Floral Realism: Work by Molly Smith, Carol Dawson and James Andrew Smith . October 5-27, 2024
Floral Realism features the work of Molly Smith, Carol Dawson and James Andrew Smith. Each artist captures the natural beauty of flora in a realist manner, each with a different medium and approach.
Molly Smith’s colored pencil pieces are inspired by "nature’s mess". Self-taught, Molly trained herself to really see while taking extended walks with her blind dog. Looking down around her, where others might see unkempt weeds, she found beauty in wild neighborhood vignettes, and the unexpected in a neighbor’s overgrown garden. Using only colored pencil, she achieves an incredible depth amongst the tangled foliage.
Carol Dawson’s watercolor series Mortal Beauty is an intimate portrayal of decaying flowers: fading and drying out at the end of their life cycle, petals falling, suspended in air. Dawson’s use of negative space surrounding her florals focuses the viewer's attention on these details, creating abstraction and movement. Her macro depictions of peonies live immortally on paper.
James Andrew Smith favors traditional still lives in oil paint. His expert treatment of glass and reflection, attention to detail, and precise technique produces awe-inspiring photo-realistic canvases. His play with light is impressive in a centuries old pursuit that is notoriously challenging. His subjects are orderly, structured, anchored in their vases.
Established in 1980 and located in a 120 year old historic house, the Wally Workman Gallery specializes in emerging and collected talent. Known for encouraging their artists' professional and creative growth, the gallery has advanced local artists onto the national stage for decades. It is the combination of these long-standing relationships and the potential of new partnerships that make the gallery's program dynamic and accessible. The gallery has two stories of exhibition space where one can view the 50+ artists currently represented, including the contemporary talents of Sarah Ferguson, Joyce Howell and Will Klemm as well as the figurative work of Patrick Puckett and America Martin.
Parking is available in the lot behind the gallery, accessed from the alley off Blanco and Harthan Streets. There you will find two dedicated spots as well as other parking options. Unrestricted street parking is available on Blanco St. and parking is allowed after 7pm on Harthan St. Valet parking is available on Blanco St, in front of Elle's.