March 2011

Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, NC, Offers Works by Luke Allsbrook

The Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, NC, will present the exhibit, Reflected Light: Scenes of Haywood County, featuring works by Luke Allsbrook, on view in Gallery 86, Mar. 2 - 26, 2011. A reception will be held on Mar. 4, from 6-8pm.

This exhibition of oil paintings by Allsbrook highlights landscape scenes from around Haywood County. The common theme in all the paintings is water. There are scenes of Lake Junaluska, farm streams, and the Pigeon River. Many of the pictures the artist painted on site while standing in the river. Others are large scale versions painted in the studio. The paintings seek to capture a sense of place as well as the abstract beauty of light and color reflected in water.

Allsbrook received his BFA degree from Indiana University and his MFA degree from the New York Academy of Art. He has exhibited his work extensively throughout the eastern United States. Allsbrook’s paintings are included in numerous collections including the collection of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the US Department of State, the Forbes Collection and the North Carolina Arboretum.

Based in Waynesville, Allsbrook combines masterful technique with fine attention to detail in his visionary approach to nature. He creates paintings that speak to the spirit and seem to transport the viewer to another time and place. Critic and Professor of the Arts, James A. Herbert, has compared Allsbrook to Lucien Freud, dubbing Allsbrook a “painter’s painter, an artist who deftly captures the elements of realism and atmosphere in his compositions.” An artist who possesses many talents, Allsbrook’s greatest gift may lie in his ability to include the viewer in his world; making the observer an active participant in the scenes and activities he brings to life.

Describing his work, Allsbrook states, “I try to let nature be my guide. The best ideas come like a gift. A painting might begin with a question as simple as, ‘If I could create any painting in the world, what would it be?’ I categorize my work into two parts - the smaller, plein air paintings where I go into nature and do quick journal like sketches, and the larger, bolder canvases drawn from memory that capture the settings realistically.”

The mission of the Haywood County Arts Council is to build partnerships that promote art and artists, explore new cultural opportunities, and preserve mountain artistic heritage. This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division or the Department of Cultural Resources. The mission of the North Carolina Arts Council is to make North Carolina a better state through the arts. The council nurtures and supports excellence in the arts, and provides opportunities for every North Carolinian to experience the arts. A division of the Department of Cultural Resources (www.ncculture.com), the Arts Council serves as a catalyst for the development of arts organizations and facilities throughout North Carolina with grant funding and technical assistance.

For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Haywood Arts Council at 828/452-0593 or visit (www.haywoodarts.org).

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