Playful animal paintings flock to BlackBird Frame & Art
For Woodfin artist Ann Stowe, painting is an act of sharing joy. Now 73 and newly retired, she finally has the time, as she puts it, “to dabble and experiment” in her home studio, where bears, birds, and other wild visitors regularly wander through her yard and into her work. Opening in February at BlackBird Frame & Art, Happy Creatures gathers these playful subjects into a single exhibition. Stowe works primarily in inks and acrylics but follows her whims, sometimes adding Swarovski crystals to give her animals what she calls “sparkly eyes.” The result is a portfolio that’s as precise as it is joyful — art meant simply to make people smile. “I want people to feel happy or amused,” Stowe says. Before she brightens the gallery, BlackBird will close out 2025 with Filthy Casual, a collaborative exhibition by John Nelson Batovsky and Jesse Lee exploring the intersection of digital art and raw material. It remains on view until December 31.
Happy Creatures: February 6-March 20, 2026
BlackBird Frame & Art / 365 Merrimon Ave., Asheville / blackbirdframe.com