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November Issue 2004
Gallery Z in Hickory, NC, Feature Works by Michael Bock, Andrew Thomason and Allison Beach
Gallery Z, located in downtown Hickory, NC, will be featuring an exhibition of works by Michael Bock, Andrew Thomason and Allison Beach. The exhibit entitled, Past, Present and Future, will entice viewers with a beautiful collection of works spanning each artist's creative growth. The exhibit will include early pieces from their artistic educations, current available works and new unfinished pieces. The exhibition will be on view through Nov. 19, 2004. This will be the first major event in the newly opened gallery.
Michael
Bock
"My appreciation of the skills employed by the Old Masters has been my inspiration in the growth of my talent", says Michael Bock, a native of North Carolina. His works push the envelope of realism. His oil paintings, which are predominantly still life and figurative capture the essence of the subject matter through his heightened perception of composition, form, value and color. Bock's attention to detail and accuracy on proportion, shape and lighting give his paintings life beyond the two-dimensional state in which they exist. "Things found in nature, the human form, objects made by man, all have relevancy in our live. Portraying them as objects of beauty, in a timeless manner, empowering my skills of technique, can I produce exquisite works to endure the ages," states Bock.
Bock's training includes an intensive study in classical drawing at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, studying traditional oil painting techniques in a workshop and apprenticeship with David Weaver, and most recently a master class with Nelson Shanks at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. He has received numerous awards regionally, and has participated in many group shows and solo exhibitions. Bock teaches, enjoying passing his skills on to others. He has done lectures and demonstrations for many art groups also. Bock also does large scale murals in homes and businesses in NC and SC. He is also represented by Gallery Minerva in Ashville, NC.
"In the birth of image making, certain mysterious harmonies prevail in establishing the character of a work and the voice by which it speaks. As an artist, I have become a great listener, patiently waiting for a hint of inspiring voices," states Andrew Thomason, also native to NC. He expresses this through figurative landscapes in oil. His development of an image grows from an understanding of the visual language, ie... form, shape, color, movement, texture, balance and emotional expression. These expressions manifest themselves in the entirety of the imagery to seduce the viewer. Thomason's paintings strike the senses with brilliant color and thick textured brushwork to pull the viewer into the world seen through his interpretation.
Thomason received a BFA from Appalachian State University, with concentration in painting. He pursued further independent study spending two summers in Europe and by continued experimentation in technique. He has received many awards and been included in group and solo exhibitions. Thomason has been the recipient of the Regional Artist Project Grant twice. He is also represented by Karen Chapin Gallery in Pittsburg, PA.
Allison Beach's contemporary style include figurative works in charcoal and pastel paintings containing subject matter including floral, landscape and animals. Her tonal renderings are in natural hues, blended and unblended to create a tension in her works. The NC native is inspired by the beauty of the natural world.
Beach studied at Catawba Valley Community College for two years in the commercial art program. She has also been studying with Michael Bock ongoing for the last year and progresses with independent study. Beach has been in group shows and paints murals in homes and businesses.
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 828/381-2252 or 828/320-0255 or e-mail at (gallery_z@hotmail.com).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.