From Summer to Autumn
Landscapes featured at Carlton Gallery

Summer turning into autumn is beginning in the High Country as Carlton Gallery’s 26th Mid-Summer

Exhibition winds down with a focus on landscapes by Gina Strumpf and Dina Lowery.

The palette of Strumpf’s traditional landscapes reflects the colors of summer, while the mixed media abstract landscapes of Lowery project the muted colors of autumn.

Dina Lowery spent her childhood in West Virginia, where she played along the paths among forest trees, waded in the water or walked along the creek banks collecting wild flowers. Lowery’s paintings frequently reflect the dream-like memories of her childhood.

Lowery said, “My work is my expression, where words are left off, to relinquish back interpretations of either aesthetic experiences or emotional incidences. I select mediums that feel right. You will most commonly see the usage of gold or silver leafing or a gloss varnish as a consistency.

“The reflective quality reminds me of the optimistic aspects of life. Layering and subtracting of different textures creates a depth to my work that not only gives a physical dimension, but an emotional one. My chosen paint medium is acrylic. It allows me to work through expressions/interpretations while they are still with me.”

After careers in counseling, rehabilitation and interior design, Lowery returned to painting on canvas. Her work is well received by corporate sells, private collectors and published works. Lowery juried into the Mint Museum in Charlotte and her residency at the McColl Art Center engaged her in an in-depth study of her art. She said this residency has sanctified a passion and a purpose.

As a child, Gina Strumpf was always drawing. She studied water color illustration and won numerous awards in school, as well as being selected to spend a summer at the N. C. School of Art in Winston-Salem. Strumpf was also awarded a full art scholarship to Traphagan School of Fashion in New York City. Her art education includes water color and oil studies with national artists including Rebecca Schwieger and Andrew Braitman, along with workshops in Southern France and Tuscany. Strumpf is a member of the Charlotte Art League.

Strumpf’s landscapes, street scenes and still lives are enhanced with her selection of vibrant hues and colors which bring out the excitement of their natural beauty and display her love of nature. Her recent artwork reflects her fascination of the countryside of Tuscany and France.

Strumpf said, “As an artist, I would like my paintings to represent the passion I feel in my subject matter; total joy. I want my work to be as intense, beautiful and spiritual as life itself, always offering a wealth of emotion for the viewer to consider.”

Carlton Gallery’s 26th Mid-Summer Exhibition continues through Sept. 15, and visitors may view traditional and abstract landscapes in oil, acrylic and water color by Andrew Braitman, Jim Crompton, Roy Nichols, Egidio Antonaccio, Jane Desonier, Bill Farnsworth, David McCaig, Janice Gay-Maker and Freeman Beard.

The gallery is located at 10360 N.C. 105 South, 10 miles south of Boone and 7 miles north of Linville. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

For information on workshops and upcoming exhibits, call (828) 963-4288 or visit www.carltonartgallery.com.