Download” earlier this fall.