 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
 |
week of 6/4/03 | ||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Artist
brings Highway 64 inspiried paintings to Asheville gallery SMN Painter Bennett Strahan is bringing his first show in the Southeast in more than a decade — and his first ever in Western North Carolina — to Studio ItaliAna in Downtown Asheville for the month of June. “Paintings from the Road: North Carolina to New Mexico,” is a collection of more than 20 works inspired by the artist’s frequent travels along highway U.S. 64. Strahan, who describes his paintings as “abstract American impressionism,” drives U.S. 64 every few weeks as he travels between homes in Lake Lure and Cimarron, N.M. Evident in many of his works is his passion for the relationship between the earth and the sky, often illustrated in landscapes joining the two at the horizon with vivid colors produced by the rising or setting of the sun. Strahan says his dyslexia has helped his art more than anything. He is a visual, multi-dimensional thinker who can take a mental snapshot of a scene often days before translating it onto paper. “In the end, I paint what I see,” he said. “It may be backward to you or it may not. Perhaps you’ll be the one who has to reverse it in your mind.” Today, teachers use Strahan as a role model for dyslexic children, and an Internet search of famous people with dyslexia lists him among artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin and Andy Warhol. Studio ItaliAna is located at 25 Patton Avenue. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday by appointment. Strahan’s show will run through the end of June. For more information, call 828.250.0567. |