This Friday evening as part of the Boone Downtown Art Crawl, the Watauga Arts Council located at 604 W. King Street in the Jones House will present two new gallery exhibits in addition to our new Serendipity gallery. The public is invited to join us on Friday between 6:30pm to 8:00pm. for a wine and cheese reception.

The Mazie Jones Gallery will feature the watercolors of Wes Waugh. Wes has lived in Watauga County for 22 years now. He is an art instructor, juror, and has had many solo exhibitions. He works as a product consultant and workshop instructor for Cheap Joe’s Art Supplies and is currently a full-time program director and instructor within the Learning Assistance Program at Appalachian State University. Wes describes his influences as stemming from the translational and design influenced watercolor landscapes of the late Eliot O’Hara and Edgar Whitney, both prominent mid-20th century American watercolor masters. Wes’s own workshops combine an intensive focus on the principles of design combined with a unique approach to building subject relationships.  He has been painting since the age of twelve and is now noted as one of the southeast region’s leading landscape watercolorists. Wes has not had an exhibit with the Arts Council for eleven years and we are excited to see what he’s been doing and to share his work with the community.

The Open Door Gallery is pleased to have a group show from the instructors of Appalachian State’s Craft Enrichment Program. This group is under the leadership of Eric Reichard who is also an instructor along with many other talented crafters in our area. They work in many mediums and you will want to see what they have created in pottery, jewelry, glass, collage, weaving and photography. The Craft Enrichment Program offers workshops that provide opportunities for students and community members to have “hands-on” experiences with many forms of creative expression through learning crafts. Participants have the opportunity to take part in a variety of instruction that gives them the chance to begin or continue a hobby that could last a lifetime. The program is growing, and classes are now held at three different locations: Katherine Harper Hall and the Living Learning Center on the campus of Appalachian State University, and The Art Mart Academy. For more information you may visit their website at www.craftenrichment.com.