Beard and Crompton lead workshops at Carlton Gallery

As winter is winding down in the High Country, the Winter Exhibition at Carlton Gallery is also coming to a close, as the gallery prepares for another season of showcasing art from local and regional artists.

The gallery is looking forward to its 27th year of exhibiting art in many mediums, along with its ninth annual Workshop Series, which runs from March through October.

Freeman Beard and Jim Crompton are two standing gallery artists conducting engaging and informative classes at Carlton Gallery during the ninth annual Workshop Series. Paintings in watercolor and oils on canvas by these artists are on exhibit at the gallery.

The watercolor paintings of Beard capture the color and mood of his subject matter. Beard likes variety in his subject matter to keep each painting interesting and exciting for himself and the viewer. His watercolor paintings of local landscapes, rural life, seascapes and figures are a true testament to his artistic expression and talent. Having grown up in rural North Carolina, Beard is appreciative of this environment and the changing seasons. His watercolor paintings are in many corporate and private collections in the United States, China, Japan, Holland and Switzerland.

Beard studied at the Ringling School of Art and Design. His retirement from a career in television makes it possible to now paint full-time and conduct workshops.

In Beard’s “Watercolor Landscape Workshop” on July 14, 15 and 16, he intends to demonstrate painting a watercolor from start to finish. His plein air demonstration will create mood, depth, design and color using one-quarter sheet paintings, which allows participants to try more than one technique in their painting process.

Local artist and instructor Jim Crompton plans an innovative workshop series beginning with a portrait painting class on May 18, 19 and 20. In this portrait class, the fundamentals of the head and features (eyes, nose and mouth) are taught individually in steps, so participants can easily grasp the technique of painting a portrait.

Crompton’s “Creative Paintings from Photographs” Workshop Series runs from June to October. These monthly 3-day classes will concentrate on the four basic steps in painting: drawing, color, form and detail. Having taught painting in all mediums for many years, Crompton said, “With his teaching method, anyone can learn to paint.”

The Winter Exhibition runs through March 15. Information about the Workshop Series or seasonal exhibitions can be found at www.carltonartgallery.com or by calling (828) 963-4288.

The gallery is located at 10360 N.C. 105 South, 10 miles south of Boone and 7 miles north of Linville. Winter hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday or by appointment.