This Friday as part of the downtown Art Crawl the Watauga County Arts Council located in the Jones House at 304 W. King Street is pleased to have two new exhibits. The Gallery Reception will be from 6:30 until 8:00pm on August  6th and is open to the public.
In the Mazie Jones Gallery we will have the art of the High Country Watermedia Society (HCWS).  This group was founded in 1997 here in the Western mountains of North Carolina. The High Country Watermedia Society was organized to further the cause and interest in water media through teaching programs, demonstrations, exhibits and through an endowment in association with the Watauga County Community Foundation. 

This exhibit will feature the art of over 25 artists. These artists are from many different areas and come from a variety of backgrounds—from professional artists, art instructors, hobbyists, and art enthusiasts and collectors. This exhibit is a perfect example of the diversity of this group and their different painting styles and levels.  This is a juried exhibit and the awards will be presented at the gallery reception on Friday, August 6th.

The current membership is approximately 120. The HCWS meets monthly on the second Saturday at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff in Boone. A guest artist visits at each meeting and conducts a workshop from 1:00 to 4:00pm. The artist and workshop is announced in their monthly newsletter, High Views and News  along with other pertinent information for the group.

The HCWS encourages artists of all levels and supports High Country art projects through an endowment in association with the Watauga County Community Foundation. Contact us at: PO Box 2254, Boone, NC 28607 or by calling Bettie Bond @ 828-264-4275. Please visit their website at: www.highcountrywatermediasociety.com

In the Open Door Gallery  we are featuring folkart painting by Aurel Tremblay who goes by the name of “Frenchy”.  The work featured in the Open Door Gallery this month is by artist, Aurel Tremblay who goes by “Frenchy”.  You cannot talk to Frenchy very long without hearing about the two “loves of his life”. That would be his wife of 26 years, Joy, and his artwork. You see, without Joy there would be no artwork. Frenchy was born in Quebec, Canada and had worked as a steeplejack, bridge painter, and sandblaster. He traveled for his job and met his wife in 1978 while working in Florida on one of those jobs.  One day Joy observed him helping their daughter with a drawing for a school project and informed him that he was an artist and would paint one day.  He didn’t really believe that, but didn’t want to argue with his beautiful wife. After a long illness Frenchy’s beloved Joy passed away in 2005. He recounts the events after her death and says that one night she came to him in a dream and told him it was time to open the box she had placed in the closet years ago. He knew exactly what box it was because he had wondered what was in it and asked her about it a long time ago. She replied, “Not now, don’t worry about it”.  But now the time had come and when he opened the box the next morning, there were all the supplies he needed to paint.  He began painting that very day about 4 years ago and has never stopped. His style of painting is folk art and he likes to say that he has one foot in the 1800’s and one in the present. He loves the old time period so much and enjoys painting what he imagines it was like many years ago. Frenchy doesn’t have a computer and doesn’t seem to want one, although he has stepped into this century by having a cell phone for his only means of communication.  Thanks to the love and inspiration of Joy, (who Frenchy says lived up to her name everyday), we can now enjoy his beautiful artwork!
He was recently commissioned by the town of Lansing where he resides and has his studio, to paint a mural along the Lansing Walking Trail. This mural depicts the town in the 1940’s and many people will enjoy this artwork as they walk the trail for years to come. You may also see Frenchy’s art in West Jefferson at the Reple Gallery and the Sassafrass Store.