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September Issue 2003
Asheville Architect Blurs Lines Between Art and Architecture
For more than 20
years, architect Peter Alberice's canvas consisted solely of vacant
lots and neglected buildings yearning for a new life, his palette
a variety of materials from stone to steel. But on a trip to Europe
four years ago, the vibrant landscape, architecture and culture
awakened a long-dormant passion for painting. The result is a
collection of mixed-media works that will be unveiled at Studio
ItaliAna in Asheville, NC, on Sept. 26. The show, his first in
Western North Carolina, will run through the month of October.
Alberice describes his paintings as an abstract exploration of geometry, form, color, and positive and negative space. He makes liberal use of warm earthtone colors that are both contained by and break free from geometric shapes serving as landscapes and abstract building plansor sometimes both.
"These paintings represent studies of plans and sections of buildings or environments and are tools for the creation of three-dimensional spaces," he says. "Each piece may be read as a plan or a section of an architectural project within an environment."
Alberice began painting as a boy in Boston, where his parents encouraged him to draw and paint on the plastered walls of their house before each was wallpapered. However, an extended diversion into the design and construction of a two-story tree house fated him to become an architect.
After receiving his bachelors and master's
in architecture from Virginia Tech, he landed a job with an architecture
firm in Asheville. In 1989, he became a founding partner of Camille-Alberice
Architects, PA. Today his work can be seen in the design of buildings
such as Port City Java on Merrimon Avenue, Emma Elementary in
West Asheville and the Jenkins Building at 32 Broadway. He and
his partners are the architects for 12 South Lexington, a multi-use
development planned for Downtown Asheville.
On a trip to Italy in 1999, Alberice became enamored with the
yellow, ochre and smoky olive-green colors in the landscape as
well as the ancient, degenerating buildings that reveal their
many layers of multi-colored plaster.
"The quality of light in this region is extraordinary and the colors are incredibly vivid and intense," he said. "The traditional Italian agrarian landscape provides an interesting model on how buildings fit in the natural environment, which became a driving force behind my desire to paint again."
Upon returning to Asheville, he picked up a paintbrush for the first time in more than 20 years and unleashed a wave of creativity that has only grown stronger. The process begins with a series of sketches on grid paper that are translated onto watercolor paper or canvas with color from pencil, acrylics and watercolors.
Alberice draws inspiration from the color and geometry in photographs brought back from Italy as well as from artists such as Mark Rothko and Richard Diebenkorn. And he recently found inspiration in a new, surprising source.
"Three years ago I became interested in jazz from the late '40s, ' 50s and early ' 60s," he says. "I admire how musicians such as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane reinvented musical structures, exploring layers and densitymany of the same issues as found in architectural design. It's a very powerful source of influence in my painting."
Alberice has participated in four art shows in galleries throughout the Southeast. His work is currently on display in the public entrance of the Student Health Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham.He was also featured in the "Art for Architecture" show at Duke University Museum earlier this year. The exhibit showcased work from 20 architects from around the state who were selected from more than 100 applicants.
Not only has painting proven to be a creative outlet for Alberice, but it's an avenue for trying out new architectural ideas as well.
"Painting gives me an opportunity to work on a subconscious level and to organize a space or a series of spaces," he says. "And while my artwork may not translate literally into my work with our architectural firm, it certainly complements it and provides a freer means to explore new ideas."
For more information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 828/250-0567.
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