“INTERPLAY” is an intriguing new exhibition on display at UpMarket Gallery. Though working in different mediums, Walton and Miles share a visual language rooted in color, line, pattern, and grid. “INTERPLAY” highlights the conversation that emerges when these elements meet, overlap, and diverge.
Website: https://www.cindywalton.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/cindywaltonfineart/
Cindy Walton, a native of St. Petersburg, Florida, is a long-time resident of Asheville, North Carolina. A committed artist from childhood, Walton earned a baccalaureate degree in art from Salem College, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
The warmth and effervescence of the Florida coast and the quiet energy of mountainous Western North Carolina are both strongly evident in her work, in imagery as well as in coloration. She has developed highly personalized abstract techniques that translate and transform nature and iconography.
As a result, her paintings, whether abstract or figurative, are transformative interpretations rather than literal renderings. She is particularly expert in abstraction and use of cold wax methods and is highly respected as a teacher of the medium.
Website: https://www.juliemilesart.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliemilesart/
Considered a contemporary folk artist, Julie’s work harnesses a spectrum of emotions and gives them a quiet place to dwell. Allowing remnants of the handmade process to endure, this gives Julie’s work a humble and authentic quality.
Loving to tell stories in many ways, her work holds a wide range: from a hopeful revival of the gems to be garnered from the rural way of life, to abstract pieces that inspire dialogue about our inter-relatedness, to quiet stories of the wind.
Upon close inspection, both construction and deconstruction of the drawing and painting processes are evident in the multiple layers of her work. Revealed here is a vulnerability, alternating between cognitive and intuitive mindsets. Capturing the heart of the piece, images take on an ethereal appearance with the often transparent figures, loosely rendered landscapes, and expressive clouds that encapsulate the underlying tone.
Toggling between these nostalgic pieces and her abstract colored panels, Julie’s art serves both as a working commentary on sound design and the essence of being human.
