Routines are helpful, necessary even. But doing the same thing at the same time day in and day out can also leave you with a bad case of quotidian malaise — a sort of pervasive listlessness whose symptoms range from lack of inspiration to full-on burnout. In its fall show, Off the Beaten Path, the Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League (SVFAL) will address this chronic condition by asking artists to take “the road less traveled.” This could involve exploring a different medium or simply perceiving subject matter through a different lens. “Our members are challenged to go down an unexpected route, to embrace a new perspective, to travel a path that could lead to self-discovery,” SVFAL reveals in a press statement. For participating artist Kare Strong, the show’s prompt means welcoming the “unprecedented uniqueness each moment offers.” Strong’s oil painting, “The Swing,” riffs on this concept by depicting a “magical and loving quality that is everywhere, but often seems to go unnoticed because our modern lives are very busy and forward-striving.”
September 15-November 13
Opening Reception: Friday, Sept. 15, 5-7pm
Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League and Red House Studios & Gallery / 310 West State St., Black Mountain / svfalarts.org