Local gardens inspire Black Mountain Center for the Arts plein air exhibit

Art in Bloom brings the outdoors to the Upper Gallery through the end of July

Jessica Klarp
Guest contributor
The Valley Echo
July 12, 2021

Cheryl Keefer creates a plein air painting in a past Art in Bloom event. Keefer is one of 12 artists whose work will be featured in the Art in Bloom Garden Art exhibit in the Black Mountain Center for the Arts, July 16 -30. Photo courtesy of Joye Ardyn Durham

While those who attended the 2021 Art in Bloom Garden Tour over the weekend took in the diverse beauty of six local gardens, plein air artists at each stop on the route were finding inspiration in them. As the annual Black Mountain Center for the Arts fundraiser continues through July, those artistic interpretations of the landscape will bring the outdoors. into the nonprofit organization’s Upper Gallery.

The work of 12 plein air artists from a variety of disciplines will be featured in the Upper Gallery of BMCA beginning Friday, July 16. The free Garden Art exhibit will be displayed through Friday, July 30.

The plein air artists were given four hours to complete their work in their assigned garden. Seven of the 12 artists are newcomers to BMCA’s Art in Bloom event, which this year welcomed artists outside the traditional discipline of painting, including photographer Clayton Sharp and illustrator Stephanie Sipp.

Cheryl Keefer, a Black Mountain resident  who has participated in this event for many years, contributed to the event in a variety of ways. Her acrylic work “Betsy” hung in the Regional Galleries Exhibit to be interpreted by floral designers, the highlight of Art in Bloom. Floral designer Suzanne Dillingham was tasked with depicting the cow in Keefer's painting in flowers and other natural materials. Art in Bloom is a fundraiser for BMCA, and Keefer stepped up to sponsor the Regional Gallery Exhibit for a full immersion into this year’s event.

The garden tour featured six very different gardens, one without grass, one a shaded hill, another a fenced-in pop of color. Two of the gardens were very large, one that leans toward formal, one a burgeoning commercial enterprise. Most artists chose to work both days of the tour and were given contrasting locations for an additional challenge.

For those who were unable to go on the garden tour, this gallery show is a way of experiencing it through the creative process of these artists. What they choose to paint or depict is always interesting. The varying styles and points of view drive home how different we all are and how individual the act of seeing can be. For those who enjoyed walking through these beautiful local gardens, this show is a chance to relive some of the highlights.

The Upper Gallery is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 West State Street. For more information visit blackmountainarts.org or call 828-669-0930.