While the rest of us recover from our holiday-induced sugar comas, Blue Spiral 1 is back at it with four expertly curated exhibitions. In the Main Level Gallery, eight artists come together for Lay It On: Impasto, Stacking, + Layering. According to a press statement, the show highlights the “diverse ways in which paint, fiber, collage, and clay can be generously applied or altered.” A painter may slather a canvas with layers upon layers of acrylic, for instance. Meanwhile, a sculptor may sandwich bicycle inner tubes between bowls. The creativity continues in the Lower Level Gallery where a group show dubbed Color Stories will explore “how color is used as a driving force of design and concept in art.” Expect everything from vivid tapestries to woodcut prints of crimson-tinged leaves. In the Showcase Gallery, the focus turns from color to form as Black Mountain College sculptor Zack Noble and painters Frank Hursh and Charles Goolsby unite to “capture both intimate and colossal configurations.” Lastly, in the Small Format Gallery, Asheville sculptor Eric Knoche will present Circles — a solo showcase of intuitively shaped pieces that eschew sketches and maquettes for gut feelings and instinct.
January 5-February 21; Opening Reception: Friday, Jan. 5, 5-7pm
Blue Spiral 1 Fine Art + Craft / 38 Biltmore Ave., Asheville