A flaxen alfalfa field. A moonlit forest. An undulating backroad. Such are the scenes Marshall fiber artist Jaana Mattson depicts using nothing more than wisps of dyed roving and a notched needle. “With these materials, one can manipulate light and color in much the same way as an impressionist painter, with the layers of fiber blended by the viewer’s eye,” Mattson reveals in her artist’s statement. For added effect, these needle-felted landscapes are framed by locally milled timber or found objects — everything from an antique sieve to an oak stirrup. “The organic textures of wool and wood energize each other, and the resulting sculpture takes on a resonance greater than the sum of its parts,” the artist notes. In an autumn show at Grovewood Gallery, Mattson’s work will be coupled with that of fine-furniture maker Scott Kestel. “Everything is fabricated from select cuts of wood from my sawmill and specifically assembled to highlight the natural voids and inclusions,” says Kestel, who is based in the state’s Piedmont. According to the gallery, his focus on the “living edge” aesthetic affords a singular style that exudes the “very soul of a tree.”
Through October 29
Grovewood Gallery / 111 Grovewood Road, Asheville / grovewood.com